MANHATTAN, Kan. ā Kansas State head coach Collin Klein and select players met with members of the media on Monday inside the Vanier Family Football Complex to preview Saturdayās season opener against Nicholls inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Links to video and audio of Kleinās press conference ā which was streamed live on ESPN+ ā are above in addition to an audio link of player breakout interviews. A transcript of Kleinās press conference is below.
COLLIN KLEIN, HEAD COACH
Opening Statementā¦
āWell, gameweek is here. Itās good to see you guys. The players are excited. Theyāve been chomping at the bit to hit somebody else this time of year. You can kind of feel their edge. Even in practice last week it was taken a step up a notch. They are really, really excited to go. Itās been fun, and I think we still have some competitions at some spots. Weāll go through the depth chart that you have, and we can talk about that. Iām excited about that and how thatās going to look moving forward even as we get into these first couple of games. It was good to see a little bit of Nicholls on tape. Iām excited to play them. Theyāve had a lot of success as a program over the years, and theyāre doing a really, really good job. You can see how hard their players played the other night. So, Iām excited for the challenge and to get this thing kicked off and opened up. Iām excited for our players to start the season and get this thing off on the right note.ā
On the state of the offensive line after the injuriesā¦
āWe've been moving a lot of guys around. It's definitely not like we projected it coming in, but I've also been really, really proud of how guys have worked through it. Ryan Howard and Tyler Johnson have had a really, really good week last week rotating through those tackle spots. You look at Charlie Adams and Chase Duarte, those guys are different players than when they got here in January, and that's why we took more at that point in time because it was such an unknown for us, even with some of those projections. So Iām very, very proud of how those guys have stepped up. I still think there is a chance and how things work out through the course of the year with Oliver Miller and his progression and what he was able to get done and put on tape when he gets back on the field, we'll do some very, very nice things. Same with Tanner Morley. So, it's been an interesting carousel for sure. Iām very proud of those guys, how they've attacked it, and how we're going to be able to move through it.ā
On a timetable for the return of Tanner Morley and Oliver Millerā¦
āI think Tanner is a little more day to day. Oliver Miller will be a couple of weeks, but both are day-to-day, and weāll see how it goes.ā
On which defensive unit has shown him the mostā¦
āIāve been really, really proud of our D-line. From day one of spring, a very, very new unit, to how hard they've been playing and how much better they've gotten from the start of spring to now. I've been extremely proud of the work that those guys have put in.ā
On playing both Darien Whitaker Jr. and Elijah Hill at defensive endā¦
āI think it gives us a lot of flexibility. Down the stretch is when that kind of materialized. Elijah is still doing some really, really good things. I think he's going to play some good snaps for us for sure. The flexibility and what Darien has been able to bring on the edge has been really good for our defense. His motor runs really hot, and him affecting plays at that position is going to be good for us.ā
On the decision to move Darien Whitaker Jr. to the edgeā¦
āI think the versatility, and even how some of the linebacker situation and how that worked out too, and some of the good jobs that Gabe Powers, Rex Van Wyhe, Asa (Newson) and Mekhi (Mason), what they did and how that kind of came together to be able to get guys positioned right to help us right now. I think it was really a good thing for us.ā
On the competition at safetyā¦
āAdrian (Maddox) and JaāSon (Prevard) all those guys are going to be rotating through those spots. I think those are the guys, as you see it, that have earned the nod initially, but, like I tell every single one of them every day, there's not a spot in this program that's not for rent. That's our mindset, top to bottom.ā
On the splitting snaps at running back and tight endā¦
āAgain, I think thatās what will really, really take shape here in these first couple weeks. I'm excited to see those guys compete. I think depth there is really, really good. How they've competed, how they've worked together has been really, really good. I'm excited to see them make some plays for real.ā
On where Jordan Peterson will be positioned on gamedayā¦
āCoach Peterson will be on the sideline.ā
On what Damian Miller has done during preseason campā¦
āHe's got really good length. How fast he's come along for how short a time he's been here, I think there's a lot of upside and a really, really high ceiling for him. Even how heās worked through camp coming off an injury from last season that he was dealing with was really impressive. He put his head down and got to work, and those guys are going to excel in this program.ā
On what impresses him the most about Nichollsā¦
āStarting with their defense, their ability to show you different front structures and some different cover structures with that. They make you detail things out, try to get guys around the football in different ways, and they played really hard down the stretch.ā
