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The Voice Of The Wildcats drops in.
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00:00And now, digging deeper with the teams you follow, it's another Sports Daily Insider interview on KFH.
00:12All right, welcome back in, everybody.
00:14Glad to be here with you.
00:15Glad to be joined by Wyatt Thompson.
00:17For the first time in a while, a little summer break, we gave Wyatt relief from our shenanigans for a
00:24little while.
00:25And I hope that's treated you well here, Wyatt.
00:27Now, your visits aren't normally on Wednesdays.
00:30On Wednesdays here on Sports Daily, we wear Hawaiian shirts.
00:34I should have told you that.
00:35That's my fault.
00:36I know you've got a closet full.
00:38I can tell.
00:40Why are you a guy that joins a good Hawaiian shirt from time to time?
00:44I think I have owned two Hawaiian shirts in my lifetime, and that's it.
00:49But you know what?
00:50The reality of it is, is when I worked at Colorado State years ago, we went out there so often.
00:58I feel like I should own 20 or 25, right?
01:02You should.
01:02There were times when we'd go out there for both football and basketball.
01:07I love going, but yeah, I'm a little short.
01:11I don't know that I could do every Wednesday like you guys and maybe look a little different each time.
01:17I don't think I could do that.
01:17Well, Brady just wears the same one every week.
01:19Yeah, I just got this one.
01:20I got it just for this show.
01:21Now, I have a closet full.
01:23I've got lots of options.
01:26TJ never would participate because he was a big old baby.
01:29But here we go.
01:31Wyatt, we're rocking and rolling three hours, a new format.
01:34You'll join us on Mondays here regularly starting in a couple of weeks.
01:38But we got camp going, and we thought we needed to check in because we don't get a lot.
01:44It's the Bill Snyder days are back.
01:47We don't get a lot of insight right now to K-State camp.
01:51It's kind of strange.
01:52How's that felt?
01:53Has it felt like a blast from the past to you?
01:56Without a doubt, Colin Klein did meet with the media yesterday, as I'm sure you are aware, at about 3
02:02.30.
02:04And that's really the first time that anything had been done.
02:08It's my understanding after practice on Friday, they'll have, I'm going to say, two to four players to visit with
02:16the media.
02:16But we have not really heard from the coordinators and just one time from Colin.
02:22So, yeah, it's hard to look at Colin Klein for me because I've known him for so long and watch
02:28what he's doing
02:29and not think, first and foremost, most of the time, Coach Snyder.
02:34He does a lot of things very similarly.
02:37But there are some subtle differences, too.
02:39But it's been really fun to watch.
02:41And I think we've had a – it's early, but we've had a good camp, I think, so far.
02:45Wyatt, when you talk about some of those subtle differences, what are some of those subtle differences that you've noticed?
02:50Well, I think I would say that, you know, Coach Snyder was very, very much a guy that loved to
02:58play physical football.
02:59That would be what Colin would like to do.
03:02But a little different, and that subtle difference there might be doing it at a little quicker pace.
03:08I don't know if they'll do it all the time.
03:10I don't know that anybody has figured that out yet.
03:13But when I watch practice, and I've only missed the one, I had a funeral on Saturday and was unable
03:20to attend.
03:21But, yeah, that would be one.
03:25And I think probably the others is just – not even sure how to say this.
03:32Since Coach Snyder has coached, there's a lot of different – I guess when they're in their stations and doing
03:41drills, there are a lot more – there's a lot more differences there than there once was.
03:45They were – I hate to say basic.
03:47That's the wrong word.
03:48But there's just more to it now than there was then.
03:51So you certainly notice that, too.
03:53I want to ask you the obvious one and then maybe the not obvious ones, Wyatt.
03:59It's like it is impossible to think about anything with K-State this year without Avery Johnson.
04:08Right.
04:08And without Avery Johnson reaching the level we all expected, perhaps, when he was recruited by Colin Kline to K
04:17-State.
04:17He's back.
04:18He chose to come back.
04:20Probably didn't have to do that if I had to guess.
04:23Kline's back there, though.
04:24And that's the most obvious thing at camp is what does Avery Johnson look like, right?
04:29And then I know there's a billion other non-obvious things that are also going to have a huge impact
04:34on the team.
