CBS Sports illustrates how detrimental John Pastore's injury will be for Kansas State in 2026.
Kansas State football will have to try and rebuild its offensive line without a major piece.
Left tackle John Pastore, who made the All-Big 12 Second Team last season, will miss all of 2026 with a leg injury. He played all 12 games for the Wildcats last season and was a preseason All-Conference nominee.
CBS Sports detailed how detrimental this loss will be to the program this upcoming year.
"Outside of Pastore and center Sam Hecht, who was a fifth-round draft pick, Kansas State struggled to protect quarterback Avery Johnson last fall," the article wrote. "This injury is potentially devastating for the Wildcats' offense. He was considered one of the program's most pro-ready players on the roster."
Pastore helped lead a group that ranked top 10 nationally in sacks allowed, keeping quarterback Avery Johnson off the ground. That was the unit's strong suit, as they largely failed to create holes for the rushers early on. Given that the run game is a staple of the Wildcats' offense, this was a major setback for them last season. Dylan Edwards' Week 0 injury threw off the offensive game plan, and the group's lack of chemistry made it difficult to establish consistency in the rushing attack.
That bounce-back initiative is now even harder without Pastore. National champion George Fitzpatrick is also out for the season, and there's no more Sam Hecht to help with pass protection either. Mike Schmidt and the team will have to rely on names like Keiton Jones and Tyler Johnson to keep them afloat.
Collin Klein's offensive strategy will likely be to re-establish the run game in 2026. The three-headed monster of Joe Jackson, Rodney Fields Jr., and Jay Harris creates versatility within the attack and takes the ball out of Johnson's hands. With a brand-new receiving corps after losing star Jayce Brown, Klein likely wants to take some pressure off Johnson by implementing more designed runs and plays out of the backfield.
Then again, that's where the offensive line struggles kick back in. Not giving Johnson decent protection will be tough with a completely new offensive look.
Kansas State opens up against Nicholls on Sep. 5 at 7 p.m. EST.
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Jayden Armant is a contributor to KStateRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected].
