The contract is retroactive to February 1 and includes annual compensation, which will total nearly $10 million over a five-year agreement.

The new deal was approved by the K-State Athletics board of directors earlier today and signed today by Snyder.

“Coach Snyder is one of the true legends of college football,” Currie said in a statement. “He is an outstanding ambassador for this University, community and state. I have said numerous times that my first impression of Kansas State was the toughness and determination of a football team led by Coach Snyder at the 2001 Cotton Bowl, and we are excited about the direction of our football program under his leadership.”

Snyder will be paid a base salary plus supplemental licensing payments totaling $1.85 million in the 2009-10 contract year, $1.875 million in 2010-11, $1.925 million in 2011-12, $1.95 million in 2012-13 and $1.975 million in 2013-14.

“We are excited to have Coach Snyder back on the sidelines and leading our football program,” K-State president Kirk Schulz said in a statement. “No other coach in America has served his institution with greater dedication and loyalty, and we are confident about the future of K-State football.”

On his twitter account, Schulz added: “We just finalized Coach Bill Snyder’s contract for the next 5 years! This is a terrific day for K-State football. Geaux Wildcats!”

Said Snyder: “The reason we came to Kansas State was because of the people, we have stayed here all of these years because of the people and our reason for returning was because of the people. I am so very appreciative of the commitment and leadership of President Schulz and John Currie and the vision they share with me for the direction of our football program.”

In addition to his base salary, Snyder will receive the use of a courtesy automobile and a vehicle stipend of $10,000 annually; access to a suite at Bill Snyder Family Stadium; a country club membership; a family membership at the KSU Rec Complex; eight men’s season basketball tickets and four women’s season basketball tickets, and four tickets to the Big 12 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments and, as available, four tickets to NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments for games in which K-State participates.

The contract calls for performance incentives that could reward Snyder up to an additional $455,000, including $75,000 for winning the Big 12 championship game and $250,000 for winning the BCS National Championship.

Upon the conclusion of Snyder’s employment as coach, he will continue to be paid $150,000 annually as a special assistant to the athletic director.

CONTRACT DETAILS

Total compensation

2009    $1.85 million

2010    $1.875 million

2011    $1.925 million

2012    $1.95 million

2013    $1.975 million

Bonuses

Big 12 North championship (and plays in Big 12 title game): $50,000

Wins Big 12 championship game: Additional $25,000

Big 12 North championship (tied and does not play in Big 12 title game): $25,000

Appearance in Independence Bowl, Texas Bowl or at-large bowl: $20,000

Appearance in Cotton, Holiday, Gator, Alamo, Sun or Insight bowls: $35,000

Appearance in non-championship BCS bowl: $75,000

Loss in BCS national championship game: $150,000

Win in BCS national championship game: $250,000

Selected Walter Camp, Eddie Robinson or Bear Bryant national coach of the year: $30,000

K-State finishes in top 20 of AP or BCS final rankings: $50,000

K-State finishes in top 10 of AP or BCS final rankings: Additional $50,000

No need to wait that long. I’ll put it online immediately. Enjoy.

Dear Faithful Wildcat Family,

Coach Bill Snyder

No matter how many yards you churn out in a particular game or how well you play against a particular foe, the expectation is that you can always do better.

With that being said, it seemed like Kansas State’s running backs went a little overboard this week when they were asked to grade their first-game performances against Massachusetts. After making a fabulous debut and rushing for 104 yards, junior Daniel Thomas gave himself a D. Keithen Valentine, meanwhile, gave himself a C+ after stretching 11 carries into 89 yards.

Together, they combined for nearly 200 yards of offense and were the strongest point of K-State’s attack. Those are numbers that the Wildcats will gladly take after every contest. Yet Thomas and Valentine walked away from the game thinking they barely passed the test.

For what it’s worth, both were very impressed with the offensive line.

But when evaluating their own games, well, they are their own toughest critics.

Thomas said he needs to do a better job of, “staying with my blocks and not trying to go outside all the time.”

Said Valentine: “We got the win and I had a couple big runs, but there is always room for improvement.”

Considering it was only UMass, and just about every team left on the schedule will be much more difficult to run against, I can see that less than optimistic attitude. Both will need to be more disciplined if they want to see those same numbers against Big 12 opponents.

But for now, they should be happy. Leading up to Saturday’s game at Louisiana-Lafayette, their 1-2 running punch is one of the positive things people want to talk about.

