Kansas State Football: Identity crisis plagues Wildcats

The worst part of this issue is the worst is yet to come.

When you lose the quantity of players that have already left, combined with the impact seniors set to walk out the door this fall (Duke Shelley, Dalton Risner, Kendall Adams, Elijiah Walker, Sam Sizelove are the big names graduating) there may not be a player waiting in the wings ready to take over like you would have seen in years past, especially during the first run of Snyder.

Also, two major contributors, Alex Barnes and Skylar Thompson, are set to earn their degrees this spring. Why does that matter? Both of these players would be able to transfer at the end of the season and be eligible immediately to play at another school.

"“K-State has some very key players who could take advantage of this rule, if they choose, after the season” -Matt Hall"

While I doubt Barnes leaves to play his last year of eligibility elsewhere, that could change if Thompson decides to move on. Two years of eligibility and a current coach that has yet to truly back the quarterback, Thompson may be a fairly attractive recruiting option for teams in need of a quarterback for the 2019 season. This will likely be a story to follow during the offseason in Manhattan.

So where does Kansas State go from here? It’s hard to say. A lot of talent has left the program or is set to depart with graduation.

With no elite recruit or emerging young core, it’s hard to see who things get much better.  Like was said before, major contributors are set to graduate from the program. Duke Shelley and Dalton Risner, perhaps the top players on the defensive and offensive sides respectively are leaving, as are two of the top three safeties, Kendall Adams and Elijiah Walker. Who will replace the production?

After many words, we have reached both the kruck of the problem and the solution. While the solution, to a degree is simple, executing that play may be rather tricky and difficult.