Turning into a Team in the Offseason

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Friday marks the first official spring practice for the 2025 Kansas State football team. Since the Wildcats embarked upon winter strength and conditioning on January 22, a buzz has surrounded the gains made by players both in strength and in speed. Most recently K-State had four players reach 23 miles per hour, an unprecedented feat for the program.

K-State's strength and conditioning efforts were on full display as Jacob Parrish, DJ Giddens and Marques Sigle all turned in impressive performances at the NFL Combine.

Months of hard work brought the Wildcats to this point, including hours spent with K-State Director of Strength and Conditioning Trumain Carroll and his staff inside the weight room and inside the Shamrock Indoor Practice Facility.

"I'm very pleased with the group," Carroll said. "Really in particular the way they have embraced 28 new guys in our program. I told them after Friday's workout that back in January 22 they were a group of guys that just showed up and worked out at the same time. They've now turned into a team."

A 19-year veteran of the strength and conditioning field who has spent the last 10 years leading strength and conditioning efforts at FBS schools, Carroll is in his fifth season at K-State.

As for the fanfare surrounding K-State strength and conditioning?

"I appreciate people taking notice, but it's much bigger than us, and it's never been about us," Carroll said, "and that's what makes us a unique staff is we just try to stay out of the way, and make sure we're not letting anyone down."

K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen spoke with Carroll as K-State heads into spring practice:

D. Scott Fritchen: When was the last offseason weight and conditioning session prior to spring workouts?

Trumain Carroll: We began winter weight and conditioning on January 22. Our last day with them before we actually practice will be Thursday. Technically, you can say Monday was the last official day of winter workouts because we have walk-throughs starting Tuesday. Monday was a great day. At 6:00 a.m. we had a team run at the indoor facility, and guys got after it. They attacked it. They were striving to just simply meet the goal times. They were pushing themselves to really give maximum effort for every rep. Then we had two lift groups, one at 7:30 a.m. and one at 9:30 a.m. They came in and did a great job on the cleans. We had some good bench press to blow their upper bodies up. They got some recovery in before they went onto breakfast at 10:00 a.m.

Fritchen: How pleased have you been with this group?

Carroll: Man, very pleased with the group. Really in particular the way they have embraced 28 new guys in our program. I told them after Friday's workout that back in January 22 they were a group of guys that just showed up and worked out at the same time. They've now turned into a team. It starts with the leaders, to be honest with you. The leaders and our leadership council and just guys who have been in the program who know what the standards and expectations are. Those guys have taken the new guys under their wings. We started on January 22 but before that, those old guys got them into the weight room before I got to them, and they taught them the warmups and how we stretch and clap in cadence, and all the minor details that we teach them in their New Cats orientation. That actually started with the old guys teaching those guys before we got a chance to touch them.

Fritchen: When you refer to "old guys," I assume one of those guys is Avery Johnson. Who are some other "old guys" you are referring to?

Carroll: Man, Damian Illalio, Austin Romaine, Des Purnell, Cody Stufflebean, and it wasn't just the leadership council guys, it was guys like Zach Wittenberg, Gavin Meyers, Rex Van Wyhe, and Taylor Poitier was a big one. TP actually did some things outside of that first week. Whenever we hit a new phase in training, they knew what was coming because TP got those guys together the day before they actually had their conditioning session and taught them one of the more difficult drills that we do. So instead of it being a blood bath with them doing it for the first time when I'm running the drill, it still got a little bloody, but it wasn't nearly as bad. TP got those guys together and showed them what was coming up.

Fritchen: Exactly how important is this time of year for a football player?

Carroll: It's critical in the sense of development for guys who were down the line on the depth chart and as far as guys coming into your program. A lot of times when guys enter the transfer portal, they don't work out with their teams anymore. So, when you get them Day 1, you've got a lot of work to do to get them back to where they were when they finished playing at their last school, and obviously, some of the gains they've been able to make over this offseason. Number two, guys are coming back from a long, strenuous season. We played in the Rate Bowl and a lot of guys have had surgery and had to heal up from that long haul. So, it gives those guys and opportunity to get back fully healthy. Most importantly, is those guys learning to work together and overcoming adversity and challenges as one, as a group, as a unit. Football is 11 on 11. You have talented guys out there, but that doesn't mean you're going to have success. Guys all have to be on the same page and operating with the same level of intensity and attention to detail.

Fritchen: There are a lot of new guys with the transfer portal. Who are some of those newcomers who have stood out in strength and conditioning?

Carroll: Take your pick. All those guys, they've all undergone unbelievable body transformations, putting on a lot of lean muscle mass and trimming up a lot of body fat. From a training standpoint, they stood out because they went from working and operating with one sense of urgency to now knowing how to work at K-State. What that looks like from a football standpoint, you'll have to wait, because I haven't seen any of those guys play football yet.

Fritchen: When I say, "K-State Strength and Conditioning" what comes to mind?

Carroll: Blue collar. Discipline. Commitment. Toughness. And being selfless. Our core values that started with Coach Klieman. We're just a sounding board for Coach Klieman's message, to be honest with you. So, we don't deserve any of the credit because all of our guys, the leadership comes from them. We're just a vehicle to carry it out on a daily basis.

Fritchen: When I say, "Coach Tru" what comes to mind?

Carroll: First, I have to say a man of faith, husband, dad, and I'm just a vessel, to be honest with you, man. I'm just walking and living in my purpose. I didn't have aspirations growing up to be a college strength and conditioning coach. It just kind of became my calling. I'm just a humble servant while I'm here at K-State, and I'm blessed to have this opportunity to be in this room.

