Chris Klieman lays the foundation for another attempt at the Big 12 title

LAS VEGAS – Although the Wildcats failed to defend their Big 12 title last year, they finished 17th in the final AP poll and beat a Power Five team in the postseason.

The success was more than enough momentum for the team to carry into the spring. Now that the season is approaching, coach Chris Klieman is making sure his players are focused on the hard work it takes to win on the field.

After all, Kansas State will field a talented group on both sides of the ball, and expectations are high. However, Klieman could care less where the polls rank his team for the preseason. He understands that the hype could potentially be rat poison for his players if they support him, and no one wants distractions for the team.

“Everyone sees it, but it’s not something we talk about a lot,” Klieman said. “I hope it shows people the overall depth and value of our roster and how important our supporting cast is and how important our players are, because if you’re a successful team, there are going to be individual awards at the end of the season.”

That’s why Klieman is just as focused on business as he has been in the past, which has earned him four FCS national championships as a head coach. His players aren’t flashy by any means, but they are tough guys who play with discipline and physicality. Not to mention, Klieman is a natural at developing low-profile talent into All-Big 12 players.

Kansas State fans are excited for the 2024 season, and Klieman doesn’t want to disappoint them. He’s encouraged by where the team is heading into fall camp and is happy to see things looking up.

Quarterback Avery Johnson has become the big man on campus after wowing fans with his amazing agility and being voted MVP in the Pop Tarts Bowl. Running back DJ Giddens is coming off a great 1,000-yard season and is very explosive. Although Giddens won’t have Treshaun Ward by his side this time, Klieman has given him a dynamic teammate in the backfield in Dylan Edwards, who transferred from Colorado.

They are all important building blocks around which Klieman can build the offense. However, the unit will operate under two coordinators this fall: Connor Riley and Matt Wells. Riley will work more with the running backs and a rebuilding offensive line, while Wells will oversee the air raid.

Klieman finds her impact on the offense in such a short time encouraging and believes the best is yet to come. Wells is guiding Johnson through his maturation process and refining his passing techniques, which should make the signal-caller more dangerous with the ball in his hands.

“The two guys get along great, there’s a great feel for each other,” he said. “They’re on the same page in a lot of ways, and I know Avery, as well as our offensive staff, our coaches and Coach Riley, our offensive coordinator, are excited about some of the things Coach Wells is going to bring to K-State, especially the passing game.”

It will still be a challenge for Wells and Riley to replace the performance of All-American tight end Ben Sinnott and the leadership of veteran wide receiver Phillip Brooks, a problem Klieman hopes the offense will have solved by the middle of fall practice.

On the other side of the ball, Klieman has an All-Big 12 caliber player on every level of his defense. Joe Klanderman knows the Big 12 like the back of his hand and is one of the longest tenured coordinators in the league. In Klieman’s eyes, the defense is loaded with experience and production to dominate, starting from the front.

“We’ll probably have eight or nine guys on the defensive line, and we’ve always rotated guys really well,” said the 56-year-old coach. “But we have two defensive ends back in Brendan Mott and Cody Stufflebean with six years of experience who have been in the program for a long time, and these young guys are going to play a lot at a high level, and there are going to be high expectations.”

Linebacker Austin Moore, who led the team in tackles the past two seasons, will continue to be the enforcer in the middle of the defense. Although the secondary lost All-Big 12 safety Kobe Savage to Oregon, senior Marques Sigle has had a promising season and is the team’s best player in terms of stops.

The Wildcats are well-positioned but need to be ready with a schedule that includes three teams that finished 2023 with double-digit wins in the first five games. There’s no denying that the new 16-team Big 12 will be up for grabs, so Klieman expects intense practices over the next month and can’t wait to show the world what Kansas State has in store for the fall.

“As always, a competitive league with great parity in terms of the number of schools and the new schools we have, especially the ones we play against, but we’re looking forward to the challenge.”