Excitement Surrounds Development of Wide Receivers

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Although Kansas State returns sizzling sixth-year senior wide receiver Phillip Brooks this fall, head coach Chris Klieman had to identify at least two daunting, potentially-starting pass catchers for quarterback Will Howard, thus filling vacancies left by the departure of electric wideout Malik Knowles and always-reliable Kade Warner off a Wildcats' 2022 passing offense that enjoyed its best production in eight years.

Seems that Iowa sophomore transfer Keagan Johnson and returning sophomore RJ Garcia II have perhaps risen to the top for a wide receiving unit heaped in stiff competition near the middle of preseason camp and three weeks out from the season opener against SEMO on September 2 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

"Keagan Johnson was exceptional in the spring and it's carried over into the fall," Klieman says. "Phillip has always done a really good job, and we're excited to have him back. Seth Porter is getting more reps. A guy who's made a ton of plays in the first six days (of practice) is RJ Garcia."

Klieman's comments in his initial news conference of preseason camp on Tuesday come less than a month after aggressive second-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein lauded the playmaking abilities of Johnson and Garcia — a duo that could create headaches for opposing defensive coordinators for years to come.

"We have Phil doing what he's going to do in the slot, and RJ has been doing some really, really good things, and of course, having (All-Big 12 tight end) Ben Sinnott, I'm really excited about our passing game," Klein says. "We're trying to take some more deep shots this year and air that thing out when we can, and Keagan is an absolute matchup nightmare."

Adds Howard: "I think Keagan can be one of, if not, the best wide receiver in the Big 12. I really think he has that kind of potential."

In Johnson, the Wildcats have a 6-foot, 193-pounder who suffered nagging injuries while with the Hawkeyes. Johnson had 18 catches for 362 yards and two touchdowns as a true freshman in 2021. The Big Ten Network called him "a yards-after-catch machine for years to come," as highlights showed his propensity to bounces off defenders in traffic. The first-career reception by the four-star product went for 43 yards against Colorado State.

"Keagan ran 22.3 miles per hour today, I think it was," Howard said one day in May. "Man, he was cruising. He can absolutely cruise, and he's a stout guy, too. He has some legs on him, and man, he can fly. He can straight fly."

Johnson describes himself as being "well rounded."

"There's a lot of areas of my game that I'm working on, but if I had to pin-point one thing, I'm well rounded," Johnson says. "I have pretty good speed, strong hands, I pride myself on being a good route runner with good breaks. I don't like to talk too highly of myself because I know two years from now there'll be more things that I've learned and added to my game."

Meanwhile, Garcia is a 6-foot, 176-pound threat who saw action in every game last season, totaling seven catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. Perhaps his biggest catch of the year was a 25-yard touchdown in the third quarter of the Big 12 Championship Game to give K-State a 21-10 lead over No. 3 TCU. He also had a 17-yard catch against South Dakota and a 10-yard reception at Baylor.

"His change of direction has gotten a lot better," first-year wide receivers coach Matthew Middleton says. "He is shifty and has really good hips. He's fluid, so he understands that he can win at the top of any route, and he's also worked on not going to the ground after catching the ball. He's developed his lower body and has strength to stay up after making the catch."

Garcia in the spring indicated that he was working on developing the total package.

"Everything is a competition," he says. "I've been working on dig routes and vertical routes and taper fades and stuff like that — just things where I can get the ball in space and work on those tools to help me get open."

K-State comes off one of its best offensive years in the program's history. One of the most efficient Power 5 passers toward the end of the 2022 season, Howard completed 60% of his passes for 1,633 yards and 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions in seven games. Last season, K-State finished seventh all-time in school history in total points (452), second in total offense (5.863), fifth in yards per game (418.8), ninth in yards per play (6.1), second in total plays (958), sixth in passing yards (2,947) and first in lowest interception percentage (1.54%).

Howard is on the initial watch lists for the Maxwell Award, given annually to the nation's top player, and the Davey O'Brien Award, which goes to the nation's top quarterback.

"Will understands the game better and better, and you can tell that," Klieman says. "Whether it's mechanics in the pocket to decision making a little bit quicker to taking off and being confident running the ball, it's everything. The kid is better at everything right now."

Middleton says it is too early to formulate a depth chart as the three-through-seven wide receiver spots remain competitive, but don't be surprised if Johnson winds up on the top line at one of the spots.

"Keagan is an exceptionally talented guy," Klieman says. "He has a great feel for the game and high points the ball and uses his body well to catch the ball. He's a complete, complete receiver. He has a chance to be really special."

Adds Klein: "He's a big-time outside receiver. He's got in-line speed to run by some people. He has really good twitch and burst out of breaks. His ability to put his foot in the ground, change direction, create separation on the comeback at the top of the route, is as good as I've seen in a minute."

Middleton appreciates Garcia's studiousness.

"It's important to RJ and he embraces it," Middleton says. "He asks really good questions. He has a conceptual understanding of what we're doing, so that allows him to play faster. If something doesn't make sense, RJ will speak up and talk about it, and get the answer so he can move forward and the whole room can move forward. He doesn't just ask the questions for himself, but for the whole room to have knowledge."

There's no way of knowing if the Johnson-Garcia tandem could emerge as the first duo to each produce 1,000 receiving yards in a season since Tyler Lockett and Curry Sexton did so in 2014, but given Klein's propensity to dial up passing plays in his up-tempo offense and Howard's comfort in the pocket, who knows? Seems nothing is out of the realm of possibility in 2023.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Phillip Brooks

RJ Garcia II

Will Howard

Keagan Johnson

Malik Knowles

Seth Porter

Ben Sinnott

Kade Warner

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