Rapid Recap: Update on Kansas State nose guard Uso Seumalo

KSO shares what they learned after speaking with Kansas State defensive assistants Buddy Wyatt, Steve Stanard and Mike Tuiasosopo on Tuesday afternoon.

Kansas State depth at inside linebacker

With Daniel Green back on the shelf for a bit with another injury, though not considered to be a long-term issue, Kansas State assistant Steve Stanard has already turned the page and made it a mission to find who will provide the depth for the Wildcats this season.

The linebacker room is in the best shape that it has been in for a while, but they are still determining who to use on the field on Saturdays for this season. Some potential names at the ‘Mike’ linebacker spot include Beau Palmer, Terry Kirksey, Austin Romaine and even Jake Clifton.

Reading in between the lines, though Kirksey is an older player, it may be Clifton that could be the next up after Green.

How to use Osunsanmi

A young player that everyone wanted to know about last season was Tobi Osunsanmi. The first words out of Stanard’s mouth when asked about the K-State redshirt freshman was how excellent of a pass rusher he is because of his explosiveness.

That is similar to how Khalid Duke was described when a younger player. Though the players exhibit some of the same traits, Stanard did note that the difference between the two of them was that Osunsanmi was much more comfortable operating in space.

Because of that, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Osunsanmi remain at the ‘Sam’ linebacker position for the remainder of his career in Manhattan, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be used as a situational pass rusher at times. Stanard even mentioned Osunsanmi being a useful weapon on third downs this year.

However, he is still learning how to process and unwind what’s in front of him at a high level, and because of that, the game hasn’t quite slowed down for him enough just yet. Desmond Purnell is the assumed starter for a reason.

Earning everything

The multiple injuries to Nate Matlack last season was touched on by his position coach and how it limited him a season ago. That did provide an opening for Brendan Mott to bust onto the scene, and as Buddy Wyatt mentioned, he took full advantage of it.

Wyatt raved about how Mott approaches his role and how hard he has worked, noting that the opportunity he was given was not just a product of Matlack going down and being unable to play at 100 percent. It was also because Mott earned the right to emerge and be a standout on the field.

It has never been easy for Mott and he never acted entitled to anything. He started as a walk-on and worked and earned for every chance that was presented to him. When it came, he made sure to capitalize and that is why he has rose to the occasion at Kansas State.

Most improved trait from K-State defensive end spot

Speaking of the K-State defensive ends, I asked Buddy Wyatt if there was a trait about this year’s room and the guys that they will unleash on the field that can be better than the collection of players that saw the field for the Wildcats last season.

He immediately had a genuine answer to that question, which surprised me.

Wyatt believes the trio of Mott, Matlack and Duke can be a more improved unit versus the opponent’s running game. Not to say that last year’s group was inadequate in that department, but those three and perhaps Cody Stufflebean or Chiddi Obiazor can be stronger in that area.

Clifton continuing to rise

We already mentioned him, but it is clear that Jake Clifton is one of the favorites of the coaches, particularly Steve Stanard, who marvels at his intellect on the field. He called the Oklahoma native a ‘jack of all trades’ and a bit of a unicorn because of his ability to master all three linebacker spots.

They are hoping to cement him into one so that he can really dedicate all of his focus, but he does carry great value by being able to bounce around and make Kansas State a better team because of his versatility.

That could help the Wildcats a bit while Green is unavailable, and Stanard even pointed out that he will see a lot more playing time than last year regardless of that.

Uso’s offseason commitment and current recovery

The main takeaway from our discussion with K-State coaches today was Tuiasosopo sharing an update on his starting nose guard that is currently injured and not practicing. Seumalo “got rolled up on” but the Kansas State assistant promised that he would be back sooner rather than later.

We also had already been told that it was not considered a long-term deal.

With that being said, Seumalo was probably the most complimented player in Kansas State camp up to that point, right along with Will Howard, Will Lee and Keagan Johnson. Tuiasosopo credited to his commitment to get in the best shape of his life during the offseason and relishing his opportunity to shine.