The All-Big 12 selections are out.
For the second year in a row, a Kansas State wide receiver/kick returner was named Offensive Newcomer of the Year. Last year, it was Deon Murphy. This year, it’s Brandon Banks.
Seems fair to me, but what about the rest? Were any of the other Wildcats – Brandon Harold? Josh Moore? – deserving of more than honorable mention?
The new (and former) Kansas State coach just stopped here at Jabara Airport, and Bill Snyder’s prevailing theme was encouraging the fans to come back out and support the Wildcats. He hammered the point home, which was received well by the 125 or so fans in attendance.
Of course, there was also the obligatory shot at the media. Asked about his coaching staff, Snyder said it was two-thirds done and because of extended contracts for assistants, it’s more difficult than in the past to simply hire away quality people. But when it’s finished, he said, a release would be circulated.
Until then, Snyder said, “anything else isn’t accurate.”
He also said he’s been busy on the recruiting path, saying he spent Monday evening here as well. Well – and apologies for perhaps “burying the lead” – Bryce Brown, the heralded East running back, confirmed Tuesday that he met with the K-State coach last night. Brown is committed to Miami, but he is still listening to schools, and he liked what he heard from Snyder.
“It went really well,” Brown said via text message. “I enjoyed his company.”
Let me just say this – Snyder, without assessing blame or pointing a finger, is on a mission to rectify EVERYTHING that went wrong during his three-year absence. Don’t be surprised if a few of the kids the previous regime missed out on suddenly resurface in Manhattan, realizing a couple of things: 1) It’s a privilege to play close to home, 2) it’d be a privilege to play for perhaps one of the most accomplished college coaches of all-time, and 3) it’d be a privilege to help restore the K-State program – once again under Snyder – to the heights it once knew.