Rapid Recap: Kansas State spring football updates

KANSAS STATE WORKAHOLICS

The media in Manhattan met with Kansas State cornerbacks coach and assistant head coach Van Malone on Wednesday afternoon to pick his brain a little bit about spring football and what he has seen from the Wildcats.

One of the items that stood out to me was two players he really harped on as being great leaders by example and guys that they have to tell to hit the brakes. Because if they don’t, they will work and run themselves into the ground.

Malone called them workaholics and that is Kobe Savage and Colby McCalister.

Savage is about five months removed from his severe knee injury and is way ahead of schedule. He is already running, even though he was not cleared for contact. Nobody works harder than Savage, and that was true of him before the injury as well and has continued since his surgery.

He pushes and pushes the trainers and is always attempting to accelerate his rehab process. Savage always wants to do more, and the trainers and doctors at K-State even have to hold him back at times and have him ease into it a little more.

McCalister has made the switch from cornerback to safety in the Spring, just as Josh Hayes did for Kansas State this time last year. They possess a lot of the same traits, so it makes sense. Marques Sigle was another mentioned in the same vein.

He is determined, always preparing, has great range and plays the ball in the air very well.

PRAISE FOR THE WIDEOUTS

It is always interesting to hear feedback from the cornerbacks or the cornerback coach about the receivers. They have a great perspective on what they have been able to do after guarding them for the better part of the last two months and watching them compete throughout the Winter before that.

Malone pinpointed four wideouts that have caught his eye during the handful of practices thus far, and that was a group that consisted of Keagan Johnson, RJ Garcia, Xavier Loyd and Phillip Brooks.

Brooks is not a surprise. He is the elder statesman of the group and has become one of the leaders along with Seth Porter. Garcia is someone that came on a little late last year and splashed by grabbing a touchdown in the Big 12 Championship Game.

Loyd has been identified by more than a few folks within the K-State football complex. He was in the second rotation a year ago and has continued to flourish. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him in some kind of role for the Wildcats.

Johnson is the standout and someone that will be looked to for the playmaking that was largely provided by Malik Knowles for the last few seasons. He was raved by Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein and was again on Wednesday by the K-State cornerbacks coach and his teammate Phillip Brooks.

CHANGE IN DUKE AND KEAGAN

I came away the most impressed about Kansas State defensive end Khalid Duke and receiver Keagan Johnson.

There was a change in both that I observed. Most of it was from a behavioral standpoint that is favorable for the Wildcats. But there was even a little more than that when it came to Duke, who is making the switch from linebacker back to defensive end.

Duke is never all that comfortable in front of the cameras. In fact, he was so shy and out of sorts in all previous media appearances that he just elected to not do them moving forward and that is mostly why we haven’t spoken to him despite him being an integral player for K-State.

That wasn’t the case on Wednesday. He has clearly grown up and is feeling at home in Manhattan. His maturity has grown to absurd levels. Duke even cracked a smile a few times. But more importantly, he is incredibly jacked. He may now be the most physically imposing player on the team. He looks prettier than even Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

He also confirmed that he arrived at Kansas State at a little less than 210 pounds and is now north of 240 pounds in his elite and long 6-foot-4 frame.

For Johnson, it is just easy to see that he has gained a sense of comfort at K-State that we didn’t feel from him the first time that we spoke to him in February. That was before spring football even began, and his understanding has increased and so has his familiarity and recognition for where everything is and what is being asked of him.

And he continues to receive strong words of praise from all of the coaches and players. Now that he has been able to settle in and allow his skills and talents to really reach the surface, I expect a huge season from the transfer.

THOUGHTS ON THE K-STATE CORNERBACKS

Five different cornerbacks earned complimentary words on Wednesday from their position coach. Remember, Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman mentioned a couple weeks ago that it could be a “by committee” approach at the position this season.

K-State did graduate two studs in Ekow Boye-Doe and Julius Brents.

Jordan Wright is someone that a lot of players look to as a leader. Being on campus last season has helped him continue the momentum and grow as a player. It is his first Spring in Manhattan, though, so he is still learning.

Keenan Garber was thrusted into playing time on the biggest stage without a lot of preparation, which the Kansas State coaches have admitted probably wasn’t fair to him. However, he did hold his own, and he continues to grow as a player.

He wasn’t receiving the reps he wanted to at wide receiver, and Malone noted that they were in need of depth in the secondary after a plethora of injuries. They made the switch and haven’t looked back since. K-State loves the way that Garber conducts his business.

Omar Daniels is one of their wiser cornerbacks that possesses a high football IQ and great understanding of what they want to do as a defense. Will Lee hasn’t been on campus for that long so it’s still an uphill battle for him at times, but he has had some amazing flashes.

Malone shared that no one player has stood out above the rest or separated themselves, but all of the Kansas State players and coaches speak about Jacob Parrish as if he has, to be honest. Even Malone admitted that he does some things because of his athleticism that are tough for anyone else to match.

DEFENSIVE PLAN

Another offseason in the 3-3-5 scheme means additional comfort, more players recruited to run it and even more wrinkles at the fingertips of K-State. Malone dove into that a bit and admitted that they want to be even more aggressive this upcoming season and show even more different looks.

They continue to evolve as a unit for what is needed to defend certain offenses and how to deploy it in a manner that will be the most effective for their players.