Time to Eat

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Van Malone carried his grin and comedic tenor into the Vanier Family Football Complex after Kansas State staged its 12^th practice of training camp on Wednesday. At one point, he referenced former pop icon MC Hammer. Moments later, he jokingly offered to sell his playbook to reporters for $29.95. But before the jokes, Malone, who enters his seventh season at K-State and serves as assistant head coach, defensive passing game coordinator and cornerbacks coach, placed his box of lunch upon the table.

It was time to eat.

And for 2025, K-State football believes it's time to eat as well.

"Our team and program, we're in a special moment right now," Malone began. "Coach Chris Klieman has talked to us about it as a staff — a moment where we understand, especially as a staff, and our players are beginning to understand it — that this is a moment for us to take the next step and for us to move to the next level as a program. What does that mean? You win the games you're supposed to win and steal some games that nobody thinks you'll win, and that you finish games, that you start fast in games, that you don't make mistakes at crucial times, and it doesn't matter who's out there.

"That's the pressure we're placing on ourselves as coaches and that we're placing on our players."

K-State comes off a 9-4 season capped by a 44-41 win over Rutgers in the Rate Bowl. That made K-State one of only 10 Power 4 teams — and the only Big 12 Conference program — to win at least nine games in each of the last three seasons, while the Wildcats also became one of just five to do so and also claim a conference championship during that timeframe, joining Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Oregon.

K-State has won 10 games. It has won a Big 12 title. It has played in a New Year's Six Bowl. One possible next step to "move to the next level as a program" might be the College Football Playoff. ESPN has K-State on its early list of Big 12 candidates for the College Football Playoff this fall.

Two of top four highest-regarded Big 12 teams in the preseason will be on display for the Week 0 game of 2025 when No. 20 K-State meets No. 21 Iowa State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, on August 23.

The Wildcats, now less than weeks away from departure to Dublin, remain entrenched in a "really competitive" training camp in Manhattan.

"Our team is having fun in fall camp," Malone said. "At some point, it just becomes fall camp, but I don't think we're there yet. We're having fun, and we're really competitive. Every day there's a period where the offense destroys the defense and when the defense destroys the offense, and it goes back and forth. That's good for your team and the development for your players' understanding they might have lost that quarter and have to bounce back. It's been fun to watch as a coach."

Malone largely praised the offense headed by Matt Wells, the associate head coach and quarterbacks coach who enters his first season as offensive coordinator.

"Our offensive unit, man, every day they present challenges to us," Malone said. "I'm talking from a schematic standpoint and forcing us to line up in different formations. It's been a big challenge for us. They're continually creative and offer a lot of variety and personnel groupings. From an athletic standpoint, you're dealing with Garrett Oakley, Dylan Edwards, Joe Jackson, Jayce Brown, Jaron Tibbs and Jerand Bradley and Avery Johnson — him too. It's been a challenge but an exciting competitive one for us every single day."

The defense perhaps received a lift during the offseason, as an added emphasis was placed on developing speed and strength throughout the team. Malone has seen dividends of the players' efforts in training camp.

"It looks different than a few years ago when you talk about the speed," Malone said. "It looks faster. As coaches, we don't necessarily recognize it because the expectations are what they are. As we've watched them, it has been a faster defense, and guys are reacting faster and a little bit more ability than we've seen over the years and we can appreciate that."

For as much as the Wells-led offense has captured the preseason spotlight behind a veteran Johnson to go along with an experienced offensive line, a dynamo running back in Edwards, and three core wide receivers in Brown, Tibbs and Bradley, the Wildcats harbor five ultra-talented returning starters on defense in preseason All-American linebacker Austin Romaine and Des Purnell, and senior free safety VJ Payne, senior defensive tackle Damian Ilalio and senior defensive end Cody Stufflebean. The list of defensive talent goes on.

"Defensively, we must keep pushing our best players, our most experienced guys," Malone said. "We have to keep pushing those guys to be elite. Guys like Des Purnell, Austin Romaine, VJ Payne, Cody Stufflebean, Damian Ilalio, Chiddi Obiazor, Uso Seumalo. Those guys, as we continue to pressure them to make the next step, we've got to push them through this fall camp. They've accepted those challenges every day.

"We have a lot of new guys, and we're talking to them about striving to find your roles. There are newer guys littered throughout the roster that we have to continue to maximize in whatever their role might be."

No doubt, players continue to battle across the board for added snaps or to take on the role as a starter. One of biggest areas of intrigue this offseason has been the defensive backfield, which returns one starter in Payne at safety, but that features a few potential starters who've seen the field in games.

Malone specifically addressed his cornerbacks.

"For different reasons, I've been impressed with different guys," Malone said. "Zashon Rich has been probably the most consistent – and I want to say most mature – but he's going to be a sophomore, but he has been the most consistent player. I've been proud and pleased with the efforts Donovan McIntosh has made. He came in here as a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, but he's been more competitive, communicative, and in better positions to make plays on the ball. I've always had good trust in Justice Clemons. He's gotten the most reps in that group. He keeps getting better day after day.

"Jayden Rowe is a big, strong, physical player, and I'm excited where he is. He's continuing to learn the system. The younger guys have come in and worked hard and have had their noses in the books. The flashiest one I've seen is JoJo Scott, who has done some really good things, but he's still a freshman with a long way to go."

Won't be long until Scott is a senior. Playing careers seemingly go by in seconds.

As for seven years? That's how long Malone has been at K-State. Yet he indicated that it didn't feel that long.

"Going into year seven, wow, seven, for a coach, year seven at a place is different," he said. "You kind of feel different. For Sale signs just pop up in your yard. But that hasn't happened here. I'm as excited about our staff and team and program and city in year seven as I was in year one. Time really flies when you're having fun."

Now Malone and K-State are preparing to eat.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jerand Bradley

Jayce Brown

Justice Clemons

Dylan Edwards

Damian Ilalio

Joe Jackson

Avery Johnson

Donovan McIntosh

Garrett Oakley

Chiddi Obiazor

VJ Payne

Zashon Rich

Austin Romaine

Jayden Rowe

JoJo Scott

Uso Seumalo

Cody Stufflebean

Jaron Tibbs

Related Videos