Even Snyder.

“I think they both did a nice job. They are two different types of runners. Thomas is a fluid runner and can run with some strength and power. As you saw, he has the ability to move the pile and that comes from good lower- and upper-body strength. Keithen runs hard as well. But the important thing for us is that we have to block the people in front of them and give them some chances. They made a lot of things happen after first contact. So what we have to do is give them more space in which to operate and that did happen a few times.”

The main question heading forward is how often the two running backs continue to rotate in and out of the game. Against UMass, Thomas carried the ball 23 times compared to Valentine’s 11.

Thomas gained the most yards. Valentine reeled off the longest run.

Both running backs would obviously like to see more action, but both also seem fine with sharing the load.

“Keithen is a great back,” Thomas said. “So we’ll switch it up every now and then.”

Valentine said Thomas was “pretty much like my brother.”

“It might sound cliché, but he a real cool guy, down to earth” Valentine added about Thomas. “He don’t have the big head and stuff, so we get a long well. We talk about the offense and talk about just playing. It’s a great combination, we get along well.”

The way they grade themselves, that doesn’t surprise me.

They were all happy to escape with the 21-17 victory, but to only score points in the second quarter was disappointing. And to struggle to even move the ball in the second half was tough for them to handle.

Lots of improvements need to be made. Mostly in the passing game and punting game.

But one things for sure: K-State can run the ball. Junior running back Daniel Thomas debuted with 104 yards and Keithen Valentine picked up 89.

Check back later for a postgame blog. And read the Eagle/Star for complete coverage.

6:44 4th Quarter
That’s a three and out for K-State. After a punt, UMass has the ball back on its own 23.

8:00 4th Quarter
The K-State defense held, and Carson Coffman is back under center at his own 30-yard line.

10:29 4th Quarter
Gregory showed off his legs with two nice runs, but the Wildcats still had to punt near midfield.

UMass will take over at its own 20 with the chance to take the lead.

13:12 4th Quarter
Coffman is shaken up and off the field. Here comes Grant Gregory.

14:01 4th Quarter
UMass just blocked a Kansas State punt and returned it for a touchdown.

The Minutemen aren’t doing much to stay in this game, but the Wildcats are certainly helping them hang in there.

0:29 3rd Quarter
The Minutemen needed something good to happen to do anything in the third quarter, and Kansas State helped them out with a fumbled punt.

After absolutely shutting down UMass throughout the second half, the Wildcats couldn’t hang on to a punt deep in their own territory and UMass took over in the red zone.

Andrew Krevis then caught a four-yard touchdown shortly after, and the Minutemen pulled to within 21-10.

It will be interesting to see how K-State responds on offense. The Wildcats haven’t moved the ball well in the second half, but now that the score is close again they might turn up the intensity.

4:44 3rd Quarter
It’s been a pretty boring third quarter so far.

Neither team has been able to sustain anything, but I’m sure the Wildcats are OK with that. Up by 18, they can play even with UMass the rest of way.

It’s worth pointing out that Carson Coffman has taken every snap under center. Grant Gregory isn’t even warming up. Bill Snyder is showing a lot of confidence him despite those two early turnovers.

Halftime
It took a while for the Kansas State football team to get going in front of 50,750 fans at Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday. But once the Wildcats moved past the initial excitement and nervousness that came with welcoming coach Bill Snyder back to the sidelines, they took control of the game.

With 30 minutes of football remaining, K-State leads Massachusetts 21-3.

Early on, the Wildcats found it difficult to move the ball on offense and turned the ball over twice in the opening 10 minutes. Both turnovers occurred when UMass defenders hit junior quarterback Carson Coffman in the backfield. The Minutemen walked away with a fumble recovery and an interception.

But UMass only turned those opportunities into three points and experienced little success in other areas.

Coffman took every snap in the first half, and behind a potent rushing attack that gained 143 yards in the first half managed — junior running back Daniel Thomas led the way by picking up 87 yards on 15 carries –to lead the Wildcats on three scoring drives.

Coffman scored the first touchdown early in the second quarter on a one-yard run. That gave K-State a 7-3 lead. The Wildcats went ahead 14-3 with 5:34 remaining in the half when Coffman hit Attrail Snipes for a 40-yard touchdown.

