K-State Holds Football Press Conference as Spring Practices Conclude This Week

K-State Holds Football Press Conference as Spring Practices Conclude This Week

Apr 22, 2026 | Football

Watch Klein's Press Conference Listen to Klein's Press Conference Watch Gleeson's Press Conference Watch Peterson's Press Conference Watch Weber's Press Conference Listen to Coordinator Press Conferences

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Collin Klein, offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson, defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson and special teams coordinator Stanton Weber met with members of the media on Wednesday inside the Vanier Family Football Complex as the Wildcats wrap up spring practices this week. Links to video and audio of Klein's press conference – which was streamed live on ESPN+ – are above, in addition to coordinator press conferences. A transcript of Coach Klein's press conference is below.

COLLIN KLEIN, HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
"We feel pretty good with where we're at coming out of spring. There is a long way to go, for sure, but I think that the steps are being taken to how we practice more familiarity that way. The level of intensity, the level of finish, the level of detail that we are expecting of them, I think, is growing which is a good thing. It's been a very physical spring, which is good to develop. The ability to block and tackle how we need to has been progressively better through the spring. The relationships the guys are developing with each other, with us as a staff, are continuing to grow, and that trust and continuity are a big thing. We threw a lot of situations at them through the course of the spring to just dive right into it and expose them to a lot of different things while still maintaining a focus on fundamental development, top to bottom, in the roster. So, we've seen gains on both sides of that and been proud of the effort and the investment that they are taking and that we are working towards as a program. We were able to make it through the spring without – we have two days left, so we got to finish strong that way – a couple of things here and there, but nothing that should affect the fall, which is a really, really good thing. The focus of development through the summer will continue with a great foundation we've laid this spring. So, I'm proud of the guys."

On if there was a position group that had significant development from the first practice…
"Probably one of the first ones is our wide outs. It's a pretty new group, right? We have a couple of new faces in there, and I think their fundamental development in going against our defense, you saw the ability to create separation, the ability to release off the line of scrimmage, and some fundamental skills that really developed over the course of the spring, on top of then just continuity with the quarterbacks and just being able to throw and catch more and consistently over the last four weeks. So, I think they would jump out to me
in that way."

On the offensive line…
"It's been really good. We've had 10, 12, 13 different guys get a ton of reps at a lot of different positions. So, we have seen them individually come a long way in the strides they've made in a lot of different combinations. We really don't know exactly what that's going to look like as far as the first five guys there, but it's been cool to see the versatility and position flex that those guys have worked hard to earn the last couple weeks."

On quarterback Jacob Knuth playing in multiple spots…
"He'll predominantly be a quarterback. I lived that life myself a little bit of being in the mix of the rotation as a backup guy and getting out there on special teams. He's a tremendous team guy, team player, and he's going to do anything it takes to help our team win. So, he's been able to help us on some teams."

On wide receiver Josh Manning…
"I think it's been really fun to watch his progression. Our defense doesn't give you anything easy out there on the edge and on the perimeter. So, I think his ability to create separation and release off the line of scrimmage have improved. He's got very, very good long speed, being able to translate that in and out of routes. I think he's gotten better. I appreciate the heck out of him. I haven't seen a count in the last couple days, but I think he's in the top five in total reps for the spring. So, he's really, really worked hard and gotten better."

On putting his fingerprints on the defense during spring practices…
"I'm trying to get my orientation a little closer to that midline. It's been a lot of fun, for sure, but in the spring there is two sides to every situation and two sides to every coin. It's been a fun process. I have to catch myself still sometimes because when the offense doesn't do something well, that means the defense did something good, and that's a good thing for the Cats."

On what the biggest accomplishments he has seen since being hired and what he wants to improve on going forward…
"I think something I'm really proud of is, again, I'm just so proud of our players. They've attacked this thing right from the beginning. They bought in and are investing themselves at a higher and higher clip as we continue to move through this thing. So, I'm really excited about that. You know, 136 days is a long time, so there's a lot of water that's gone under the bridge, and we have a long way to go to be the football team that we want to be this fall. So, it's, 'What do we have to get done today, and how do we become the best fundamentally sound, disciplined football team that we possibly can be today?' And we'll do it again tomorrow."

