Bringing The Energy
Aug 27, 2025 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The phone call arrived on December 9 and hours after star safety Qua Moss, coming off a monster 2024 season at University of West Georgia, dropped his name into the college football transfer portal. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Moss, a former first team all-state selection back home at Troup County (Georgia) High School, had made the rounds. He started his college football career at Dodge City Community College before moving on to West Georgia. And now Moss was here, looking for an opportunity to play at a Power 4 school, and he was lifting weights, working out some anxiety, waiting for his phone to ring.
"You're going to get an offer," a friend told Moss in the weight room.
"Right after my friend said that, Kansas State called me," Moss says. "Then K-State offered me. That was crazy. Coach Joe Klanderman called me."
He pauses.
"I want to cry," he says. "I'm not going to lie."
For the first time during an interview on Monday, Moss's eyes grow watery, and he wipes the sides of his face. He doesn't seem overly emotional during the remainder of the interview at the Vanier Family Football Complex, as he talks about his hopes and dreams for his junior season — and beyond. But, man, there's just something about finding your place that really drives it home, getting that chance to rise to the top, once a childhood dream growing up in West Point, Georgia, a ton of family members rooting him on as he started playing this game at age 7 and quickly played on teams with the older kids, with the uncle who discovered his talents cheering him on, and with the older brother who provided guidance excitedly cheering while witnessing Qua's high school career, knowing, just knowing, that Qua had a chance to be special on the big stage.
And now he's here, in Manhattan, and sure No. 17 K-State comes off a season-opening 24-21 loss to No. 22 Iowa State, but as Moss puts it, "I was just getting my feet wet," while recording a sweet strip-sack that led to a fumble recovery. Moss says that he didn't play well. He says there is so much left to go. He says that coaches will be on him in film sessions this week. Maybe he's a little bit too hard on himself. Sometimes, the great ones are. Might Moss become great? Is this the start of a special K-State career?
That's still to be determined.
But here's what we do know: Moss has three years to play two. At the time of Moss's committing to K-State, On3 rated Moss as the No. 9 safety in the transfer portal and the No. 6 safety among all players still available. Moss took a 48-hour official visit to K-State on December 14 and then hit the road for an official visit at Nebraska. But not Nebraska, not Georgia Tech, and not Virginia could compete with the purple passion that Moss found all across the Little Apple — a passion that quickly filled his heart. And the hearts of his family.
"It just felt like home," Moss says. "My family, literally every single family member, wanted me to come here, because there are no distractions or anything and you can just focus on football."
On Monday, Moss wears a black stocking cap with small medal flakes that sparkle under the lights, and he wears a silver necklace adorned with three beautiful thick silver crosses over a tight gray crew-cut Nike sweatshirt. On the football field, he wears the No. 6 jersey, and perhaps fittingly is called the "STAR" — as in he plays the Star safety position on the Wildcats' defense.
"I'm getting ready to get on that national radar," he says. "I promise. I want to be No. 1 at my position and win the Big 12 Championship and step on everybody's neck every day and just keep dominating."
Moss hopes that begins when K-State faces North Dakota at 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
He appears to have a big fan in seventh-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman, who played safety in college and has coached safeties at the college level at times during his career. Klieman has a keen eye for talent at the safety position. He has seen several talented safeties come to his program and then move on to the NFL.
"He's a hungry kid that came into our program just wanting an opportunity," Klieman says during his Monday news conference. "He competes every day. There's no off play or off day for Qua Moss. He has a motor that's fun to watch, very similar to a Reggie Stubblefield. You talk about a guy who brings energy to every practice and to the defense.
"He's excited that he got thrown into the fire against a really good team with really good players and made some nice plays. He's going to grow from this as well with some of the things that he'll do better at. Just the confidence with how Qua plays is fun to watch."
Moss leaves no doubt on his future goal.
"NFL always," he says. "You always have to think about your future. That's what drives me. I got to get to the NFL. I got to be there for my family. I'm going to the NFL."
There might be many days before any of that. Moss knows he has time to grind. He says that "everything was coming really fast" during the season opener. He wants to better recognize pre-snap keys, which will allow him to play fast. He wants to find comfort in his myriads of duties. He wants to fly around like the great safeties before him. He says, "I haven't proven nothing yet."
Yet there's that strip-sack that proved Moss to be a playmaker.
"My first big play in the Big 12? It felt amazing," he says. "My adrenaline, I knew I was going to get the sack. As soon as I saw the running back overplay, I came in. I didn't know how he fumbled, though. But it was amazing."
Moss thinks jogging out of the tunnel at Bill Snyder Family Stadium for the first time on Saturday will be pretty amazing, too.
"When I run out of our stadium, just seeing the fans and everything, looking up there, I'll probably feel a little overwhelmed, but it'll feel good, for sure," he says. "To see that many people, it'll be crazy."
It's exactly as he envisioned. It's been a long time coming. Moss definitely feels at home.
And it all started eight months ago with a phone call. It was K-State defensive coordinator and safeties coach Joe Klanderman. He gave Moss the opportunity of a lifetime.
Now Moss is working daily to shine.
"I'm going to play fast and with confidence and be in my element," Moss says. "I'm going to be the No. 1 nickel in the nation, so I have to have my mindset going onto the field.
"I have to dominate everybody."
