Category Archives: Football

K-State football lands Elijah Lee, adds Central Arkansas to 2017 schedule

March 26, 20132:49 p.m.

Two interesting Kansas State football stories to pass along this afternoon:

– Elijah Lee, a hybrid defensive end with the ability to shift to outside linebacker, of Blue Springs has committed to the Wildcats.

Lee made 72 tackles and 15.5 sacks as a junior and won the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top lineman or linebacker in the Kansas City area. He will join teammate Dalvin Warmack, a running back who committed to K-State last month.

– Central Arkansas will play a football game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in 2017.

Central Arkansas athletic director Dr. Brad Teague told the Log Cabin Democrat that K-State will pay $400,000 for the game. Central Arkansas went 9-3 last season, losing its opener at Mississippi 49-27 before rallying to make the Football Bowl Championship Subdivision playoffs.

By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Football | Comments

K-State sending five to NFL Combine

Feb. 7, 20138:01 a.m.

Five former Kansas State football players have been invited to participate in the 2013 NFL Combine.

The NFL released a complete list of the players it is inviting to its annual scouting combine late Wednesday night, and Arthur Brown, Anthony Cantele, Chris Harper, Collin Klein and Braden Wilson were all included.

Brown, a standout linebacker for the Wildcats, figures to be the top draft pick of the group. But after an impressive week of practices at the Senior Bowl, Harper has already improved his NFL stock at receiver.

Klein will try to show NFL scouts he is capable of playing quarterback at the next level. Cantele will show off his leg. And Wilson will be out to prove the experts, who labeled him the best fullback in college football, right.

By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Football | Comments Off

Kansas State signing day

Feb. 6, 20135:54 p.m.

JAKE WATERS

I was in Manhattan this afternoon to fill in for Kellis, who was traveling back from Lubbock after K-State’s 68-59 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. Here’s five thoughts from Bill Snyder’s press conference on K-State’s latest recruiting class, and my story from today:

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By Tony Adame | Filed under Football | Comments Off

Signing Day brings two surprises

Feb. 6, 20131:57 p.m.

Two of the biggest surprises that came out of National Signing Day for Kansas State involved two players that won’t suit up for the Wildcats next season.

De’Vondre Campbell, a highly touted junior-college linebacker from Hutchinson Community College, switched his previous commitment to K-State at the last moment and instead signed with Minnesota. With the departures of Arthur Brown, Justin Tuggle and Jarell Childs, Campbell would have been a candidate to play immediately for the Wildcats.

Now, incoming recruits Nick Ramirez, Isaiah Williams and Dakorey Johnson will have less competition as they compete for playing time at linebacker next season. Ramirez, a four-star linebacker out of Lee’s Summit West, has the biggest upside of the group. Johnson brings experience as a juco transfer.

The other surprise came from a former K-State quarterback. Tavarius Bender, who quit the team last summer after enrolling a semester early to go through spring practices, is headed to Iowa Western Community College. We haven’t heard much about Bender lately, but he will try to resurrect his career at the same college where the Wildcats just landed talented quarterback Jake Waters.

By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Football, Recruiting | Comments Off

Four-star linebacker Nick Ramirez ready to make an impact with Wildcats

Feb. 6, 201310:31 a.m.

For the longest time, Nick Ramirez wasn’t sure where he wanted to play college football.

Then he attended Kansas State’s final home game of the season, a 42-24 victory over Texas in which the Wildcats locked up a Big 12 championship, and everything suddenly made sense.

“My visit to the Texas game really confirmed Kansas State was the school I wanted to go to,” Ramirez said. “The atmosphere was great. I will never forget when all the fans rushed the field.”

Next season, Ramirez will try to help K-State achieve similar success on the field instead of watching from the stands. Coaches and fans alike will be expecting big things out of him right away.

The four-star linebacker out of Lee’s Summit West is one of the Wildcats’ highest rated recruits and the type of player who will compete for playing time as a freshman.

“I can’t wait to go out there and get a shot to prove myself,” Ramirez said. “I like that they expect big things out of me, because I want to prove to them that I can do it. I don’t think stars really matter, it is all about heart. I have heart. I’m ready to go out there.”
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By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Football, Recruiting | Comments Off

Nigel Malone shines while Collin Klein struggles at East-West Shrine Game

Jan. 21, 201310:37 a.m.

The East-West Shrine Game couldn’t have gone much better for former Kansas State cornerback Nigel Malone.

He jumped in front of a pass just before halftime and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown that gave his team a 21-3 lead. When the game was over, he was named Most Outstanding Player on defense.

“I didn’t exactly finish how I wanted to in the Fiesta Bowl,” Malone (told the Tampa Bay Times), referring to his Wildcats’ 35-17 loss to Oregon on Jan. 3. “This meant a lot to come out in my last, real college game and come up with a victory, especially with a great group of guys.”

It’s hard to say how one play might impact his NFL chances (he was projected as a possible late-round selection heading in) but a pick six in a college all-star game certainly can’t hurt. Malone had a knack for interceptions with the Wildcats, and proved he could still make them in a new setting. He also must have felt relieved to hold the ball all the way across the goal line.

The game didn’t go as well for former K-State quarterback Collin Klein, though.
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By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Football | Comments Off

K-State in search of new recruiting blood

Jan. 18, 201310:40 a.m.

First Joe Bob Clements. Now Michael Smith.

