College Football Countdown: No. 16 Kansas State Wildcats

· Aug 04 - 6 minutes read

Kansas State Needs To Replace Top Rusher and Sack Leader

Overlook Kansas State at your own risk as the defending Big 12 champions could take down some of the favored teams and defy NCAA football predictions once again. There are some key pieces missing, namely star running back Deuce Vaughn and pass rusher extraordinaire Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

When it comes to the NCAA football news, Kansas State wasn’t active in the transfer portal with Florida State running back Treshaun Ward, Minnesota quarterback Jacob Knuth, Iowa receiver Keagan Johnson, Southeast Missouri State cornerback Tyler Nelome (25 tackles, four pass breakups in 10 games), Mississippi State defensive lineman JevonBanks (17 tackles, two tackles for loss) and North Dakota State defensive back Marques Sigle (27 tackles, two interceptions in 11 games a season ago) the transfers to keep an eye on.

NCAAF Countdown: No. 16 Kansas State Wildcats — Running back Deuce Vaughn #22 of the Kansas State Wildcats | tim heitman/getty images/afp

Offensive tackle Jalen Klemm, who is now at Washington, is the highest rated of the outgoing transfers according to the 247sports.com database.

Kansas State had the No. 5 rated recruiting class in the Big 12 with quarterback Avery Johnson and edge rusher Jordan Allen, both Kansas natives, the top-rated freshmen for the Wildcats.

Kansas State comes in at No. 16 in our countdown of the top 25 college football teams heading into the 2023 season.

According to the college football picks, Kansas State is 24th at +12500 in the odds to win the national title.

Get in on the action and anticipation of college football with our comprehensive college football odds.

Kansas State Wildcats

2022 record: 10-4
2022 Big 12 record: 7-2
Head coach: Chris Klieman
Odds to win conference title: +500

The big question on offense with Kansas State is who will replace running back Deuce Vaughn, who ran for nearly 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He also had 91 catches so that is a lot of production lost.

DJ Giddens came to the Wildcats as a player loaded with potential and will bring more size to the position, Ward figures to factor into the running back position as well after transferring from Florida State. Ward was second on the Florida State team with 628 rushing yards and averaged 6.6 yards per carry as a sophomore.

Kansas State brings back the entire starting offensive line so the running game will benefit from proven blockers. Cooper Beebe, who earned first-team preseason All-Big 12 honors, leads the offensive line.

There are no questions as quarterback with Will Howard coming back. Despite splitting time with Adrian Martinez, Howard threw for 1,633 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. He needs to improve on his 59.8% completion percentage. The Wildcats were 5-2 in games played by Howard. If his play on the field didn’t win over fans, the fact that he is raising money in honor of his mom who is battling cancer should earn him plenty of support outside of Manhattan, Kansas.

Tight end Ben Sinnott could be the top pass catcher after having 31 catches a season ago. He is another preseason first-team All-Big 12 pick. Phillip Brooks (45 catches, 587 yards) and Johnson (19.6 yards on 18 catches in 2021 at Iowa) figure into the passing game as well.

The defense welcomes Daniel Green back after he recorded 58 tackles with two interceptions and two sacks. Losing top pass rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah hurts, but most of the defensive line is back.

There are questions in the secondary. Kobe Savage is back after having 58 tackles and three interceptions. The rest of the secondary will not be as game-tested as Savage.

Kicker Chris Tennant missed five field goals with Ty Zentner back at punter after finishing second in the Big 12 with an average of 44.5 yards per punt.

Those who bet online might be interested to know Kansas State covered in four straight games before a bowl matchup with Alabama. Seven of the 14 games played by the Wildcats a season ago finished over the total.

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Outlook

With Howard back to lead the offense and the stability that Klieman brings at the head coach position, this is a dangerous team.

Before a blowout loss to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Kansas State the other three losses were by a total of 24 points and that is pretty much standard operating procedure for the Wildcats who find a way to hang around against teams with higher rated recruiting classes and higher national profiles.

The overall team starts were not overly impressive as the Wildcats were fourth in total defense and sixth in total offense in the Big 12.

Before a blowout loss to Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, Kansas State, the other three losses were by a total of 24 points and that is pretty much standard operating procedure for the Wildcats.

The overall team starts were not overly impressive as the Wildcats were fourth in total defense and sixth in total offense in the Big 12.

The non-conference schedule is just so-so with matchups against Southeast Missouri and Troy before a showdown with Missouri out of the Southeastern Conference.

The Big 12 opener is against conference newcomer UCF. A three-game stretch against Texas Christian, Houston, and Texas will not be easy

The Sept. 2 season opener against Southeast Missouri State doesn’t currently have a line according to the college football spreads since Southeast Missouri is a Football Championship Subdivision team. Three of the first four games will be played at home.

The price is set at +130 for Kansas State to go over 8½ wins during the regular season and -160 to finish under that total. It could ultimately come down to those first three games before Big 12 play starts. Not having to face Oklahoma could help the Wildcats make a run at another 10-win season.