After stopping the Minutemen on their final drive of the first half, the Wildcats quickly moved the ball 40 yards and went ahead 21-3 on another Snipes touchdown with just three seconds left on the scoreboard.

Wichita native Tysyn Hartman grabbed two interceptions in the first half.

Kansas State will receive the opening kickoff of the second half.

4:30 2nd Quarter
Jeffrey Fitzgerald just landed a big nine-yard sack and UMass is facing a third and 16.

The Minutemen are starting to look outmatched.

5:34 2nd Quarter
Kansas State proved it could score with its running game earlier in the quarter, now the Wildcats are looking good with their passing game, too.

Carson Coffman just hit Attrail Snipes on a nifty slant route that he took to the house for a touchdown.

K-State now leads 14-3.

8:27 2nd Quarter
It looked like UMass was going to take the lead on a beautiful touchdown catch by Victor Cruz, but a penalty wiped the play off the board and pushed the Minutemen out of scoring range.

They lined up for a 43-yard field goal but had it blocked.

K-State takes over at its own 26.

12:10 2nd Quarter
Wichita native Tysyn Hartman already has two interceptions.

That would put him atop the national list in terms of interceptions at the moment. Can he keep up his one per quarter pace?

14:20 2nd Quarter
They tried running a quarterback sweep to the left and didn’t score. So then they tried the same play to the right and punched it in.

Carson Coffman just scored Kansas State’s first touchdown of the season, and the Wildcats lead 7-3.

That was a 76-yard scoring drive for Kansas State. It got in the end zone on eight plays, running the ball eight times.

End First Quarter
Kansas State has given up on throwing the ball. The strategy seems to be working. On six straight runs, the Wildcats have moved the ball 74 yards and are facing a first-and-goal at the three.

Daniel Thomas looks as good as hyped. Keithen Valentine looking solid too.

3:22 1st Quarter
And UMass strikes first. After grabbing an interception in K-State territory, the Minutemen picked up on first down and then kicked a 35-yard field goal.

So far neither team has looked sharp. But K-State is running the ball well. Daniel Thomas already has 46 yards on seven carries.

4:11 1st Quarter
Lots of sloppy football being played right now. We’ve had three turnovers in the opening 10 minutes and UMass is having a false start every other play.

Still, UMass is in scoring position. The Minutemen just called timeout facing a 2nd and 18 from the Wildcats’ 20-yard line.

6:30 1st Quarter
And there’s another turnover. Carson Coffman is hit as he throws and Tyler Holmes grabs an easy interception.

UMass is now in scoring range at the K-State 23-yard line.

7:50 1st Quarter
Lots going on in the last minute. UMass hit Carson Coffman while he was trying to throw and picked up a fumble near midfield. Then Tysyn Hartman picked off a long pass to give K-State the ball back on the next play.

Kansas State is now deep in its own territory.

K-State 0, UMass 0 10:34 1st Quarter
Ah, the running into the kicker penalty shows up. After going three-and-out UMass gives K-State a first down with a penalty on a punt attempt.

K-State 0, UMass 0 11:36 1st Quarter
UMass moved the ball 35 yards on its opening possession and looked good doing so. But the Minutemen couldn’t convert on a third and two near midfield and punted.

K-State strangely accepted a fair catch at the eight-yard line. So this will be the Wildcat’s first drive. Ninety-two yards to go.

Coin toss
UMass has won the coin toss and will receive on the opening kickoff.

Just before kickoff
Both teams have met at midfield and exchanged handshakes. Good natured sportsmanship all around.

15 minutes till kickoff
Doesn’t look like many UMass made the trip for this one. I see about 15 fans in red shirts.

20 minutes till kickoff
Bad news here: Kadero Terrell is indeed injured. Just when it looked like he was going to get his big shot at playing time, he’s stuck on the sideline.

25 minutes till kickoff
Met a few of the former players who are back for today’s family reunion celebration.

They were all really excited about this game, especially because of the jerseys they received for coming back. We’re talking topnotch clothing here. Stitched on names and everything.

It’s 40 minutes till kickoff, and the stands are starting to fill up.

Lots of people still out in the parking lots enjoying pregame, but it looks like the place is going to sell out. LOTS of people here.

Kansas State football players just came out onto the field. They entered in traditional Bill Snyder style, hopping two-by-two to midfield then separating to create a X. Kinda looks like a marching band.

Excitement is high and tickets are scarce.

