Rapid Recap: Kansas State defense faster and more athletic

Kansas State captains

Of the four Kansas State players to speak with the media on Tuesday, August 22, three were named a captain. Kobe Savage, Hayden Gillum and Cooper Beebe were among the seven named this week by their coaches and teammates.

They were joined by Daniel Green, Austin Moore, Will Howard and Seth Porter.

Gillum and Savage did not believe being a captain was in the cards for them when they arrived in Manhattan. Gillum is a former walk-on who had to earn every single thing at K-State. When he first made it to campus, he tried to lead his group and eventually that expanded into a bigger role.

Savage was lightly recruited out of Tyler Junior College before committing to the Wildcats. He was originally committed to North Texas before his official visit. For him to be named captain is a tremendous honor to him, and a sign that his teammates believe in him as a leader.

Lee’s rise

A popular name in Kansas State training camp has been Will Lee due to his rise and ascent. For the second straight week, a K-State representative compared him to Julius Brents. Last week it was Van Malone, and it was followed up this week by Savage and Keenan Garber.

Lee is a rangy corner who has been very good in man coverage. Savage and Lee are currently tied in interceptions for the Wildcats during camp.

Adjustment period for K-State CB Keenan Garber

As many know, Garber was a wide receiver for Kansas State at this time last year but switched to defense and played cornerback. It was just a handful of days later that he was thrusted into action during the Big 12 Championship Game.

The transition for him has been smooth. Remember, he played some defensive back at Free State high school in Lawrence so it wasn’t completely foreign to him. He credits Malone for teaching him the technique and his teammates for helping him become more comfortable.

The biggest difference has been that all of his momentum was going forward at wideout, whereas it is backwards at cornerback. That flips the footwork and the hips quite a bit. He is extremely thankful to be learning from one of the best in the country in Malone and having his best friend Ekow Boye-Doe to lean upon as well.

Athleticism on defense

Another common theme throughout the offseason has been the increased athleticism up and down the K-State defense. That sentiment continued on Tuesday, especially from Savage. He believes the biggest contrast to last year is that they are a faster club on that side of the ball.

All of the Kansas State defensive backs are running at least 21 miles per hour. Comfort in the system has allowed them to think less and just run. They’re diagnosing the pictures quicker and flying around the field and to the ball.