It’s time for another K-State Q&A.
This week, let’s dive right into your questions about the Wildcats. Thanks, as always, for providing them.
Who will lead Chris Klieman’s Fighting Wildcats football team in rushing, receiving, tackles, sacks and interceptions this season? - Jeff M. via e-mail.
I notice you didn’t ask who will lead the team in passing yards.
Bold prediction: Avery Johnson.
Now let’s move on to the easy stuff.
Rushing leader: DJ Giddens. He won’t dominate the backfield like he did a year ago now that Dylan Edwards is on the roster. But he should still flirt with 1,000 yards and serve as the Wildcats’ top running back.
Receiving leader: This is a hard one. It should be Keagan Johnson or Jayce Brown. But it’s hard to pick between the two. If Johnson stays healthy, he is probably the WR1. But Brown looked great at the end of the last season. Maybe it will be him. I’m going to go with Brown, just because he has such a strong connection with his Avery Johnson.
Tackles leader: I like “The Machine” to top this category. Austin Moore will be in position to pile up tackles as the quarterback of this defense.
Sacks leader: Brendan Mott. But I don’t think any K-State defensive ends will have all that many sacks because the Wildcats plan to use a big rotation at the position.
Interceptions leader: Don’t be surprised if Marques Sigle comes up with six or more picks this season.
One more bold prediction before we move on. Chris Tennant will lead the team in field goals.
Please look into your crystal ball and let us know who will end up being the Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP and Special Teams MVP for K-State this season. - Austin J. via e-mail.
I will do you one better.
Not only will I give you three K-State MVPs ahead of the season-opener, I will also give you an unsung player to watch on all three sides of the ball.
Offensive MVP: Avery Johnson. I can’t imagine how many rushing yards DJ Giddens will need to pile up in order to wrestle this title away from the starting QB.
Offensive Sleeper: Hadley Panzer. K-State loses a lot on the offensive line without Cooper Beebe, Kaitori Leveston and Hayden Gillum. But Panzer has loads of starting experience and could be the leader of this group.
Defensive MVP: Marques Sigle. He is loaded with big-play potential this year.
Defensive Sleeper: Damian Ilalio. Don’t be surprised if the Manhattan product ends up leading the team in tackles for loss.
Special Teams MVP: Chris Tennant. I expect him to make most of his field goals.
Special Teams Sleeper: Dylan Edwards. His speed will be fun to watch on returns.
The Wildcats may have lost some high-end talent from last year’s roster. But this group is loaded with depth, which means many different players could stand out.
Will the next KSU conference champion be football or basketball? -@PvillePastor via X.
Football.
I don’t think the Wildcats have quite enough experience to win a Big 12 championship in football this season, but they should end up being favored in most of their games.
A conference title and a playoff berth are both within reach this season.
Even if it doesn’t happen, K-State football should be setup to win in 2025.
I honestly have no idea what to expect from the men’s basketball team with all of their new players. But they don’t currently project as a top 25 team. Even if they’re really good they will have to beat strong competition like Arizona, Baylor and Kansas.
So football seems like a much better option.
Let’s switch to basketball. What’s the secret to the sudden surge of 5-star recruits interested in K-State? Is it Jerome Tang’s amazing personality or is it the floodgate of NIL money that suddenly exists? -@ChadFullington via X.
I’m guessing that a lot of high-profile recruits became interested in K-State basketball when it was widely reported that Coleman Hawkins was getting $2 million from the Wildcats.
Who among us wouldn’t consider playing for Jerome Tang at that salary?
AJ Dybansta, the No. 1 ranked recruit for 2025, is set to visit Manhattan later this month.
Darryn Peterson, the No. 3 rated recruit for 2025, will make it to the Little Apple next month.
K-State did manage to secure a visit from one five-star recruit last season. Even so, both of these visits are a big deal for the Wildcats. Some were worried that NIL would make it even easier for bluebloods to recruit, but it seems like it has evened the playing football in basketball.
If you were to put together a dream team of personalities to host the Big 12’s version of “Inside the NBA,” who would top four choices be? Eric Stonestreet is obviously the No. 1 choice - @the_funky_andy via X.
You could assemble quite an entertaining team.
Robert Griffin III (Baylor) is suddenly a free agent, so we might as well scoop him up for football season.
Patrick Mahomes (Texas Tech) is probably busy this time of year, but we would have to call and make him say no.
If you want Eric Stonestreet (K-State) on set, we might as well grab some other Big 12 celebrities like Rob Riggle or Paul Rudd (Kansas) and Craig T. Nelson (Arizona).
A few other names that come to mind: Phil Mickelson (Arizona State), Jason Kelce (Cincinnati), Cheryl Hines (UCF) and Jim Nantz (Houston). These are Big 12 legends, people!
I nominate myself to fill the role of moderator.
How does Tre Spivey manage football and an architecture major? They told my daughter to plan on 20-40 hours a week just for architecture, not counting other classes -@kstatefanfirst via X.
I have two differing opinions on this matter.
1. It is impressive for any college football player to balance academics and athletics, regardless of their major. One of my best friends in college was studying to become an architect and he was in class late just about every day designing buildings and other projects. So Kudos to Spivey for pulling double duty. That can’t be easy during the season.
2. No one realizes how much free time they truly have in college. Now that I have a wife, four kids and a job I look back on my college years and wonder what in the heck I did to pass the hours. Maybe I should have added football and architecture on top of journalism.
What is your favorite K-State football ritual when the Wildcats host a game on a beautiful Saturday in the fall? -@garrettb_83 via X.
This isn’t a ritual that is unique to Manhattan, but I think K-State fans do it better than just about anyone else.
Tailgating.
I still remember the first time I attended a game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and the tailgating scene is what impressed me the most. It didn’t matter if you parked in the VIP lot adjacent to the football field or a grass lot more than a mile down the road. Tailgaters engulfed the entire area.
Over time, I learned how important it was for media to arrive early for games. If you are trying to park an hour before kickoff there are so many people grilling food and enjoying beverages that you can’t drive through the crowd.
If tailgating was an Olympic sport, K-State fans would win the Gold.
Tailgating is so popular in Manhattan that I have some friends who show up early for the game just to have fun in the parking lot. But they watch the actual game from home.
I have my doubts that happens at every college.
What is the best food you have been served in the press box at a Big 12 football game? - Andrew B. via e-mail.
One big misconception that casual fans have about the media is that chefs from Michelin-rated restaurants show up to cook us food on game days.
A pre-game meal is usually provided for us, which is awesome because I typically spend around six hours inside the stadium before I’m done working, but most of the time it is just a box lunch or a small buffet with limited options.
It’s rarely gourmet stuff.
And that is fine. There is no reason schools should wine and dine reporters in the press box.
That said, I always enjoyed the Mexican taco bar at Texas games and Oklahoma State usually has a nice spread of barbecue.
The all-time best, though, was at Texas Tech. This was for an 11 a.m. kickoff and the staff in Lubbock didn’t know whether to provide breakfast or lunch. So they gave the media two buffets: breakfast one side and barbecue on the other. I treated it like brunch and ate way too much food.
