Rapid Recap: Van Malone gives Kansas State training camp update

Offensive players presenting problems for Kansas State

After hearing who was giving the Kansas State offense some difficulties on Monday, it was interesting to hear Van Malone speak about which offensive players were providing extra issues for the K-State defense.

Being the cornerbacks coach primarily, Malone’s first instinct was to speak about the wide receivers.

The praise for Keagan Johnson continues to grow louder. He was the first wide receiver mentioned by Malone after receiving unprompted praise at every press conference thus far. It seems as though the Iowa transfer is in store for a major, major season in Manhattan.

RJ Garcia was complimented at a high level for the second day in a row, too. He has made some splash plays thus far in training camp and seems to be coming on strong. More than one Kansas State coach has singled him out after a chunk of practices.

Erwin Nash was also mentioned. he is a former walk on from Olathe South that has size and can really, really run. That combination has hurt the defense a bit and did so for a few practices in a row, according to Malone.

Strong praise for a safety

Though he is not in Malone’s room, there may not have been a player that was lauded more than K-State safety Marques Sigle.

The North Dakota State transfer has reminded Malone of both Josh Hayes and Russ Yeast. Obviously, that’s saying something considering both were selected in the NFL Draft the last two years after a single season in Manhattan.

Remember, head coach Chris Klieman told the 3MAW Podcast that Sigle could be the next transfer in the secondary from Kansas State to play on Sundays. The sky is the limit for No. 21, according to Malone who couldn’t stop gushing about him.

🟣 #3MAW w/ @360vodka@jlkurtz, @Cole_Manbeck, and @DerekYoungKSO preview the Kansas State offense prior to the start of the 2023 season.

— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) August 15, 2023

K-State Athleticism

One word Malone said the most was the term ‘athletic’ to describe this year’s K-State team. It makes sense, as this year’s roster probably has the most speed of any one in recent memory. A chunk of it is in the younger classes as well.

That is why the staff wants to continue to give more reps to the younger players. The talent and athleticism that they possess can be utilized as soon as this season. It can also help develop depth in some spots, which is lacking in areas due to not having a lot of experience.

Next step for Parrish

If Sigle was not the player gushed about the most from Malone, it was either Jacob Parrish or Khalid Duke. However, Parrish is in Malone’s room and the sophomore has shown to be one of the hardest workers on the team, very gritty and is always prepared.

That’s not all, as Parrish is also always focused, highly competitive and can run as well as anyone. If you asked each and every Kansas State player and coach who the fastest on the team, a lot would vote Parrish number one.

Surprisingly, he also has the most game experience in the cornerback room for the Wildcats. Malone is pushing Parrish to be more of a leader because of that. K-State needs him to be a vocal part of the secondary because he has built up that credibility and respect.

State of the Kansas State CB room

The Kansas State cornerback room is a bit of a question mark entering the 2023 season. After all, the two starters from a year ago are both currently on an NFL roster. The players returning also have not started a game at the Power Five level, yet.

It is also still an open competition in regards to the depth chart. Everyone has received a chance to play with the starting defense and everyone has been given reps with the second unit as well. That is how Malone wants to conduct it.

Keenan Garber is one of the better stories in all of college football. After not playing much as a wide receiver, he moved to cornerback towards the end of the season and was immediately thrown into the fire in the Big 12 Championship Game and held his own.

He has been impressive thus far through training camp.

Justice James is also having a strong camp. He redshirted after undergoing surgery on his back last year. He is starting to understand the scheme more, and because of that, he has been right on a lot of plays during camp.

Will Lee has been a popular name throughout training camp, too. He is really coming on, as most of his teammates and coaches have revealed, and the game is starting to slow down for him. Lee has reminded Malone of former K-State cornerback Julius Brents from a physical standpoint.

Parrish has caught his coach’s eye. But another younger player mentioned was Kanijal Thomas, and Malone spent some time discussing the true freshman’s growth. The Oklahoma native arrived ready to go, has been very aggressive and always asks the right questions.