04:34But how do you talk cats this year without starting with Avery Johnson?
04:38You do start with Avery.
04:39And I think you do.
04:40You hit it on the head.
04:42It goes back to the recruitment.
04:44And I think maybe the – I don't want to take anything away from anybody at all.
04:49But I think one of the biggest factors in Avery making the decision was how he clicked with Colin Kline
04:56in the recruiting process.
04:58That relationship has never really gone away.
05:01It just was for a couple of years, you know, just, hey, how's it going kind of thing.
05:06They've spent a lot of time together.
05:08Colin even mentioned during his presser yesterday he's been so impressed with how Avery has cut in and trying to
05:13be, you know, a better football player, better leader.
05:16They're going to ask him to do more this year.
05:19I don't think there's any question about that.
05:22Colin hasn't been asked a lot of questions.
05:24But when he has been asked about Avery Johnson, he basically has said, and this is paraphrasing a little, but
05:30it's pretty close, we're going to cut it loose and see what happens.
05:34And I think they're going to be aggressive in the way they play.
05:37He talks about playing with physicality.
05:39And he said, we're not just going to play there.
05:40We're going to live there.
05:41So they want to do that.
05:43And as we talked about earlier, though, still maybe at times they could go pretty rapidly.
05:49I think if you called this group offensively multiple, I think that would be okay because I think you're going
05:55to see times when there are four or five wides.
05:57You're going to see times when they're in three tight end sets.
05:59And I told a guy yesterday, if you have Lincoln Cure, Will Anseo, Garrett Oakley, and then the four and
06:06five guys are Arlie Morrell from Pratt and Lawson McGraw, you're probably going to use a lot of tight ends,
06:12right?
06:12Yeah.
06:12We have three really good running backs.
06:15So there's – I think there's more weapons than there was a year ago, even though we're minus Chase Brown
06:20and Dylan Edwards, who, when healthy, were pretty good, obviously.
06:24Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned running backs, Wyatt, because that's kind of where I was going to go with this
06:29question.
06:29How much do you feel that Joe Jackson is kind of flying under the radar a little bit because he
06:34had some really great games and flashes last year?
06:37I love the question because I think the obvious answer is if you're in Wildcat land, you're hearing a lot
06:43about Joe Jackson.
06:44Listen, if you're not, I don't know that you know as much or have maybe the respect you should for
06:50what he did, as you said, towards the end of last year.
06:54He had that monster game at Utah, you might remember, broke Darren Sproles' record.
06:58Hey, let me just tell you something now.
06:59If you're a college football player and you're being talked about in any way in the same breath with Darren
07:06Sproles, I'm going to guess you're probably a pretty good football player.
07:09And I love this kid.
07:10I flew down and back with him to Dallas, the Big 12 media days.
07:15He just works so hard.
07:17He's such a team guy.
07:19And you know what?
07:21He has, with open arms, welcomed those other two guys, Rodney Fields from Oklahoma State and Jay Harris, the Oregon
07:28transfer.
07:29And that's what you want.
07:30Colin said yesterday, we want always good competition.
07:33And there is there.
07:35Those three guys are all going to play.
07:37So that's going to be helpful.
07:40I love the tight ends.
07:41I'm with you, Wyatt.
07:42Yeah.
07:43We don't know a lot about the receivers, but honestly, none of it matters if the offensive line's not any
07:47good.
07:48And we saw that probably more a couple of years ago.
07:52You're going to have to enlighten us.
07:54Like, is this a group that is expected to be good, very good?
07:59We don't know yet.
08:01What is the expectation with that group?
08:03I think I would say today, and ask me again, you know, when we get on again, because I think
08:10there's still a lot of things cooking there.
08:13I would like to tell you right now, I think they have about six guys that they feel like they
08:19can rely on, but would like to have seven or eight.
08:23Those first five guys, I think when they are healthy and they have not always been dating back to last
08:30spring.
08:30Remember Tanner Morley, the transfer from Colorado State, was coming off a surgery in the offseason, right?
08:37And so there's one, but those first five guys, which would be just looking at my list here real quick,
08:45you'd be looking at Gus Hawkins and John Pastore, Tanner Morley, Keaton Jones.
08:52Those guys, those guys are really good football players.