The phone call arrived on December 9 and hours after star safety Qua Moss, coming off a monster 2024 season at University of West Georgia, dropped his name into the college football transfer portal. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Moss, a former first team all-state selection back home at Troup County (Georgia) High School, had made the rounds. He started his college football career at Dodge City Community College before moving on to West Georgia. And now Moss was here, looking for an opportunity to play at a Power 4 school, and he was lifting weights, working out some anxiety, waiting for his phone to ring.
"You're going to get an offer," a friend told Moss in the weight room.
"Right after my friend said that, Kansas State called me," Moss says. "Then K-State offered me. That was crazy. Coach Joe Klanderman called me."
He pauses.
"I want to cry," he says. "I'm not going to lie."
For the first time during an interview on Monday, Moss's eyes grow watery, and he wipes the sides of his face. He doesn't seem overly emotional during the remainder of the interview at the Vanier Family Football Complex, as he talks about his hopes and dreams for his junior season — and beyond. But, man, there's just something about finding your place that really drives it home, getting that chance to rise to the top, once a childhood dream growing up in West Point, Georgia, a ton of family members rooting him on as he started playing this game at age 7 and quickly played on teams with the older kids, with the uncle who discovered his talents cheering him on, and with the older brother who provided guidance excitedly cheering while witnessing Qua's high school career, knowing, just knowing, that Qua had a chance to be special on the big stage.
And now he's here, in Manhattan, and sure No. 17 K-State comes off a season-opening 24-21 loss to No. 22 Iowa State, but as Moss puts it, "I was just getting my feet wet," while recording a sweet strip-sack that led to a fumble recovery. Moss says that he didn't play well. He says there is so much left to go. He says that coaches will be on him in film sessions this week. Maybe he's a little bit too hard on himself. Sometimes, the great ones are. Might Moss become great? Is this the start of a special K-State career?
That's still to be determined.
But here's what we do know: Moss has three years to play two. At the time of Moss's committing to K-State, On3 rated Moss as the No. 9 safety in the transfer portal and the No. 6 safety among all players still available. Moss took a 48-hour official visit to K-State on December 14 and then hit the road for an official visit at Nebraska. But not Nebraska, not Georgia Tech, and not Virginia could compete with the purple passion that Moss found all across the Little Apple — a passion that quickly filled his heart. And the hearts of his family.
"It just felt like home," Moss says. "My family, literally every single family member, wanted me to come here, because there are no distractions or anything and you can just focus on football."
On Monday, Moss wears a black stocking cap with small medal flakes that sparkle under the lights, and he wears a silver necklace adorned with three beautiful thick silver crosses over a tight gray crew-cut Nike sweatshirt. On the football field, he wears the No. 6 jersey, and perhaps fittingly is called the "STAR" — as in he plays the Star safety position on the Wildcats' defense.
"I'm getting ready to get on that national radar," he says. "I promise. I want to be No. 1 at my position and win the Big 12 Championship and step on everybody's neck every day and just keep dominating."
Moss hopes that begins when K-State faces North Dakota at 6:00 p.m. Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
He appears to have a big fan in seventh-year K-State head coach Chris Klieman, who played safety in college and has coached safeties at the college level at times during his career. Klieman has a keen eye for talent at the safety position. He has seen several talented safeties come to his program and then move on to the NFL.
"He's a hungry kid that came into our program just wanting an opportunity," Klieman says during his Monday news conference. "He competes every day. There's no off play or off day for Qua Moss. He has a motor that's fun to watch, very similar to a Reggie Stubblefield. You talk about a guy who brings energy to every practice and to the defense.
"He's excited that he got thrown into the fire against a really good team with really good players and made some nice plays. He's going to grow from this as well with some of the things that he'll do better at. Just the confidence with how Qua plays is fun to watch."
Moss leaves no doubt on his future goal.
"NFL always," he says. "You always have to think about your future. That's what drives me. I got to get to the NFL. I got to be there for my family. I'm going to the NFL."
There might be many days before any of that. Moss knows he has time to grind. He says that "everything was coming really fast" during the season opener. He wants to better recognize pre-snap keys, which will allow him to play fast. He wants to find comfort in his myriads of duties. He wants to fly around like the great safeties before him. He says, "I haven't proven nothing yet."
Yet there's that strip-sack that proved Moss to be a playmaker.
"My first big play in the Big 12? It felt amazing," he says. "My adrenaline, I knew I was going to get the sack. As soon as I saw the running back overplay, I came in. I didn't know how he fumbled, though. But it was amazing."
Moss thinks jogging out of the tunnel at Bill Snyder Family Stadium for the first time on Saturday will be pretty amazing, too.
"When I run out of our stadium, just seeing the fans and everything, looking up there, I'll probably feel a little overwhelmed, but it'll feel good, for sure," he says. "To see that many people, it'll be crazy."
It's exactly as he envisioned. It's been a long time coming. Moss definitely feels at home.
And it all started eight months ago with a phone call. It was K-State defensive coordinator and safeties coach Joe Klanderman. He gave Moss the opportunity of a lifetime.
Now Moss is working daily to shine.
"I'm going to play fast and with confidence and be in my element," Moss says. "I'm going to be the No. 1 nickel in the nation, so I have to have my mindset going onto the field.
"I have to dominate everybody."
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