On his emotions going into the first game as a head coachā¦
āItās definitely a lot for sure. I remember running out that tunnel for the first time against North Texas as a true freshman, and that's what I want for every one of our players. This is their first time at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. This is not, any part of it, about me ā itās about our players, and that's what gets me so excited about that moment for them.ā
On what he wants to see from his team outside of a winā¦
āWe need to play disciplined football. We need to be very assignment sound. We need to be fundamentally sound. We need to play hard through the entirety of the game. No matter if things are going good or things are going bad, we have to get our competitive level to the point that it needs to be and that starts to make the identity of who we are. We've done that from the first winter workout that we had in January. That cycle, that routine, that pattern, that process is going to carry over and hold true in the game. That to me is what we're going to be very, very focused on.ā
On what Garrett Oakley has done to stand out at tight endā¦
āHe's very quiet and reserved on the surface, but he's got a lot of personality and influence and pull in that locker room. The guys look to his steadiness, to his consistency, and then when he speaks, those guys listen, and then they really respect it. He's done it in real time with live bullets. He's earned that, and I was very, very proud to see that take place.ā
On what Keiton Jones has done to impress him since his arrivalā¦
āHe's still a young player. I think with what we do in the run game and how he was able to make leaps and bounds in understanding and processing the game and the schemes of what we're trying to do and what we're trying to accomplish. He has a physical skill set ā very, very strong, very, very good feet. How can you put that into understanding and channeling all of that into being a very, very good football player? I think he's taking leaps and bounds there and is doing a nice job.ā
On how far JoJo Scott has come since spring practiceā¦
āHis development curve has been extremely steep. He loves to compete. He loves football. You see him constantly asking questions. He's up in the office all the time trying to get better and learn. He's got a great skill set movement-wise, and great, great cover skills. Watching how he's matured and grown into the role he's in, heās earned it. He took it, and Iām really, really proud of him. He's just fun to be around. Even today in the walkthrough, he didn't do something right, figured it out and was smiling and learning and growing. So, he's going to be really, really good for our program.ā
On taking advantage of the new age-based eligibility modelā¦
āI think it's a really, really good thing for college football. It keeps players getting caught in a corner of what's best for the team is not whatās best for them. That was at odds at times when you have to say, āHey, for us to win this ballgame, you need to play this many snaps and this many games, and that takes away a year for you.ā That was always a very, very hard thing. Eliminating that to say, āHey, this is the time window, this is what it is.ā I think that's a really, really good thing. The fallout and some of all the craziness that has now come along with that, I don't think is good for college football and good for our model for our game moving forward. It really puts a lot of people in some hard spots that aren't good.ā
On what has stood out about Kaleb Pattersonā¦
āYou can tell he's got a lot of experience. He's been around the game a long time. That showed in his play. I thought his competitive maturity, being an older guy in that room with some young guys around him was really, really good. You could see his impact not only for himself and how well he was playing, but you could see there was continuity with the JoJo (Scott) of the world and the Logan Bartley of the world. There was some synergy and chemistry there that he was providing in a leadership role. He's done a great job on our leadership council, and for a new guy coming in to make the impact that he has has been really tremendous.ā
On Dylan Villarouel taking over the center positionā¦
āYou can see his leadership grow through the course of the offseason. He has a skill set, very, very good size, good length. I think he's going to really do some nice things for us there. I'm really excited about it.ā
On finding a rhythm in the first game as both a playcaller and head coachā¦
āThe good part about that is with the way practices have been structured and the way that my whole life as a playcaller and then even as a coach, because you're right there on the field, because I've played and been out there on the field, I've had to reorganize my notes a little bit, I can't have this nice little area where you can write stuff down and do all that. But, as far as seeing the game and knowing what's going on, that accompanied with the ability to have the film feedback, there's not really that much gray anymore. Being in the booth provides a great advantage before you were able to actually get on the iPad and flash through that last series to know exactly what happened. That might be a question I'll answer better after the game, how about that?ā
