Kansas State football assistant Matt Wells on the coaching staff
Kansas State football assistant coach says he has enjoyed learning the inner workings of the Wildcat program.
K-State Athletics
For the second straight year, Kansas State football rolls into the season with high expectations as evidenced by Big 12 preseason polls.
After winning the Big 12 championship two years ago, the Wildcats were picked second by the media heading into 2023 and actually fell short, going 9-4 overall and finishing in a three-way tie for fourth with a 6-3 league record. Now Texas and Oklahoma are gone, but Arizona, Arizona, Colorado and Utah have joined to make it a 16-team conference, and K-State again is the No. 2 pick.
While it all will play out in time once the 2024 season gets underway at the end of August, coaches and player representatives from all 16 conference schools will gather in Las Vegas on Monday and Tuesday for the annual Big 12 media days. It seems like the perfect time to look at what lies ahead for K-State.
Here are five questions to ponder ahead of Big 12 media days.
Related: Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman: Wildcats’ offense will look different in 2024
What will Kansas State’s offense look like post-Collin Klein?
Offensive line coach Conor Riley stepped in as coordinator for the Pop-Tarts Bowl when Collin Klein left for Texas A&M in December, and K-State won 28-19 despite losing starting quarterback Will Howard to the transfer portal and star tight end Ben Sinnott to the NFL Draft.
True freshman Avery Johnson stepped in at quarterback and was named most valuable player, rushing for 71 yards and passing for 178 with a pair of touchdowns. Since then, coach Chris Klieman has brought in former Texas Tech head coach Matt Wells to oversee the quarterbacks and serve as co-offensive coordinator under Riley.
Giddens, a 1,000-yard rusher, is back and is joined by speedy Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards to form a dynamic duo at running back. The Wildcats do need to get more production out of a receiving corps that lost leader Phillip Brooks but returns 2023 freshman standout Jayce Brown, oft-injured former Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson and incoming Penn State transfer Dante Cephas.
Related: Full circle: Kansas State football lands running back and former commit Dylan Edwards
How will DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards mesh in the backfield?
The powerful Giddens stepped out of Deuce Vaughn’s shadow last year and rushed for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns, plus caught 29 passes for 323 yards and three more scores. Edwards, a former K-State commit, showed his versatility in one season at Colorado and could be deployed in numerous ways, including as a slot receiver.
It will be interesting to see how often both Giddens and Edwards line up in the same backfield and what formations Riley and Wells come up with to take advantage of the matchup problems they create.
Can Avery Johnson live up to the hype at quarterback?
No recent K-State recruit generated more buzz than Johnson did two years ago coming out of Maize High School. He gave fans and coaches a taste of what may lie ahead as a true freshman when he appeared in eight games, including the MVP bowl performance, by rushing for 296 yards and seven touchdowns, including five scores while leading a comeback victory at Texas Tech.
The question now is whether Johnson, a true dual threat, can build on his early success and sustain it over the rigors of a full season as the starter. All indications coming out of spring practice are that he is up to the task.
What challenges do the Big 12 newcomers present?
Not only does K-State face first-year Big 12 members Arizona, Arizona State and Colorado this season, but also are matched up with 2023 newcomers Brigham Young and Cincinnati for the first time.
That’s a lot to process for the coaches and analysts, who have not seen any of the five in person. The Arizona game, which was scheduled before those Wildcats joined the Big 12, will not count in the conference standings, but that doesn’t make it any less of a challenge.
Add to that the fact that non-conference foe Tulane, which beat K-State in Manhattan two years ago, has a new coach, and there are a bunch of unknowns.
Related: Kansas State football quarterback Avery Johnson is ready to lead the Wildcats’ offense
Can K-State overcome what appears to be a lack of star power?
The Wildcats finished second in the Big 12 preseason poll but did not have a single player named to the preseason all-conference team. K-State players aren’t creating a lot of buzz in NFL Draft projections for next year either.
But that doesn’t mean the Wildcats are devoid of star power, just that much of it is young and unproven. That fact that the talent now is spread out among 16 teams for the first time is a factor as well.
Giddens, while proven, is still just a junior at a position loaded with returning talent, and super-senior linebacker Austin Moore has been rock-solid over the past two seasons. Senior safety Marques Sigle certainly is capable of breaking through, and junior cornerback Jacob Parrish is a future star.
Johnson has limitless potential at quarterback, and no doubt others will emerge as the season progresses.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.