08:55Did I name everybody?
08:56I may have missed one.
08:57I love Keaton Jones, the Mizzou transfer, kind of came down to Missouri in K-State.
09:03He's now here, has a lot of football to play.
09:05He's really big and strong.
09:07Dylan Villarreal was the guy I didn't mention, and I love Dylan.
09:11He's from Cumming, Georgia, really good football player.
09:14But there are others, you know, coming on too, and I hope that that is the case.
09:20I think if that group, to answer your question, is solid, out of the gate, and can get better as
09:29they go, then you could have a pretty good offense.
09:33But, hey, that's a big F, and that's the if that every, when you talk about Kansas State football offensively,
09:38that's where they start, the offensive line.
09:40Can they be good enough there?
09:41100% true.
09:43Wyatt, it was reported by Kellis with the Eagle back at the end of May that Chris Kleiman in an
09:49advisory role for K-State, at least for the rest of this calendar year.
09:54How has that been working out?
09:57How much has he been involved?
09:59I know him and Colin Klein have a good relationship.
10:03I'm sure they talk, and I'm sure they beat off each other.
10:06What's that type of dynamic been this year?
10:08I saw him at practice on Monday, talked to him really for quite a while.
10:15He's been in and out, but I think is always available to not only Colin Klein, but to Gene Taylor.
10:22And I think, excuse me, that's kind of what you're referencing there.
10:26I think he's going to be a sounding board for both of those guys.
10:29I think Gene is excited about that from the standpoint of he serves on a couple of committees trying to
10:35get this college football thing straightened out a little bit.
10:40And there's a lot of people in that corner, right?
10:42And I think what I would tell you is that because of how well-connected Chris Kleiman is with not
10:50only the FBS but the FCS coaches, he's got a lot of skin in the game, right?
10:54And with Colin, you'll remember this.
10:58I don't want to make this all about giving Chris the credit for a lot of things, but you have
11:04to credit him some.
11:05He's the one that called Colin and told him, hey, I'm stepping aside.
11:09Get in and get in now, right?
11:11I don't think that's a real secret to anybody.
11:14So in large part, I think Colin is here today because of Chris.
11:18And he's going to help when needed.
11:21Now, he's been doing some traveling, too.
11:23He told me that he's going to go on a little trip here where he's – and this is part
11:27of what he's doing, too, is just kind of being still involved and working around.
11:32But I think he said he was going to Northwestern, Illinois, Iowa, and Northern Iowa's camps here in the next
11:40few days just to kind of check in and get a feel for around the country.
11:47Now, he's familiar with all of those.
11:48I admit that, but I think he will have a hand in a lot of things.
11:54But I think there are a lot of other guys with K-State football that are helping, too, that probably
11:58don't get the same headlines because they weren't the head coach previously.
12:01But as an example, Tim DeRuiter and Joe Bob Clemens, I am really thrilled that those guys are part of
12:07this program.
12:08They will help Colin in year number one.
12:09I don't think there's any doubt about that.
12:11So, Wyatt, he's there.
12:14We're glad he's – I think all K-State fans ought to be glad he's there.
12:20Why not, right?
12:21Yeah.
12:22You know they have a good relationship.
12:24White Thompson, voice of the Wildcats, joining us.
12:26That's where I'm a little curious, too.
12:28You know, all the talk about Colin Klein's offensive prowess, he's a great recruiter, he does all these things, he
12:35was a wunderkind as a quarterback and seemingly as an offensive coordinator.
12:40What about defense?
12:42I mean, I'd be asking a few questions of Chris Kleiman on that side of the ball for sure.
12:48That's another kind of real curious spot to me this year.
12:53If it's Bill Snyder-esque, they're going to need to play good defense, and are they going to be a
12:59good defense?
13:00Are we expecting that?
13:01I know the pass rush took a step back.
13:03You know, K-State's kind of been anchored by great pass rushers for a while, but not last year as
13:08far as sacks go.
13:09Is that back in the arsenal?
13:10What is the expectation on that side of the ball this year?
13:13I think they're hopeful that that is the case, and it's a really good point.
13:17I guess I would start with the obvious guy, Jordan Peterson, the new defensive coordinator.