In the span of five days, the Kansas State football team surprisingly lost two longtime assistants that once played for the Wildcats and started their coaching careers under Bill Snyder.

Clements, K-State’s former defensive ends coach and defensive run game coordinator, is off to Oklahoma State as the Cowboys’ new defensive line coach. Smith, K-State’s former receivers coach, will be in charge of the same position at Arkansas.

Their absences will be noticeable. On the field, Clements and Smith did a fine job of developing talent. Meshak Williams and Adam Davis were two of the top pass-rushers in the Big 12 last season. Chris Harper came to Manhattan hoping to play quarterback and left as a productive receiver with a future in the NFL. They helped K-State win 21 games the past two seasons.

But their biggest contributions came in recruiting.

Smith and Clements were without a doubt K-State’s top two recruiters. Smith, a New Orleans native, regularly signed prospects from Florida and Louisiana, where he faced competition from SEC schools. He spoke passionately about “not taking a backseat” to other programs and Rivals labeled him as one of the top 10 recruiters in the Big 12 last year. Clements, an Emporia native, was well-liked in the Sunflower State and helped seal the deal with many local recruits.

They were the two youngest assistants on the Wildcats’ staff (Clements is 37 and Smith is 42) and had outgoing personalities that high school seniors could easily relate to.
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By Kellis Robinett | Tags: , , , Filed under Football, Recruiting | Comments Off

Fiesta Bowl Countdown: John Hubert could make a big difference in the Fiesta Bowl

Jan. 3, 201311:51 a.m.

The countdown is coming to an end. It’s sad, I know. This is my final blog before the Fiesta Bowl starts at 7:30 tonight at University of Phoenix Stadium. Before I get to it, though, I want to thank everyone who sent blog ideas my way. Your suggestions were a big help.

I think the key matchup in tonight’s Fiesta Bowl will be John Hubert vs. Kenjon Barner.

Even though the running backs won’t face each other directly, the ball-carrier who gains the most yards will give his team a big advantage.

Of all the weird stats that came out of Oregon’s lone loss to Stanford, Barner’s 66 rushing yards sticks out most. He averaged more than 135 yards this season, and basically beat USC all by himself, but on that night the Cardinal held him to pedestrian yardage on 21 carries.

Marcus Mariota ran pretty well, finishing with 89 yards, but it didn’t matter. Without Barner churning out yards, Oregon’s offense struggled. It scored 14 points and lost in overtime. Stopping him should be K-State’s top priority on defense.

If the Wildcats hold to him fewer than 100 yards, they will take their chances. But they will also need Hubert to get going in their own backfield.

When you look back at K-State’s season, the Wildcats were often at their best when Hubert was running strong. He had 130 yards and a touchdown in a crucial victory at Oklahoma. He rushed for more than 100 yards in easy wins over Kansas and Miami. And he scored three touchdowns while rushing for 66 yards against Texas.

But when he was less effective, so was K-State. The Wildcats’ worst two offensive performances came against TCU, when Hubert ran for 23 yards, and at Baylor, when he ran for 43 yards.

He hasn’t hit the 100-yard mark since early October, but he did look good against the Longhorns. With a month between games, he has had plenty of time to rest and is eager to make a run at a 1,000-yard season. He needs 108 yards to get there.

If he does, he might help K-State win the Fiesta Bowl.

By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Fiesta Bowl Countdown, Football | Comments Off

Five things to watch – Oregon

Jan. 3, 201311:32 a.m.

It’s finally gameday here in the Valley of the Sun – here’s my article from yesterday about Kansas State’s amazing turnout to Wednesday’s pep rally at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix. Wildcat fans turned out 25,000 strong at the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Hopefully you’ve already gone here to take a look at the coverage of today’s game from Bob Lutz, Kellis Robinett, Travis Heying and myself, and if you’re Wichita you’ve probably grabbed a copy of our Fiesta Bowl special edition.

I’ve been heavy on the Oregon stuff this week – here’s 5 things to watch for the Ducks tonight:

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By Tony Adame | Filed under Football | Comments Off

Fiesta Bowl Countdown: Hartman, Lamur inspire K-State’s current NFL hopefuls

Jan. 2, 20134:25 p.m.

At this time last year, Tysyn Hartman and Emmanuel Lamur were in the same position as Nigel Malone, Jarell Childs and Meshak Williams.

The former Kansas State defenders were coming off productive seasons with the Wildcats, and hoping for a chance to play at the next level.

Both players had an outside shot at being drafted, but their more likely routes to the NFL were through free agency. Sure enough, both players got picked up after going undrafted and went on to have solid rookie seasons.

Hartman, a safety, made 24 tackles while playing in nine games (starting two) with the Kansas City Chiefs. Lamur, a linebacker, made 19 tackles while playing in nine games for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Malone (cornerback), Childs (linebacker) and Williams (defensive end) have each done big things for K-State this year. But their NFL hopes aren’t as clear as Arthur Brown’s. He will get drafted in the first few rounds. Malone, Childs and Williams need to further prove themselves at K-State’s pro day and in private workouts with NFL teams.

Just like Hartman and Lamur did.

“Obviously, we came from the same system under the same coach,” Childs said. “Those guys are great players. If they can do it, I will always think there is a chance for me and the other defensive players on our team.”
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By Kellis Robinett | Filed under Fiesta Bowl Countdown, Football | Comments Off