That’s why Snyder Family Stadium will look something like this picture (except only more packed) when the Kansas State football team takes on Massachusetts at 6:10 p.m. Saturday.

Not only will a near-capacity crowd of close to 50,000 fans be on hand to welcome the Wildcats to the field, but more than 300 former players will be there as part of a family reunion celebration cheering them on as well.

K-State athletic officials are saying it will be the largest crowd to ever witness a Wildcats home opener, and by far the largest former player reunion in the program’s history. Throw in the return of beloved coach Bill Snyder and a postgame fireworks celebration, and it adds up to one gigantic purple party.

It will be a large contrast from the tail end of last year, when fan interest waned and it was a struggle to attract 40,000 to home games.

“We talk about it just as players,” senior Eric Childs said. “You go out in the stadium, it’s not packed, it’s not loud and we kind of have to do it, not by ourselves, but it’s different. We feed off all their emotions and play for them (the fans) as well as for ourselves. We’re always happy when there are a lot of people in the crowd.”

For that reason, there is some sense of pressure to this game.

Yes, it’s against a FCS (or I-AA) opponent. Yes, the Wildcats should win somewhat easily. And yes, Snyder’s return alone practically assures victory (the guy has won 16 straight season openers).

It’s also been 25 years since UMass upset a FBS (or I-A) team, and that win came at home against Ball State.

But K-State nation will be looking for more than just a victory. With all the excitement surrounding this game, they will be looking for an impressive showing. It’s not like folks will be insisting on a 65-0 pounding, I’m just saying a 24-23 survival, like Ron Prince experienced in his first game against Illinois State, will not be well received.

I doubt the game will be that close. My official prediction is for Kansas State to win by 17, and most experts are expecting a similar 14-28 point victory.

About UMass:

UMass coach Kevin Morris said this week that it will be hard for his Minutemen to stay with the Wildcats, mostly because of the tremendous opening-day atmosphere they will be walking into.

If he had things his way, he would be playing K-State next week after all the reunions are over.

“There will be a packed house and a big welcome back for (Snyder),” Morris said. “That’s great for him, I guess, but we have to worry about playing football.”

Unlike a lot of FCS teams, UMass is capable of playing football at a quality level. The Minutemen come into Manhattan with a Top 25 FCS ranking and several impressive players.

Senior running back Tony Nelson is on the Walter Payton Award Watch List, and senior safety Jeromy Miles is on the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. Those awards may not be well known in some circles, but they are the highest honors an offensive and defensive player can win at the FCS level.

That means UMass has stars on both sides of the ball. They are probably a playoff team in the FCS.

In its entirety, here is what Snyder said about UMass:
“This game will be a foundation to define exactly where we are. They’ve got a running back that I really like. He runs hard and he’s got some speed and quickness to him. We’ll find out if we’ve really made that kind of headway (in tackling) or not. If we’re reachers we’re in trouble. If we can get our face mask on the ball carrier, I think we’ll be all right.

They’ll be excited and emotional for this ballgame. This is a major ballgame for them. They will have great enthusiasm for the ballgame. As I watch them on tape I see them as a very physical football team. They are hard-nosed, tough guys. They fly around, probably as active a defensive football team as you would find. In terms of movement, they do a lot of things in regards to stunts and blitzes, etc. They’re running all the time. They’re a pretty good offensive football team as well. I like they’re offensive line. They are physical. They have continuity in their offensive line. They all seem to understand the scheme of things and they work well together.

They have a good running back. I don’t know much about the quarterback (Kyle Havens, who recently won a QB battle in practices). They have six preseason All-Americans on their roster. A lot of guys who have had starting opportunities for them went through injuries last year. They have a substantial amount of experience on their football team.”

About Kansas State:

The main questions for the Wildcats heading into this game revolve around quarterback Carson Coffman and the defense as a whole.

Fans have watched Josh Freeman, now with the Tampa Bay Bucs of the NFL, throw passes for the last three years and not much is known about the new starter Coffman. He won a tight quarterback battle with Grant Gregory in the preseason, and Snyder has indicated that he will play both signal-callers against the Minutemen.

It’s very possible that the better quarterback in this game will get the start next week against Louisiana-Lafayette.

It will also be interesting to see how Daniel Thomas fares at running back and what receivers outside of Brandon Banks post good efforts.

