Kansas State coach Collin Klein had his second spring ball conference, discussing some of the things his team has been working on over the past few months.
He could barely even start without talking about the wide receiving corps. Jaron Tibbs is anticipated to headline the unit as the primary pass-catcher from last season, with the likes of Josh Manning, Izaiah Williams, and Sterling Lockett to follow.
"One of the first ones is our wideouts," Klein said on Wednesday. "A pretty new group, got a couple of new faces in there. I think their fundamental development, going against our defense, you saw the ability to create separation, the ability to release off the line of scrimmage, and some fundamental skills that really developed over the course of the spring. And then just continuity with the quarterbacks, being able to throw and catch more consistently over the last four weeks."
As Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson prepares for a potential career season, he must do it without his star from the past, Jayce Brown. Brown was the primary weapon over the past two seasons, nearly single-handedly accounting for most of the team's offense in some matchups. His departure opens up the receiving room to shine more, but it makes it difficult without a star weapon in the mix.
Tibbs will step up to the No. 1 role, but he primarily excelled in the short-yardage situations aside from Brown. He still will most likely account for most of Kansas State's receiving production, but one of the new slot receivers will have to be the downfield presence.
Klein's offense will probably emphasize the rushing attack more, but having a good unit on the perimeter will also help. Revamping the run game will make defenses respect the play-action, which is Johnson's strong suit. Tight ends Linkon Cure and Garrett Oakley have the potential to be big-play threats, but they will likely remain close to the line of scrimmage for short-yard passing situations.
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