Rapid Recap: Klanderman, Kansas State update injuries

Kansas State true frosh making waves

Kansas State defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman raved about two true freshmen during his media session on Thursday. Both are also on the initial depth chart as well in Asa Newsom and Jack Fabris.

Newsom has been effective early because he already had the weight, the length and the speed needed to compete at a high level of college football. He has also been able to shine because of his high football IQ and schematic understanding.

If the Iowa native makes a mistake in practice, he rarely makes it twice. Klanderman went as far as to say that he thinks Newsom will be a major factor near the end of the season.

Like Newsom, Fabris had all the physical tools and the mental make-up to make an impact during training camp. As the son of former K-State assistant Jon Fabris, he has been around football all of his life and wasn’t shocked by the intensity or demands of college football.

He has had some things to work through, but has never blinked.

Confidence in cornerbacks

One of the stronger statements from Klanderman was in regard to the cornerback position. Kansas State will be without Ekow Boye-Doe or Julius Brents for the first time in a long while, and it is a position group that does not return a single start.

Despite that, Klanderman has great belief in the cornerbacks this season. He showed zero paranoia or concern about what he would see from the group.

Jacob Parrish has played only sparingly but has the look of a multi-year starter and is someone Klanderman loves. Will Lee is a great all-around football player at the other starting position. Keenan Garber was even mentioned by Klanderman as being a reliable player on the perimeter.

Justice James rounds out the K-State group, also had a strong training camp and is listed as the No. 4 cornerback on the depth chart.

K-State injury updates

Like we typically do, we also received an update on the health front. Kansas State nose guard Uso Seumalo and linebacker Daniel Green have both been dealing with injuries. Neither is considered a long-term issue. In fact, both have been practicing this week.

Both should be considered game-time decisions for Saturday’s contest according to Klanderman.

A look at SEMO

SEMO has a very talented offense. Anytime a team brings back their starting quarterback makes them a challenging opponent, especially in week one. Paxton DeLaurent is an experienced signal-caller that started 10 games a year ago and threw 19 touchdowns.

Geno Hess is an extremely talented running back that could be the best in Redhawks history when it is all said and done. He was the Ohio Valley Offensive Player of the Year a season ago after rushing for 1,691 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Ryan Flournoy was singled out as a special player at receiver by the K-State defensive coordinator. He had almost 1,000 yards receiving last season and added seven touchdowns. A fun fact is that he was included on Bruce Feldman’s freaks list this year.

What makes SEMO hard to defend is the RPO game. It is something that head coach Chris Klieman mentioned on Tuesday as well. The Redhawks don’t run into a crowded box and have good receivers on the outside that can take advantage of one-on-one opportunities.

From good to great

The Wildcats had a pretty good defense last season, but Klanderman wants them to be a better tackling unit. It was good to begin last season, which led opponents to being in more third and long scenarios where Kansas State could get off the field.

Near the end of the year, that had disappeared as a strength. Klanderman thought the tackling got worse and allowed the opposition to have much more manageable situations on third down. Because of it, they didn’t get off the field as much as necessary.

It is something that he will have his eye on Saturday because it can tend to be an uphill battle after fall camp because such little tackling is completed at practice anymore. When inexperience and youth is on the field, tackling can be where it shows up the most.