(Photo: 247 Sports)
2023 Preview: Chris Kileman led them to a 9-4 regular season and a bowl win against the North Carolina State Wolf Pack to end the year. They entered the year as the defending Big-12 champions after stunning eventual runner-up, TCU in the conference title game in 2022. The Kansas State Wildcats are far from an “electric” team. This is a group that wants to control the line of scrimmage, run the ball, and play physical defense. What I appreciate about them is they never jump out of their box to compete meaning they continue to play their style of football, no matter who the opponent is.
Key Departures: QB Will Howard, WR Xavier Lloyd, WR RJ Garcia, RB Anthony Frias, EDGE Nate Matlack, S Kobe Savage.
2024 Prediction: The loss of Will Howard is big. He added a veteran presence and wowed people with his arm strength and ability to move all over the field. Now, Avery Johnson is getting ready to take command as the next starting Quarterback in Manhattan. I’m picking the Wildcats to get back to another conference title game for the second time in three seasons. Chris Kileman already has a Big-12 title under his belt and I could see him winning ten games this year and potentially winning a second one. This could be a dark horse playoff team, especially with a larger bracket for the CFP this upcoming year.