On players that have stood out in spring practices…
"Oh, I think there's been a good handful. I can probably go through every position and name a couple names. I think the linebackers and how hard they've played collectively as a unit has been really impressive. We have a lot of competition there with Rex Van Wyhe and Gabe Powers, Darien Whitaker Jr. and Mekhi (Mason). All those guys are going at it every day. They're flying around every day. I think that's a little bit of a snapshot, too, of what we're trying to do at every position is like, 'Hey, it's about getting every single one of those guys better, every one of those guys competing with each other, right?' As they grow and mature as a player, too, they understand that it's all for the betterment of the football team in its entirety, not just for my playing time or this outcome. It's like, 'No, this makes us all better.' That's happening in a lot of positions, but I think the linebackers have stood out that way."

On what he has seen from the defensive line this spring…
"Inside wise, there's three guys that kind of are in the heat of that competition. It's going well. All three of them have gotten better. Exactly what snap counts that looks like moving forward, we have a long time to figure that out. I think Kamari Burns has probably been the most consistent of those three just from a performance standpoint. We have probably more depth on the edge. I have been really, really happy with some of those guys. You have four or five guys that have flashed at times and done some really, really nice things. So I think that will give us some flexibility. To the man, every one of them has improved drastically and part of that is how hard we've practiced with those shoulder pads on and focused on winning at the line of scrimmage."

On position groups that had the most competition in the spring…
"The competition in the middle of the secondary has been very heated and good. We have three or four guys that I think will play and will play significantly. How that all pieces together, I think, will be interesting to watch and how that continues into the fall. The wide receiver position has been very competitive. We have some talent in there. I think figuring out and watching that progress to, 'Hey, where are people at their best, and where does it suit our offense the best?' will be interesting to see how some of those pieces kind of align. In the o-line, it's a little bit hard with just the guys being out in the spring to see exactly what the competition will be in the fall. But, from a development and a depth standpoint, I'm very, very excited. We have some options."

On the running backs…
"Joe Jackson is a great leader. He has a ton of energy, he's extremely positive, and backs it up with his work ethic. I think when you have someone that's been in the room like that before, when you add good pieces and good people to that, it syncs up really, really quickly. I think that's what's happened in that room. Jay Harris has been outstanding. We have to try to slow him down in every walk through because that guy just goes hard every single snap. So, he's been tremendous and adds a great skill set. We have not seen as much of Rodney (Fields Jr.) coming off injury from last season. He'll be fine, but when he has had a chance, he's flashed and has really, really quick feet. So, I think we have three really, really good tailbacks. Then it's been fun (watching). Monterrio (Elston Jr.) being a young player. He has done some really, really nice things at times and seeing that maturation process for him, even in the short time it's been here, has been good to see."

On what has impressed him with his coaching staff…
"I think it's just a credit to their character, their work ethic and their depth of knowledge and understanding of this game and ability to teach it. We've gelled very, very fast and have worked very, very hard at that and obviously put the time in to do that. Everybody, to the man, is invested in the success of the team and the program and how they can serve these players. When that's aligned and a group comes together to do that, you can really get some work done in a hurry, and that's what we've done."

On the progression of Avery Johnson during spring practices…
"There was a jump probably three practices ago, so it would have been about practice nine or 10, right in there. The continuity with the wide receivers, I think there was a click at times there where the level of anticipation and trust was building to know where they're going to be and know where to put the ball and being able to be more decisive and confident in what was happening around him. He has always been very studious, so there's never been a learning curve, so to speak, of him not knowing it. I think where we want to go and how we want to play the continuity and trust and timing of everything does take time. So, I think we did take a little bit of a step here the last couple days, but there's more out there, and with his expectations for himself and all of us, there's more in us."

On the backup quarterback battle…
"There hasn't been a guy that's taken it yet. If you made a decision on a different day, you probably have made three different decisions in the course of 10 days. That's a credit to what good competition it is. I think they're all getting better and improving. They have some different strengths and weaknesses in their skill set that we have to factor in as a staff, obviously, to try to put them in the position for them to be their best. But, it's going to continue into the fall just because there hasn't been that guy rise up and make it yet."

On the progress of the tight ends…
"I'm really excited about that group. Starting with Linkon (Cure), he's already an elite level athlete, but watching him and how he's grown into his body and how his body is grown into handling the load on a day-in and day-out basis, that's a real thing. He's taking that head on. He and Will Anciaux haven't missed a snap all spring, and that's a credit to their toughness and how they prepared themselves. I think that's showing up in Linkon's game from a consistency standpoint of how hard he already goes, but feeling good, being healthy, having his feet underneath of him in the plays that he has been able to make and is feeling confident making is growing by the day. I'm impressed, too, with his blocking ability. Everyone knows he's got incredible ball skills, but his ability to strike and stay on contact has impressed me, for sure. Will has been so steady. He's made plays in the passing game, does a great job in the box in a lot of different run-scheme variations. He just keeps getting better and better too. So, I'm excited about that whole room."

