1. Why fear the Wildcats? They’re just so solid. So solid in everything they do. Just sort of amazing that they went from very good to very good and never really missed a beat. A lot of that has to do with Will Howard being so good at quarterback and it’s pretty clear that K-State has a system with the new staff and that system is sort of fully implemented at this point and you wonder how close they are to plug-and-play, having solid backups ready to start. Just looking at the list of potential all-Big 12 players, yeah, they are nearly plug-and-play with the next guy in line.
2. The Best Jimmy’s and Joe’s. This is a list of players on preseason All-Big 12 teams and you’ll note that despite a huge loss at running back in Vaughn, K-State will have two solid runners in Treshaun Ward (a transfer) and DJ Giddens. And there’s a little bit of help everywhere on offense, but the defense maybe lacks some big playmakers.
- QB Will Howard
- RB Treshaun Ward
- RB DJ Giddens
- WR Phillip Brooks
- TE Ben Sinnott
- OL Cooper Beebe
- OL Christian Duffie
- LB Daniel Green
- LB Austin Moore
- S Kobe Savage
3. Transfer Report. Treshaun Ward is a nice add from Florida State at running back after losing Vaughn. KSU also added receiver Keagan Johnson from Iowa on offense. Defensively, Jevon Banks from Mississippi State at defensive line and Marques Sigle from North Dakota State at safety were added on defense.
4. Tough to Replace. Deuce Vaughn was one of the best running back to every suit up for the Wildcats and maybe one of the most explosive in the Big 12. Felix Andudike-Uzomah was hugely important, good enough to be a 1st round pick. Kansas State also lost I think both cornerbacks, Julius Brents went in the 2nd round and Josh Hayes was drafted in the 6th.
Previous 4 Things Preseason Previews: Baylor; BYU; UCF; Cincinnati; Houston; Iowa State; Kansas; Kansas State; Oklahoma; Oklahoma State; TCU; Texas; Texas Tech; West Virginia
Ed Note. This is what I worked on while on flights. I tried not to get too deep because that would be incredibly difficult to do this for 14 teams and I think most of us want a cursory idea of what opposing teams are. I also found the idea of who is transferring in as more important than the freshmen arriving. That’s definitely changed over the course of years. I also thought that knowing who is being replaced is relevant more than most things.