MANHATTAN, Kan. ā Kansas State head coach Collin Klein met with members of the media on Tuesday inside the Vanier Family Football Complex as the Wildcats conclude their first full week of preseason camp. Links to video and audio of Kleinās press conference ā which was streamed live on ESPN+ ā are above, while a transcript of the press conference is below.
COLLIN KLEIN, HEAD COACH
On if he ramps up preseason camp compared to spring practicesā¦
āIt's built very similarly to what we did in the spring. We're getting into some situations faster having had the foundation laid in a lot of ways. The structure, how we're practicing is very, very similar.ā
On the possibility of having any players join the team that became eligible with the recent injunctionā¦
āThere were a couple of opportunities that we were looking at. Some of that has to depend with our own roster and kind of where we're sitting. It's not looking like there will be any fits that will happen.ā
On the process of George Fitzpatrickās progressā¦
āHe still has some benchmarks to hit that he and his family and some of the specialists that they have visited with, along with our team doctors. So, weāre kind of working through that process, but weāre not quite there yet.ā
On if there have been any medical issues pop up in fall campā¦
āA few bumps and bruises, but nothing that's for this season.ā
On what he was looking for during the first part of preseason campā¦
āThe carryover from the work that we've done in the spring and the summer to not have to go back and backtrack, that we could start and have a clean start out of the hole, so to speak, so that we can keep moving forward. They've done that. We have been very pleased, and our staff has been very pleased, with the retention from the offseason programs to be able to hit the ground running. The list is pretty long as far as guys that have flashed. I think the biggest thing we're looking for across the board at every position is consistency. That's what will ā in the position battles that we have at defensive tackle, at offensive line, at safety ā the consistency factor at all of those positions are going to be what solidifies the spots for those guys.ā
On the defensive tacklesā¦
āI think we're fortunate. There's a lot of versatility there. We are playing some guys at some different spots, too, which has been a good thing. Kamari (Burns) has had a very, very good start. We're cross training a couple different guys in a couple different positions as well with Travis Bates and Jordan Allen and being able to move some guys around. So, it's taking shape.ā
On the offensive lineā¦
āPretty much everybody's been able to be a full go with a couple exceptions to that. I think that is progressing well. We are trying a lot of different combinations, which I think is good for the long term and the journey that we'll be on this season. As far as the exact five and where they'll play, this next week is going to be very telling to that.ā
On the wide receiversā¦
āThe four that have been the main producers and in the rotation have been Jaron Tibbs ā getting him back from the spring was tremendous. Heās had a really, really good camp and started fast. Josh Manning, you can tell he's comfortable from getting here in the spring and getting around Avery (Johnson) and them getting on the same page. Weāve been able to see him kind of come out of his shell and compete at a very, very high level and take some steps forward. Izaiah Williams has been very consistent and had some plays, and then Brandon White has really come on and done some really, really good things in the slot, some good things in the return game. Those four have been in the main rotation, but then Adonis Moise, he's done some really, really nice things, and Larry Porter IV has done some really, really nice things. So, Iām excited for that group.ā
On the kickoff and punt returnersā¦
āWe're getting a lot of guys reps back there. It's been Joe (Jackson). Jay Harris has been back there. Brandon White has been back there. Again, weāre getting a lot of guys touches, and I think we got some explosive returners.ā
On the battle at backup quarterbackā¦
āEvery one of them has had some really, really high moments. Consistency, again, is the word for them. Who is going to solidify that backup role and who's going to take it? I said it at the end of the spring, and so far, a week and a half in, I think we're still in about the same state. Jacob Knuth has got a lot of experience. You can tell he's very mature. He doesn't let any of the highs and lows of his own play or what's going on around him affect him very much. Heās very, very steady. You look at Blake Barnett ā some of his flash plays are really, really exciting. Obviously, very, very athletic, really, really good twitch, good tools and can really push the ball down the field, and he has created some explosive plays through the course of camp pushing the ball down the field. Then, again, the consistency factor, he's still growing into that. Dillon Duff has worked incredibly hard. Heās very, very efficient throwing the football, has made really, really good decisions and protected the ball at a really, really good clip. I have told all those guys and have been very excited with what all three have done. Who takes the job here down the stretch? We'll see, but I know they're all working really, really hard, have done a nice job in the offense. We'll kind of see how it goes.ā