On the cultivation of the special teams culture…
"It's been really good, and, obviously, we've taken a lot of pride in having elite special teams for a very, very long time. Stanton is doing a tremendous job of breaking down the pieces of our special teams and detailing them to everyone on the roster because we want our best players playing on special teams. One in every three snaps of special teams is an impact, game-changing play. So, every every chance we get and every bullet we get, we're going to maximize. But, being able to train your roster to the detail and the depth that it needs to so that there can be good competition, Stanton's done a great job of that, the players have embraced it and they've been competing every day in special teams."

On having Joe Bob Clements back on the K-State staff…
"It's been really good. I have had a lot of respect for Joe Bob for a lot of years, and he does an absolutely tremendous job. My last two head coaches that I worked for in Coach Klieman and Coach Elko were both defensive guys, and the value from an offensive perspective being trained that way, I didn't know how valuable that was going to be. Now, as the head coach still working with the offense, I needed a defensive guy to still come in and be able to have those conversations of how defenses are built, how they're structured, how do we build our plan of attack that way? It's has been a great fit."

On safety Adrian Maddox…
"Well, like I was saying with the heated secondary competition, he's high energy, he flies around the field and plays with a ton of passion. So, guys gravitate to him, for sure, and he's made plays, which people see."

On if the weight room records have shown in play on the field…
"I think it definitely affects the play on the field. It also lays the foundation to be able to stay healthy and get stronger through the course of a season, get stronger through the course of a spring camp. We've worked them very, very hard, and Coach (Jeremy) Jacobs did a great job preparing them because we had guys that on their jump test that we do on a pretty regular basis, jump some of the highest numbers that they have at the end of spring camp, hit playing speeds in practice that are the best that they have where we've had experience with them that they had in spring camp, which means, if you're doing that while still demanding a very, very high workload, you're doing it right. They're taking care of themselves. When you come into a spring camp and you work that hard in the weight room, that gives you the foundation to do that."

On what he thinks of when the words 'K-State Family' are said…
"Definitely, a sold out stadium doing the Wabash (Cannonball) for sure. The K-State Family is special. When you think about the genuine relationships that we build with each other and everyone that we meet, that resonates to me. When it comes to blue-collar work ethic, toughness, that resonates to me. Then, that competitive nature that you don't cross that family either, and I think that resonates to me to what K-State's all about,."

On what he thinks of when the words 'Old School' are said…
"As this game grows and technology grows and even the all the different ways that you have to break it down that we didn't have even 5, 10 years ago, it resonates that it's really a pretty simple game that comes down to old-school fundamentals, old-school mental toughness and your ability, individually and collectively, to be the most disciplined and physical team on the field. That's what that means."

On if there are any true freshmen that have stood out this spring…
"Oliver Miller. His versatility – he's played inside, he's played right tackle, he's played left tackle. Thinking that he should still be in high school right now and what he's been able to put on the field is incredibly exciting. He has incredibly high standards for himself in that he isn't happy with where he is now, even as a young player. Having that type of drive and motor is impressive."

On having Chris Klieman at practices…
"He's been out quite a bit. It's been awesome. It's been awesome. I appreciate that resource and that relationship. We've talked a lot about a lot of different things from even how we structured this spring to working through the summer and then into the fall. It's great having them around. He's special."

On if he is taking notes on things he would do differently the next time around…
"Absolutely. I'm kind of almost planning next year's phase as we're going through it a little bit too. I don't know how many days that is, D. Scott, but it's a long ways away. So, I'm going to forget that by the time I get there. So, we're making a couple critiques, a couple corrections and things that we'll be able to make better and constantly trying to improve."

On keeping energy at practice consistent…
"Oh, I don't think one person can. It's an absolute collective effort. Credit to our staff and our leaders on the team. I think we still need to grow in that area too, right? We always will, but I do think it's been a concerted effort that every single thing that we do is 1,000 miles an hour, everything that you have. When you think you don't have any more in it, you've got a lot more in there. Just keep tapping into that and training that level of throttle on each and every one of us as a staff and as players. They've bought into that, and there's an exponential growth effect to that too, because when a couple people start doing it, then it adds up with others and adds on with others. That's what creates that feeling that they have."

– k-statesports.com –

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