Five key storylines for the Kansas State Wildcats as preseason football camp begins

The wait is over.

It’s time for Chris Klieman and the Kansas State football team to come together and start preparing for the 2024 season.

K-State players returned to Manhattan and reported for preseason camp on Tuesday. The Wildcats are scheduled to hold their first practice on Wednesday. It won’t be long before they open the season against Tennessee-Martin on Aug. 31 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

With that in mind, here are five key storylines to monitor as K-State returns to the gridiron.

Avery Johnson can prove he’s ready to lead

It may sound weird to say this about a sophomore who has only started one game at quarterback, but there aren’t many question marks surrounding Avery Johnson.

The Maize product won over the fan base as a freshman by leading K-State to a 28-19 victory over North Carolina State at the Pop-Tarts Bowl. To be honest, though, he didn’t have many doubters before that. Despite serving primarily as a backup last season, Johnson was able to throw for 479 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 296 yards and seven scores .

Few quarterbacks possess his dual-threat talents. Not only is Johnson a skilled passer, he is also one of the fastest quarterbacks in all of college football.

One news outlet, the New York Post , was so impressed with Johnson that it has predicted him to win the Heisman Trophy ... this season.

There seems to be no ceiling for him. Still, this season will be a new experience for Johnson. He is now the face of the K-State football team and many are expecting big things from him. Is he ready to handle that pressure? Will he encounter any growing pains as he takes over as a permanent starter? Can he earn the respect of his older teammates?

Some of those questions could be answered over the next month at training camp. This is his opportunity to prove he is ready to be a leader both on and off the field, even though he is only a sophomore.

How will the Wildcats use Dylan Edwards?

The Wildcats have a new toy in the backfield.

A year after D.J. Giddens rushed for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns, the productive running back will now be asked to split carries with Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards.

This should be a good thing for Giddens and the entire K-State offense. Klieman has long preferred to rotate between several talented running backs instead of one workhorse. Heck, he found ways to get other ball-carriers involved even when Deuce Vaughn was on the roster.

Question is: How will the Wildcats deploy Edwards? As a freshman at Colorado, he rushed for 321 yards and a touchdown on 76 carries. But he also caught 36 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns.

It would make sense for K-State to use Giddens between the tackles and get the ball to Edwards on the perimeter. But K-State coaches have said they want both running backs to do it all . Perhaps they could play at the same time? Maybe the Wildcats will try to use them in complementary roles? We may get a sneak peek of their plans during camp.

The offensive line must move on without Cooper Beebe

One of the best offensive linemen in the history of K-State football, Cooper Beebe , has moved on to the NFL.

The Wildcats also lost veteran talent when Kaitori Leveston and Hayden Gillum ran out of college eligibility.

Replacing that much skill and experience won’t be easy, but the Wildcats are confident they have enough returning talent to continue blocking at a high level.

It will be interesting to see what lineups K-State comes up with. Hadley Panzer, Taylor Poitier, Carver Willis, John Pastore, Andrew Leingang, Sam Hecht and North Dakota transfer Easton Kilty all seem ready to contribute. Getting the best five on the field together will be a challenge for new offensive coordinator Conor Riley.

What will K-State’s best defensive lineup look like?

Klieman has made it abundantly clear that he thinks the Wildcats are loaded with talent at defensive end.

With proven pass-rushers like Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean back to complement young talent like Jordan Allen, Travis Bates, Chiddi Obiazor and Tobi Osunsami, the Wildcats are looking at new ways to get more of those defensive ends on the field at the same time.

That could mean spending more time in a 4-2-5 formation, which features four defensive linemen, than the 3-3-5 that K-State has used predominantly in recent years. Will the Wildcats break out those changes on third down or could it be a more common occurrence?

Now is the time to experiment.

New face in the secondary

Four starting spots in the K-State secondary feel as if they already written in stone.

Keenan Garber and Jacob Parrish are both back at cornerback. Behind them, Marques Sigle and VJ Payne will enter the season with high expectations at safety. But what about the fifth spot?

Well, that is much more of a mystery. The Wildcats could choose to play Jack Fabris, Wesley Fair, Colby McCalister or maybe an extra linebacker in that position.

Let the competition begin.