Kansas State Football: Identity crisis plagues Wildcats
By John McCarty
Issues with recruiting, roster departures and overall talent have left many to wonder what the future holds for the Kansas State football program and their Hall of Fame coach.
John Kurtz of KMAN and Matt Hall of KStateOnline.com helped provide some insight into what has gone wrong, and perhaps what is going right in the Little Apple with Kansas State football.
With 213 career wins, two conference titles and both a football stadium and highway named in his honor, Kansas State’s Bill Snyder certainly has a resumé that stands by itself. The Cats have found struggles in recent years though and those struggles combined with Snyder’s age and dwindling on-field talent have left the natives restless.
Before retiring the first time at the conclusion of the 2005 season, Bill Snyder built a program that was known for a punishing defense and an option offense headlined by an offense that could score from any spot on the field. Running backs such as Eric Hickson, J.J. Smith and Darren Sproles found success in this offense. Success with walk-ons such as John McGraw and Jordy Nelson helped the program achieve success not seen before in Manhattan.
However, in recent years, walk-on success stories have been few and far between. After inheriting Colin Klein and adding transfers in linebacker Arthur Browns and receiver Chris Harper, the Wildcats were able to win the Big12 Championship with what John Kurtz described as a ‘Unique team with special players.’ However, after that season, it’s been a steady decline for the program.
Issues with recruiting, player retention and development along with increased competition have left the Wildcats program struggling to find success and has fans asking questions about the future. How did the program get here?