Kansas State has been the model of consistency under head coach Chris Klieman, finishing with at least eight wins in four of his five seasons. While the expectations are to at least hit that mark again in 2024, the Wildcats must do so while replacing many fundamental parts of their offense.
Offensive coordinator Collin Klein left for the same job at Texas A&M, quarterback Will Howard transferred to Ohio State and Kansas State lost its top two pass-catchers and three of its five starting offensive linemen, including All-American guard Cooper Beebe. Luckily, the team should still have a dynamic ground game, led by DJ Giddens. The secondary should still be solid despite some key players departing for the transfer portal. The Wildcats will need their front seven to step up.
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Biggest Strength: Three-headed rushing attack
Kansas State has one of the 10 best running back units in college football, thanks to DJ Giddens and Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards. Sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson is also incredibly dangerous with his legs, placing seventh among Big 12 signal-callers last year with 311 rushing yards despite serving as a backup.
Biggest Weakness: Will the front seven improve?
The Wildcats’ biggest weakness in 2023 was their defensive line and linebackers. Kansas State’s front seven finished outside the top 100 FBS teams in PFF grade. The Wildcats also ranked outside the top 90 in team run-defense grade, pass-rush grade and tackling grade. Making matters worse is the fact that their highest-graded player from that unit, edge defender Khalid Duke, signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.
2023 Team Overview
Offense |
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| EPA per play | Yards per play | Successful play rate | Explosive run play rate | Explosive pass play rate |
| 0.144 | 6.1 | 40.3% | 17.9% | 15.6% |
| 15th | T-47th | 11th | 28th | 47th |
Defense |
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| EPA allowed per play | Yards allowed per play | Successful play rate allowed | Explosive run rate allowed | Explosive pass rate allowed |
| -0.094 | 5.7 | 31.4% | 14.5% | 12.2% |
| 30th | 71st | 23rd | 54th | 23rd |
Three Notable Transfer Portal Additions
- RB Dylan Edwards (Colorado): 62.8 PFF grade
- WR Dante Cephas (Penn State): 62.2 PFF grade
- OT Easton Kilty (North Dakota): 83.4 PFF grade
Three Notable Transfer Portal Losses
- QB Will Howard (Ohio State): 78.1 PFF grade
- CB Will Lee III (Texas A&M): 76.2 PFF grade
- RB Treshaun Ward (Boston College): 77.6 PFF grade
Quarterback Spotlight: Avery Johnson
2023 Grade: 73.5
Key Stat: 14 explosive runs on 52 carries, excluding kneel-downs