13:23I think I was probably put at ease a little bit in visiting with Colin about him in that he's
13:30been around a little bit.
13:31He's been, you know, at Kansas for a period of time, along with Texas A&M.
13:39Colin mentioned the fact that he's really worked with some awfully talented people, as has Colin, when you think about
13:44it,
13:45with Snyder and Kleiman here and Mike Elko.
13:48That's how this works, right?
13:50You know, you get trained up, and then you go and do your thing.
13:53And so I think Jordan's ready to be a full-time guy.
13:57He's a guy that's going to be ultra-aggressive, I think.
14:02Really, I think, a player's coach.
14:05It's interesting when you look at everything that K-State defensively is now.
14:10You mentioned the pass rush.
14:11They have exceptionally high hopes, and rightfully so for Wendell Gregory, who was the freshman of the year defensively in
14:19the Big 12 last year.
14:20He's got twitch.
14:20He's quick.
14:21He's strong.
14:22But they also, in all honesty, they need guys like Jaden Bryant and Elijah Hill and some of those kind
14:28of guys to come through.
14:29Jordan Allen.
14:31Jordan was the topic of the presser yesterday, along with Travis Bates, in the fact that they can play inside
14:36and out.
14:37So I think they have some strengths there, but that, too, is going to be, I think, a real key,
14:44that defensive front, because I think they feel good about, for sure, at least four linebackers and maybe five.
14:51And then you get into the secondary.
14:52I think they've got pretty good depth at corner.
14:56Safety looks pretty good now, where it was more of a question in the spring.
15:01But now that through the spring and into camp, we've seen Adrian Maddox and Josan Privard and Michael Graham and
15:07Caleb Patterson, all of those guys are going to be, I think, guys that will help us.
15:13So we'll see how it plays.
15:15But until you start playing games and winning games, we hope, those questions with the defensive front and the offensive
15:23line will persist for a while.
15:25I'm sure.
15:26Well, I know we've talked about this before with several folks, but really, I just kind of want to hear
15:32your reaction when I say this to you.
15:35This time last year, it's August 12th right now.
15:38This time last year, K-State was 11 days away from their opening game in Dublin, week zero.
15:4511 days away from the first game this time last year.
15:48How relieved are you, everybody else, that you're not going through that this time around?
15:55Well, I don't know if relieved is the right word, but I totally respect and understand it.
16:01Maybe it is.
16:02That was not the easiest thing in the world, and it's a long trip.
16:06I think every K-Stater that went, whether you were like me and part of the program or whether you
16:12were just a fan that went, we all had a great time.
16:16But here's the problem.
16:18You went there for one purpose, and that was to win the game, and you didn't.
16:22And that led to getting behind the eight ball.
16:25That led to a team that lost a lot of close games and a six and six season, right?
16:31Nobody would debate that.
16:32That's reality.
16:33So, what happens now?
16:35And back to the Snyder stuff.
16:38If you look at this schedule, Nichols, Washington State, Tulane, that looks pretty Snyder-ish-like, don't you think?
16:45Then you go to Cincinnati, which will be a huge game to start conference play.
16:49I guess the point is, is that I'm glad that we're not starting quite that early.
16:54It seems odd that you go from that start to all the way back to September 5th.
17:00It's kind of like I was talking to a guy yesterday about playing an exhibition game on the 23rd of
17:05October in basketball.
17:06What are we doing?
17:08You realize how close that is?
17:10Yeah, it's not this year, and the schedule's great, and we're going to talk about that the next time we
17:15talk to you, Wyatt.
17:16Oh, yeah, yeah.
17:16We got maybe 15 seconds.
17:18I'm going to ask you this, yes or no?
17:20Will the Protect College Sports Act pass if it goes to a vote in September?
17:24Yes, I believe it will.
17:26Okay.
17:26We got to dig into that the next time we talk because it has been fascinating.
17:31Wyatt, we'll do it again soon.
17:32Maybe we'll get one more before the weekly visits start.
17:36Appreciate it.
17:36Enjoy camp.
17:37Enjoy the new energy, the new buzz.
17:39We'll talk again soon.
17:40You got it, guys.
17:41Great being on with you.
17:41Appreciate you.
17:42There goes Wyatt Thompson.
17:43We're coming right back on Sports.
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