On how kicker Luis Rodriguez has responded to having competition in preseason campā¦
āReally well. As far as the kicking game, Stanton (Weber) has worked them extremely hard. They've got a lot of kicks in them. I think it's been good for both of them. They've really been striking the ball well.ā
On the linebacker positionsā¦
āThe four that are kind of rotating through and really doing a nice job are Gabe Powers, Rex Van Wyhe, Mekhi Mason and Darien Whitaker Jr. Those four have kind of been working through there. I think we're finding some rotations with them, but all of them are doing a heck of a job.ā
On the nickelback positionā¦
āMJ (Micheal Graham Jr.) and JoJo (Scott), the competition between both of them is ongoing, but both of them have taken really, really good steps since the spring. Coverability, communication, is really, really improved. So, Iām excited to see how that goes, but we have two guys that you feel really, really good about there.ā
On the usage of JaāSon Prevardā¦
āI think those two safety spots, it will be interesting to see how it shakes out because it is very competitive between JaāSon, Logan Bartley, Wesley Fair, Adrian Maddox, even Koy Beasley a little bit. The combination of that and how that all fits together, itās good to have those options. I think we have an idea of where it's headed, but credit them. They're getting better and competing with each other well.ā
On how he balances player development while developing a depth chart during preseason campā¦
āThe way the schedule lines out, camp will conclude when school starts. I think that that is a line of demarcation to where some of that will settle itself out. But, competition is something that we want in our program, and that is never going to stop. It's not who wins this job. That isn't worth the paper it's printed on, right? Like it's, āYou got to go out every single day to that practice field and you got to earn it, and you got to do what the team needs you to do for us to be successful in that unit.ā That's at every position across the board every day.ā
On his biggest challenge with Avery Johnson during preseason campā¦
āI don't know about āchallenge.ā Both of us and our entire staff, we love learning, we love growing, we love pushing each other. So, any challenge is something we try to overcome quickly and then move on to the next one. He's that way. Normally you could say is an older player complacent? Or, how much is he excited to learn new things and grow? I can't really say a whole lot of, really, anything negative like that about something that he needs to work on. Yeah, there's schemes we're working on and throws we're working on and defensive recognition things, sure. But I've been very, very pleased with his mindset, his approach. It's been fun to watch the work that he and every one of our skill guys across the board have put in through the course of the offseason. To see that start to come to fruition and then to see that they feel that too, and they get a little bit of taste in their mouth of that, and how that spurs more energy and more work and a hunger to even be better.ā
On how many offensive linemen he wants to go into a game withā¦
āYou'd love to have seven or eight that you feel really, really good about and that are in a rotation. I think that's a little different year to year as far as how many snaps guys can play, and what's the right mix, right? Back in the day, we didn't play more than really five or six in certain stretches. It all depends on the year, depends on the guys and depends on the fit. I think we're in a position, and Coach (Mike) Schmidt is doing a great job to give us some flexibility on that to really see how that goes through these first couple games.ā
On the things that stand out about Wendell Gregory and Jordan Allenā¦
āTheir ability to rush the passer is real. They have really, really good hands. They have good twitch and ability to bend, and both of them have been extremely diligent in the weight room this offseason. Not that they were sitting in a bad place, but Coach (Jeremy) Jacobs, the weight program, and credit to their effort ā they've done a heck of a job preparing themselves for the season. That shows up on tape. They're both high-motor guys, and they show up around the football a lot.ā
On how much he has thought about the process of being the head coach and offensive play callerā¦