But what I will have a closer eye on is the defense. In particular, I will be interested to see how the defensive line performs.

Injuries are always a mystery with Kansas State, but it’s clear that promising lineman Brandon Harold is out. Going up against an experienced offensive line and an explosive running back, like UMass has, will be a very good litmus test for the unit.

But everyone on that side of the field will be challenged. A year ago, the Wildcats’ defensive struggles were so large that holding an opponent to 30 points seemed like a victory.

“That was just horrible,” said senior linebacker Courtney Herndon. “You don’t want to be remembered like that.”

No, you don’t.

But all of that resets Saturday.

It’s a new season for everybody, and Kansas State players and fans are looking forward to the fresh start.

Advantages:

When K-State runs the ball: K-State

When UMass runs the ball: UMass

When K-State throws the ball: K-State

When UMass throws the ball: Push

Special Teams: K-State

Coaching: K-State

Prediction: K-State 34, UMass 17

At his weekly news conference, Kansas State coach Bill Snyder tried to say as little about his football team as possible. He said some areas were good. He said some areas were not so good.

That’s the type of guy he his. He’ll talk in generalities, but rarely single anybody out. He went so far yesterday as to say he didn’t think he had any “star players” on the roster.

I would argue that Brandon Banks and Nick Stringer are “star players,” but Snyder might also want to keep his eye on Daniel Thomas.

Of all the new faces on this team, he’s probably the best candidate to become a “star player.”

Thomas, as you’re likely well aware, came to Kansas State as a highly touted four-star recruit who could play quarterback or running back.

He ran for 618 yards and six touchdowns and threw for 450 yards and two scores last season at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Coming into Saturday’s season-opener against UMass, he is the most talked about player on the team (other than the quarterbacks) and the talk about him is very good.

I’m not going to bore you with every glowing word that was said about him on Tuesday, but the basic assessment is that he bulldozing people in practice.

Fifth-year senior Courtney Herndon said this about him: “Dan Thomas, he has impressed me. He’s the complete back you want to have. I’ve seen him do some real damage out on that field. I really like Daniel Thomas and his game. He is a complete player. He has speed, power and ability to shake. He as all of it.”

Because of all that, he will start at running back on Saturday.

I know I’ll be watching him.

Who would?

Football is a strange game, but there aren’t many players who have been able to go from practice squad linebacker at the junior college level one year to starting defensive end at the Big 12 level the next.

So Terrell didn’t waste any time trying to search his memory for a reasonable answer when asked if he knew of anyone who had made such a gigantic leap. He just said what any reasonable person would.

“I’ve never heard it,” he said.

But he has lived it.

That’s right, in the span of only a few months Terrell has gone from junior college scrub to Division I relevancy.

Kansas State released its inaugural depth chart for the 2009 football season on Tuesday, and with previous starter Brandon Harold out with an injury Terrell ended up being named a starter at defensive end.

Obviously, that dropped a few jaws.

And why not? It’s the feel good story of the early season.

“I am one of the happiest guys on the football team,” Terrell said.

Coming out of high school, Terrell expected to play Division I football. He was a two-star recruit in Florida, and he said he received interest from several big-time colleges. He even thought he was going to land with Urban Meyer and the Gators for a while. But he said poor grades got in the way, and that took him to Garden City Community College.

He said he redshirted his first season there and spent last year on the practice squad, because in the state of Kansas junior colleges are only allowed to offer 12 out-of-state scholarships and Garden City’s coach didn’t want to use one of them on him.

He said he’ll always remember the day he was cut from that list.

“I’ll never forget the day,” he said. “August 24th, 9:15 in the morning. I had my meeting and I was told I wasn’t going to play that year. It was very, very disappointing. From that point on it was either you can go down or you can go up. … I just said, ‘Hey, I’m still going to go up.”

Did he ever. Somehow, he caught the eye of Bill Snyder and Kansas State. Somehow, he convinced them to let him come to Manhattan and play. Somehow, he played well enough in preseason practices to not just do well at a new position but do well enough to start.

How did he do it all? A little bit of luck and a lot of hard work.

“He’s a focused young guy,” Snyder said. “Tries very hard. Works diligently at it. He’s got some physicality. He was a linebacker. He’s got some quickness and adds some quickness to that position, which might make him a little bit better pass rusher.”

How long will Terrell stay the starter? How will he do against UMass on Saturday? We’ll have to wait and see.

