Five observations from Kansas State’s first open football practice of training camp

6-7 minutes 8/3/2023
The Kansas State football team allowed media to watch portions of its second practice of the preseason on Thursday.
Here are five observations from a morning of stretching and drills:
1. The Wildcats are ready for some football
Training camp can feel tedious at times. The weather is scorching hot and the first game on the schedule is still a month away. Student-athletes can be forgiven for taking the occasional play off this time of year.
But no one seemed stuck in a summer daze at this workout.
K-State football players were fired up from the get-go. That much was obvious during stretching when senior center Hayden Gillum greeted media members on their way into practice and then loudly exchanged trash talk with his defensive teammates as he warmed up.
Gillum kept asking where certain defenders were and if they planned to stop the offense when they began scrimmaging later in the day. His words were met with laughter from his fellow offensive linemen, but at least one defensive player was willing to chirp back.
Jordan Wright, a junior defensive back who transferred in from JUCO Fullerton (California) College, told Gillum to just wait and see.
For the record, Gillum loved that response.
“I knew,” he shouted back, “the (defensive backs) were going to bring the juice one of these days.”
Enthusiasm was apparent all over the field. Starting quarterback Will Howard loudly told his teammates to outwork every other team in the nation for the next few hours and offensive coordinator Collin Klein bounced from player to player offering hand shakes and fist bumps during stretches.
The Wildcats were ready to work.
2. Chris Klieman looks like a CEO at football practice
K-State football coach Chris Klieman spent the vast majority of his time roaming around midfield on Thursday. He observed practice and took mental notes as he took turns monitoring the offense and then the defense. But he did very little hands-on coaching.
That is a noticeable departure from his early years in Manhattan.
Used to be, he liked to serve as an extra position coach. You could usually count on him running with defensive backs and teaching corners the finer details on how to break up a pass.
Now, he appears to be taking on the role of a supervisor. He spent time talking with coordinators before practice and gave a few tips to players as they worked out. But he mostly gave them space and watched.
After four years on the job, he has turned K-State practices into a well-oiled machine.
3. Injuries worth keeping an eye on
The Wildcats are relatively healthy as they move forward with their first week of preseason practice, but a few notable players were sidelined on Thursday.
Christian Duffie was the biggest absence. The senior right tackle from Humble, Texas, spent most of his time working out with weight machines and an exercise bike along with tight end Christian Moore and linebacker Terry Kirksey.
Freshman offensive lineman Devin Vass was also not in pads, though he did participate on a limited basis in drills. Defensive back Nickendre Stiger was a full-participant, but he was wearing a red no-contact jersey, which means he was likely dealing with a minor injury.
Duffie has started 35 straight games for K-State on the offensive line and he is one of the best blockers on the entire team. He suffered a foot or ankle injury of some kind during the offseason, as he could be seen wearing a medical boot in pictures that were posted on social media.
It is unclear how long he will be sidelined, but it was promising to see him active on the sideline, even though he was unable to practice.
On the positive front, both safety Kobe Savage and offensive lineman Taylor Poitier were completely healthy after missing the end of last season with injuries.
4. Depth chart taking shape at quarterback and receiver
It was easy to tell who the top two quarterbacks were at practice on Thursday. The same could be said for the top four receivers.
Based on rotations, it appears that Jake Rubley is currently operating as the No. 2 quarterback behind Will Howard. The former four-star recruit from Colorado was first in line behind Howard for every drill, and he looked sharp with his throws. Rubley was accurate with underneath passes and deep tosses.
Freshman Avery Johnson also looked good in drills, particularly with his long throws, but he was the third quarterback in every activity.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the QB depth chart will stay that way throughout training camp, but there is separation at the moment.
There wasn’t much mystery about the hierarchy at wide receiver, either. The top four pass-catchers for every drill were R.J. Garcia, Phillip Brooks, Seth Porter and Iowa transfer Keagan Johnson.
Jadon Jackson and Sterling Lockett showed promise behind them, but there might not be enough playing time to go around for six receivers in this offense.
5. Depth is a major strength for the Wildcats
Klieman is currently recruiting at a higher level than K-State experienced at any point during Bill Snyder’s second stint as head coach with the Wildcats, and it shows.
A string of above-average recruiting classes has given this roster noticeable depth.
Nowhere is that more apparent than quarterback, where the Wildcats have three quality passers who could easily see the field this season, plus a pair of reserves who have talent in Adryan Lara and Jacob Knuth.
But the Wildcats are also hoping to play eight different offensive linemen this season and several different defensive tackles. K-State has quality backups at defensive end and linebacker.
You can’t notice much of a drop-off anywhere. One injury shouldn’t hurt this team at any position.