On what gives him confidence in left tackle Ryan Howardā¦
āHow hard he works. He has busted his butt since the day he got here. I remember when I was recruiting Will (Howard), his passion and how he fell in love with this place, how much he cares about this place, how hard he's worked to get his body ready to go. There's going to be a growth curve for sure, but he's going to take it in stride.ā
On what Mekhi Mason brings as a linebackerā¦
āHis twitch and snap to the football and instinct is special. To be at his size, have his level of physicality, while still having the ability to run in an inside backer position is like somebody I played with.ā
On how good it is to have Jaron Tibbs with all the newcomers at wide receiverā¦
āIt's been good. His leadership and presence amongst those guys and his rapport with Avery Johnson has helped tremendously. Watching that group compete and how they have worked through the entire process with the quarterbacks has shown we're not a finished product by any stretch, but we've made some good strides, and I think we'll continue to in the future.ā
On how Jay Harris and Brandon White won the returner jobsā¦
āTheir consistent in securing the football, first and foremost. Their feel and ability for the spacing, the schemes, how they were able to read and hit things how we wanted. Special teams have been a weapon here for a really, really long time, and how they attacked it and took it was evident.ā
On if he has picked out his first offensive play after his first as an offensive coordinator in 2022 went for a touchdownā¦
āNo, I have not. It was a great mindset that the group brought into of if 11 guys ā one ball carrier and 10 other guys ā do their job and attack it, even a simple jet sweep play can go. I think having that type of attack mentality and the simple things is what makes offenses really special.ā
On what he wants the identity of the offense to beā¦
āDisciplined, explosive and tough. We need to not beat ourselves. With the multiplicity of what we do, being able to make sure the details are exactly how we want them is not easy, and this group has bought into doing that at a high level. That's the first thing. Secondly, we want to create explosive plays. We want to take chunks out of people with runs over 10 (yards), passes over 15 (yards), super explosives of over 20 (yards), and we need to scheme to help get them in positions to go make plays. Then, they need to cut it loose and go make plays. Tough and physical there being the last point is we need to win the line scrimmage and control the tempo of the game physically.ā
On what he witnessed with the newcomers when former players spoke to the team during preseason campā¦
āIt's been fun to share our story with our guys. With a higher number of new players on a roster on a yearly basis, that becomes really important. Scott Eliert ā our video coordinator, who has been here probably the longest of anybody when Coach (Snyder) first got here in 1989 ā every day there's a different highlight showing from a different year, from a different team, telling our story. Thatās been very intentional to give a connection from the past to the future and to them and who they are so fortunate to follow in so many different ways. So, that's been intentional. Like-minded people attract like-minded people, and we've got a lot of really, really great guys in this locker room that are about the K-State value system. We've been so fortunate to have a lot of players come back here to visit with them. It was one of my favorite times in training camp as a player when old guys got to come back and share their story, share their journey, talk about the hard times and the adversities that they overcame and went through. I tell the guys every time after one of them speaks, āYou notice, he didn't talk about the game that everything went right, nothing bad happened, and there was nothing to write home about.ā Thatās not what you remember. They talk about this workout when I was absolutely gutted and didn't have anything else, you talk about that story. You talk about the time that we're down, and we found a way to come back. That type of mindset creates the competitive nature, creates the perspective ultimately for them to grow to be the best that they can be individually, us to grow and become everything that we can be collectively.ā
On what the programās Seven Principles meanā¦
āWell, Coach Snyder had 16, the Good Lord only had 10, so I had to pare it down a little bit. I had to cut it down a little bit. I'm not as smart as either one of those cats. The things that were most important to me, the things that really I felt like embodies that Powercat, Kansas State Football, and that have carried forward for a very, very long time. Commitment being the first for a very specific reason that you have to buy into whatever you're doing and whatever you want to be a part of first and foremost. Integrity being the center in the middle because that's who we are and the core of what we are. Expect the win being the last one that if these steps are followed and we work our process the right way, there is not a field that we step on that we don't expect to be successful. They're where theyāre at for a reason, and we could talk for a long time and have been for the last eight months about every one of them to our program.ā
On what he wants to see from Avery Johnson in the first game of the seasonā¦