Kansas State WR Jaron Tibbs Has Readily Accepted New Role This Season

With the departure of receiver Jayce Brown, the Kansas State Wildcats are in need of someone to step in and become a leader. 

That person could be senior Jaron Tibbs, who is not only willing to once again remain as the No. 1 receiver but also has taken on a leadership role. He is among the most experienced receivers on the roster. 

When offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson met with the media earlier this week, he singled out Tibbs as a potential leader for the position in the locker room. 

"Definitely, for sure," Gleeson said. "I think it's a shared duty. Every preeminent player that I've been around at a position group kind of shares a little bit of implied leadership, but there's some veteran experience there in that room too. Josh (Manning), obviously, has played a bunch. You know, B-White (Brandon White) is kind of an elder statesman. He's been around the block a little bit. So, I think right now it'd be unfair to say that it's just Jaron, but I do know I've watched that whole thing develop over the past however many months in station workouts and stuff. I do think that the guys look to him at times for some messaging, and he's been there to deliver it, and we need him to."

The Wildcats are searching for someone to replace Brown, who left for the LSU Tigers in the transfer portal. Last year Tibbs had a team-high 47 catches for 595 yards, which ranked second on the team. He also had three touchdowns. 

WILDCATS IN THE MIX FOR TOP HOOPS RECRUIT 

It hasn't taken long for Kansas State coach Casey Alexander making recruiting inroads during his first season. 

It was recently announced the Wildcats were among the six finalists for landing four-star prospect Malik Olajuwon. The list of schools include the Wildcats, Virginia Tech Hokies, TCU Horned Frogs, SMU Mustangs, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Minnesota Gophers. 

Olajuwon is the son NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, who led the Houston Rockets to titles in 1994 and 1995. He won an MVP as a 7-foot center, was a 12-time All-Star and named one of the NBA's greatest 75 players. 

MORE KANSAS STATE NEWS 

It's never too early to start looking at potential bowl opponents 

Two Wildcats offensive lineman go down with season-ending injuries

K-State basketball in the running for son of NBA Hall of Famer 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected]