There are only 31 days remaining until the 2011 K-State Family Reunion football game against Eastern Kentucky. The expectations are high from Wildcat fans, but once again K-State is not getting much respect from the media, being picked to finish 8th in the Big 12 by most media outlets.
Wildcats on Offense
The additions of Arthur Brown and Bryce Brown give hope to Kansas State. Arthur has already been added to the Nagurski and Butkus Award watch list before even playing a down for Kansas State. Bryce was selected as a pre-season all-Big 12 player.
Collin Klein is expected to win the starting quarterback job over Samuel Lamur, and most notably Justin Tuggle (son of NFL great Jessie Tuggle; Cam Newton’s back up at Blinn Community College).
The race for running back is between redshirt sophomore Bryce Brown and redshirt sophomore John Hubert. The receiving core will be a strong one in 2011 with Tramaine Thompson and Brodrick Smith returning from injury, and Chris Harper coming back after a very impressive Pinstripe Bowl performance.
The offensive line will be the biggest cause for concern for K-State. That being said, coach Charlie Dickey has done a tremendous job with the line, and does have some strong returning players. Most notably is senior Manese Foketi. Freshman BJ Finney has really impressed during the offseason as well.
Defensive Issues
The only word that could properly describe the defense from last season is worse than dreadful. Also the words pathetic, terrible, appalling, horrendous, and other words for “bad” would properly describe the unit. However, there were a few bright spots from the unit who return for 2011.
The secondary brings back star sophomore safety Ty Zimmerman, senior David Garrett, and senior Tyson Hartman. This offseason the Wildcats brought in JUCO players Kip Daily and Nigel Malone who are expected to have significant roles this season.
Addressing the Problem
The line and linebacker core was a major issue last season. The linebacking core returns basically everyone with senior Alex Hrebec, junior Blake Slaughter, and sophomore Tre Walker. The main addition will be former 5-star recruit Arthur Brown.
But the issue lies with the defensive line. K-State brings in Hutchinson Community College defensive end Meshak Williams, and last seasons star defensive recruit Adam Davis has recovered from injury and should be a significant player. The Wildcats also added a very strong freshman defensive tackle in Sam Harvill, but sadly tore his ACL during summer workouts.
The 2011 Kansas State team has potential to do some damage in the new-look Big 12 Conference. That being said, the roster is shaped around inexperienced players, and when that happens it is nearly impossible to predict how the season may turn out.
Summer 2011 Recruiting
The Wildcats have already picked up 6 commitments for the class of 2012. The headliner being Tavarius Bender (quarterback out of Nebraska). Trey Rabon is the latest wide receiver commitment from Dallas Skyline. Will Davis, Vernon Vaughn, Travis Britz, Matt Seiwert, and Aderius Epps round out the class as of now.
