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The Journey Officially Begins
- Kansas State enters Collin Klein's first season with 58 newcomers on a 111-player roster, including 26 Division I or II transfers with a combined 473 career appearances and 176 starts, while Klein acknowledges that some position competitions remain open.
- Kansas State running back Joe Jackson says Klein's offense creates varied opportunities in space and out of the backfield, with transfers Rodney Fields Jr. and Jay Harris joining Jackson in the running-back room.
- Klein credits Jaron Tibbs' established rapport with Avery Johnson for helping Kansas State integrate a largely rebuilt receiver group featuring Izaiah Williams, Josh Manning, Brandon White and Derrick Salley Jr., while cautioning that the unit is still developing.
- Kansas State expects Louisiana Tech transfer Mekhi Mason to start at middle linebacker, while sophomore linebacker Darien Whitaker Jr. could also be deployed as an edge defender.
- Kansas State returns kicker Luis Rodriguez after a 13-for-15 field-goal season with no missed extra points and punter Simon McClannan after averaging 42.5 yards on 48 punts, providing experienced specialists for special-teams coordinator Stanton Weber.
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Podcast: The K-State Pregame Show: Previewing Nicholls at Kansas State
- Kansas State's use of a running back in the return game was viewed as evidence that the staff trusts his vision and has designed return concepts intended to generate opportunities.
- Luis Rodriguez was described as highly reliable last season, with a late blocked attempt against Baylor cited as an exception rather than a broader kicking concern.
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Three things I think, three things I know before K-State plays Nicholls
- Kansas State expects Avery Johnson to run more assertively under Collin Klein's new scheme, using selective quarterback carries rather than a high-volume rushing workload.
- Kansas State views its versatile three-back rotation as a potential offensive strength and could deploy multiple running backs together to stress opposing run fits.
- The offensive line enters Week 1 without star John Pastore and with additional health concerns, creating a major obstacle to Kansas State's desired physical, line-of-scrimmage identity.
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