Rapid Recap: Kansas State defensive players that proved they belonged in the rotation
KSO shares what we learned at the Thursday Kansas State press conferences.
Kansas State injury update
Although it wasn’t injury-related, Kansas State will have safety Marques Sigle back in the lineup according to defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman. They will be without Jake Clifton, who they expect back “later in the year”.
Uso Seumalo took more snaps in game one than they were anticipating. He had turned the corner in a practice later in the week to be able to shoulder that kind of load. He has continued to progress and head in the right direction to take on an even greater amount in week two.
How to replace Clifton
With Clifton missing time, K-State will need others to step up and provide a boost in his absence. The Kansas State sophomore is so valuable because he is the likely primary reserve at all three different linebacker spots.
When asked what the answer will be while No. 31 is sidelined, Klanderman alluded to needing more from a trio of guys that included true freshmen Austin Romaine and Asa Newsom and redshirt freshman Tobi Osunsanmi.
Specifically, the K-State defensive coordinator gushed about Osunsanmi. He plays so fast and is an athletic freak. He described Newsom as very similar to the Wichita native, but he’s just a little inexperienced and still picking everything up at the moment.
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Players that proved something
I did ask Klanderman if there were any players that proved to him even more that they belonged in the Kansas State defensive rotation throughout the rest of the season. He spotlighted three players as making his eyebrows lift.
Will Lee is already comfortably a starter at cornerback, but his play cemented his role going forward. The staff loved what he was able to do in game one. The same goes for K-State interior lineman Damian Ilalio. He made an instant splash in the middle while stepping in for Seumalo.
A third was safety Colby McCalister. While he was still a cornerback this time last year, his development and ascension up the depth chart has accelerated since moving to safety. He started at free safety while Sigle was suspended, and the coaches took notice of his performance.