āYou hit the nail on the head. The only way it's going to work is Iāve got great people around me. Thatās what we have. Iāve been very, very pleased with how that flow has worked. Some of those game-management decisions will be myself, Sean Gleeson ā our offensive coordinator, who has done that a couple different places that he's been ā with Stanton (Weber). We will use analytics, but we'll put our own little spin on it. So, that'll be part of it. As far as the weekly process goes, there's a lot of moving pieces, but I feel really good with the process that we've been able to build, the schedule that we have to be really, really efficient and get a lot done. It's going to be a lot on my plate, but definitely have a lot of great support.ā
On if there is anyone he takes advice from in terms of trying to be a head coach and play callerā¦
āWell, it was a talk that he (Mike Elko) and I had even before I left College Station, and I got to see first year to second year what the difference looked like because you can't be in two places at one time. We had good discussions, good perspectives, and even from him, trusted that he knows me and got to see me work for two years. So, he was able to see my process and kind of how I work through things, and seeing if that was the right decision. I really believe it was. I definitely have called and asked a few people, but I'm excited for the challenge, the opportunity, and our players have been outstanding.ā
On the usage of tight ends and adapting to strengths of the rosterā¦
āEven the first week here, week and a half or so of camp, the way we're able to build the multiple facets of our attack offensively is you have to build the individual parts really, really well because with as diverse as we are and as multiple as we are, you can lose your your focus on fundamentals and detail and schematic congruency that can make it look not good in a hurry. So, I think really focusing on the different components so that as we put them all together, it looks how we want it to look. That's what we've been focused on, that's what we've been working towards. Iām very excited about how those different components are looking. Linkon (Cure) is a special athlete. Garrett Oakley is a special athlete. There's a lot of NFL personnel that have been through our building the last week just already at the start of things that he pops with how heās moving around, and that's a really good thing. Their buy-in to doing and mastering their job and their craft and how that all comes together, I'm really excited to see.ā
On how many offensive plays he wants to run each gameā¦
āAs many as possible while being us. That's an interesting point because the total snaps and total possessions over the last five to 10 years in college football is going down. It's gone down. We've been able to maintain a very diverse, multiple attack while still giving ourselves enough chances, which I think that's a very unique aspect of what we do. We want to play with good rhythm. I want to control the tempo more than go fast or slow. There's going to be different ways that we do that based on the needs of that week.ā
On the new age-based eligibility model and how that changes his thoughts of playing younger playersā¦
āI think it's a great thing, first of all, and I think it's great for the player. The last five years in college football, because there's been such an uptick in roster turnover and roster management, programs have not protected players or their best interest at times, which probably put them in jeopardy and was not in their best interest. I think this fixes that. As coaches, as a team, we're doing ourselves a disservice if we are not giving the young men in our program the best chance to win and the best chance to succeed. There was collateral damage in some of those decisions at times. This eliminates that. We're going to play the best guy who's worked the hardest and who's earned it, and gives our team and program the best chance to be successful.ā
On freshman offensive lineman Oliver Miller and his trajectory from the spring to preseason campā¦
āI think he's definitely continued his trend. He's doing a tremendous job. He's in a position as one of, if not the main, true freshman that will be in the heat of it pretty early. So, credit to him. He comes from a great program there in Denver and coaches that I greatly respect and even grew up watching a little bit. So, I'm proud to have him in purple.ā
On Brandon White as a kickoff and punt returner or if heās looking for different guys for different return groupsā¦
āI think all of it right now. This is probably more general than you want, but it's where we're at. So, the thing with Brandon is understanding that he's extremely motivated. He's worked extremely hard. Watching how he's gotten his body in shape and how hard he's worked on our offense and playbook to be able to be the weapon that he wants to be is a credit to him. He's got very, very good twitch, change direction, and top end (speed), and that's even improved since he's gotten here. He's putting it to use.ā
On if there have been any weight or speed records broken since the springā¦