Kansas State football senior Khalid Duke gives the Wildcats another weapon at defensive end

MANHATTAN — A lot has changed in the three years since Kansas State football senior Khalid Duke last lined up at defensive end in a game that counted.

The Wildcats endured the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, overhauled their defense, and turned Duke — arguably their most accomplished pass rusher at the time — into a strong-side linebacker.

With the emergence of Felix Anudike-Uzomah at end, combined with a switch from four down linemen to a three-man front, coach Chris Klieman and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman asked Duke to fill in at Sam linebacker. Although an injury limited Duke to three games in 2021, it was hard to argue with the results since the makeover as K-State's defense kept getting better and the Wildcats won a total of 18 games, including the 2022 Big 12 championship.

But that success came at a price. Anudike-Uzomah, the Big 12 defensive player of the year, decided to pass up his senior season and head to the NFL, leaving a void requiring an accomplished edge rusher.

Naturally, the call went out to Duke, who showed last year that he still had a knack for getting to the quarterback when he recorded three sacks in a victory over Texas Tech.

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Moving Khalid Duke to end 'wasn't a difficult decision'

"When we were four down, that's where Khalid played," defensive ends coach Buddy Wyatt said of Duke, who started eight games at end as a sophomore in 2020. "So it wasn't a difficult discussion. It's something that he wanted to do.

"He loves rushing the quarterback, so it was something that he wanted to do, to be able to do it more than he did a year ago."

Indeed, Duke welcomed the return to the front line.

"Definitely D-end," Duke said when asked which is his favorite position. "I enjoyed linebacker, though. But I think D-end just enhances my abilities and allows me to play fast."

Nobody did that better over the past two years than Anudike-Uzomah, who registered 19.5 sacks in 2021 and '22, before his selection by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the NFL Draft. But the 6-foot-4, 246-pound Duke is no slouch, either.

Combine that with the return of senior Brendan Mott and junior Nate Matlack at the other end, and Wyatt is confident that the Wildcats will continue to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

Related: Kansas State football defensive end Brendan Mott has breakout game against West Virginia

Wildcats have depth and experience at defensive end

"We do have a lot of experience coming back at that position," Wyatt said. "So I think with Mott getting better, with Nate getting better, Cody (Stufflebean) developing and then we bring Khalid in that room to bring a little more dynamic pass rush.

With Matlack hampered all last season by a high-ankle sprain and Anudike-Uzomah consistently facing double teams on the other side, Mott had a breakout 2022 campaign in which he finished second on the team with six sacks.

"Our D-line is still extremely solid," Mott said. "It helps having Khalid Duke. He's a stud.

"We'll obviously miss Felix's presence because he's King Felix. He was the guy. But I don't think our defensive line should be affected all that much."

Mott, a former walk-on from Iowa City, seemingly came out of nowhere last year and kept improving as the season wore on. And thanks to a calorie-rich offseason diet, he has bulked up to 6-5, 245 pounds.

"I love Mott, man, because he's a kid who has worked his tail off to get to where he is," Wyatt said. "He's just a football player."

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Duke getting 'really comfortable' at end

So is Duke, who by all accounts has stacked a solid training camp onto last spring's transition back to defensive end.

"I feel really comfortable," Duke said. "It's been a good transition, coming back to D-end. I'm playing fast and confident."

The biggest adjustment, he added, was adapting to the three-man front.

"We definitely take on more double teams and play more in the B-gap," Duke said. "Playing in a four-down was more playing in the C-gap, playing on the edge, playing on the outside."

According to Wyatt, K-State has targeted bigger ends just for that reason since going to the 3-3-5. Not that he's worried about Duke holding his own.

"Because he's so explosive and he's so physical, he can play that position with no problem," Wyatt said. "Going forward, we've recruited a little bit bigger defensive ends, but we will always recruit pass rushers."

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football senior Khalid Duke a weapon at defensive end