Fritchen: Are you aware of the buzz surrounding K-State strength and conditioning among K-State fans generated by the evident development of your players?

Carroll: I don't get caught up in all of that, to be honest. Really the credit goes to these kids' parents. That began 18 years ago with mom and dad. Our recruiting staff does a phenomenal job of not just bringing in great talent but great talent that has great character, which really fits the K-State culture. When you have those two things, it's hard to mess up. I can't take credit for any of that. I appreciate people taking notice, but it's much bigger than us, and it's never been about us, and that's what makes us a unique staff is we just try to stay out of the way, and make sure we're not letting anyone down.

Fritchen: What is one area of the strength program where players collectively improved the most?

Carroll: I would have to say across the board they made improvements, most specifically just going into the offseason our main objective was to get bigger, stronger and faster, so putting on lean muscle mass, collectively, that's been one of the highlights. They've stacked on collectively 700 pounds of lean muscle over the winter. Guys have developed and stayed in the program and they're the heaviest they've ever been and they're the fastest they've ever been. When we got here back in 2021, there were only four guys on the roster when we started tracking with the Catapult that could run over 20 miles per hour. Now the majority of our roster runs over 20, and 33 guys run over 21 miles per hours, and there are six over 22 miles per hour. Now we've had to create a new group this year, which is 23 miles per hour. It's the first time in K-State's history we've ever tracked and seen guys top off at 23 miles per hour — VJ Payne, Dylan Edwards, Donovan McIntosh and Avery Johnson.

Fritchen: It seems like K-State players are becoming faster. Exactly how is that happening?

Carroll: They're trusting the process. They're trusting the process. We have, in my opinion, the greatest director of speed development coach on our staff, Ray Thomas. He does a tremendous job. You pair that with the fact that those guys want to show up and want to work, and they're putting it in the weight room, which they've always done, but now having that emphasis on the speed development, those guys have really bought into it. They not only do the speed workouts that are required of them. We have extra speed sessions that Coach Ray offers them on one of their off days. It's amazing to see how many of those guys show up to get the additional speed work outside of their normal workouts. These guys, they're invested, they're seeing the results, and they're continuing to want more. It's a credit to the dudes in that locker room.

Fritchen: Jacob Parrish, DJ Giddens and Marques Sigle all had impressive NFL Combines. Can you shine a light on each of those guys and what they were able to accomplish in the strength and conditioning program at K-State to help get them to where they are?

Carroll: Two of them are back. They trained here earlier Monday. Deuce Vaughn, Josh Hayes, DJ Giddens, Jacob Parrish and Phillip Brooks were all back Monday, and we trained them. Man, those guys from Day 1, they were guys you didn't have to motivate or get going in order for them to work. They came in Day 1 and went to work.

DJ learned under Deuce Vaughn, and it was great getting to see those guys train together again Monday. Deuce really taught DJ how to be a pro and not just in the sense of training but also in recovery. DJ, being a great student, he didn't just rest on what Deuce taught him, he made it better. He took Deuce's routine and actually made it better. I watched this dude, just his pregame ritual, the Friday night before a game, and the things that Deuce used to do. DJ would be the first one done eating dinner and there's a little gap before we went to meetings and DJ would get on the Normatecs prior to those meetings. I was like, "Wow." DJ had really figured it out. Naturally, I said to Dylan, "Dylan, let's watch DJ. Let's watch what he's doing." So, Dylan saw how DJ was different and took Deuce's routine to the next level. That's really helped with the amount of wear and tear he's been able to sustain over his playing career here. He was a workhorse for us. But you don't have that type of career and sustain those kinds of hits without taking care of your body. That's what stands out about DJ.

Marques was one of the best vocal leaders other than Austin Moore that we've had here in a couple of years. Watching his leadership grow from the 2023 season when we were down at Kansas at halftime and he came in and Coach got after the team and we made halftime adjustments, and before we went back out, Marques got the team and really delivered a powerful message. Those guys went out and responded. You watch his leadership from that game, he was not only a leader on the defense, but he became a leader on the team. Watching him all of the 2024 offseason just get after it and lead the team and challenge guys and push guys out of their comfort zone, he's always been a workhorse. Marques got faster as the season went on. Marques was a 21 mile per hour guy all through winter and summer. He didn't hit 22 miles per hour until we hit Tulane. So, he got faster over the course of the season.

Jacob was 175 pounds after the Big 12 Championship Game. That's the picture I showed NFL scouts. For him to go from 175 to 200, solid – all muscle mass – he was 21 miles per hour at 175. He was a pretty fast kid. But now he's 200 pounds and running 22 miles per hour, that made him elite. He was a sparkplug. In the weight room, he's going after different guys, not just getting guys better in his room, but all around the weight room. Jacob and VJ Payne were what I call a tag team last year watching those guys, because they pushed each other. They each put on 20 pounds and got over 22 miles per hour last year. To see those guys go and perform the way that they did at the Combine is just a display of all the work that they did in the dark.

Fritchen: Back to this team for a moment. Here you are finishing winter conditioning and beginning spring practice. Given the growth over the winter, just how excited does that make you for summer workouts?

Carroll: I want to watch some spring ball first, but I'm obviously excited to get to the summer workouts. I'm really more excited to see — I was really pleased with the leadership and how those guys brought in the 28 new guys in January. I'm anxious to see who's going to be that next wave of guys who are going to take that next step for the new guys in June. That's what I'm more excited about.