But no matter how he does, he has produced quite a story.

Said Terrell: “From going to a point where you felt like you were going to be nothing to a point where you’re in the starting lineup it’s amazing it’s a blessing.”

MANHATTAN — Carson Coffman was named starting quarterback at Kansas State by coach Bill Snyder this afternoon. Coffman beat out transfer Grant Gregory and will start K-State’s Saturday night opener against Massachusetts at Snyder Family Stadium.

Coffman, a 6-foot-3 junior from Peculiar, Mo., was thought to have the lead in the race for the starting job because of his participation in spring drills. Coffman has appeared in 10 games the past two K-State seasons, completing 28 of 46 passes for 308 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Gregory, a sixth-year player who transferred from South Florida, was not eligible to participate in spring drills. A 6-1 senior, Gregory was a two-year backup to South Florida starter Matt Grothe and appeared in six games last season.

During the Big 12 coaches teleconference this morning, the Kansas State football coach said he has made his choice between Carson Coffman and Grant Gregory. He’s just waiting to spread the news.

“We have a decision,” Snyder said. “We’ll announce it tomorrow.”

That announcement will come at approximately 12:30 p.m. when Snyder’s weekly on-campus press conference begins.

Coffman is a 6-foot-3 junior who saw some action with the Wildcats last season. He is also one of four captains on this year’s team. Gregory is a 6-foot-1 senior who transferred to Kansas State from South Florida.

From what I have seen, heard behind the scenes and from what my gut feeling tells me I think Coffman will get the nod.

For what it’s worth, UMass coach Kevin Morris said during his weekly teleconference that he expects Coffman to start at quarterback.

Snyder has made no indication as to which signal-caller he prefers. All he has said is that the preseason competition at the position has gone well.

That’s something he wants to continue.

Just because he has picked a starter for Saturday’s game against Massachusetts doesn’t mean he’s picked his starter for the entire season.

“Whoever the No. 2 quarterback is going into this game,” Snyder said, “I want him to always understand that if he continues to improve then he always has the opportunity to challenge for the No. 1 spot. Whoever it is who goes on the field Saturday will certainly have to perform well enough to retain the position.”

By Kellis Robinett

Getting started on a newspaper sports beat usually means meeting many new people and getting immersed in an athletics program in a short amount of time.

This week, my first as The Eagle’s Kansas State beat writer, has been no different. I’ve met with a lot of K-State athletic officials and coaches as I get ready for the fall sports seasons.

And yet it has been different, mostly because of a blog I used to write for on occasion.

For a five-month period ending in May, I contributed to a blog called “The Jayhawk Lounge” because I thought it would be a good way to stay in touch with some old acquaintances and write about a common interest.

At the time, I was employed by the Idaho State Journal and spent my days covering Idaho State athletics, writing columns about the local sports scene and maintaining my own personal blog on the newspaper’s Web site.

My work for the Journal was well read and I enjoyed the experience, but few outside the region were interested in reading about Idaho sports. My roots are in the Midwest, and when a half-dozen people I knew from college asked me to help them write about Kansas, I figured why not?

I considered myself a fan and watched most of the Jayhawks games in my free time anyway, so occasionally writing about them as well didn’t sound too bad.

I can’t recall how many entries I made on the blog, but I did not make all of them. I created the site’s domain name, but other than that it was a group effort. In its lifespan, it received approximately 6,000 page views.

By the time May rolled around, I was living in Nebraska and writing for the Omaha World-Herald on a freelance basis. I had intended to keep writing for the blog and even linked to it in my farewell column at the Journal. But after the move I didn’t have time to do it anymore. So I stopped.

The other authors on the blog seemed to lose their passion for the project at about the same time and the site became dormant.

The blog remained online without updates through August and was taken down shortly after I was hired by The Eagle and The Star.

My editors repeatedly asked questions about the blog during the interview process. Could I stay objective while covering the Kansas State beat? Could I give up being a fan of the University of Kansas? Would I put in the extra effort to gain the trust of my new readers?

Yes, yes and yes.

My ties to KU and my brief time writing for a fan blog will have no effect on my coverage of Kansas State.

My goal is to cover the Wildcats to the best of my ability and do so fairly. It is what our readers deserve and it is what I will give them.

To read a blog post about this from deputy editor for news Tom Shine, visit The Editor’s Desk.