How will Kansas State football's depth chart look to start the season? Our predictions
MANHATTAN — Kansas State football's season opener is just around the corner, and with the countdown on, the Wildcats' position battles have pretty much shaken out.
Coach Chris Klieman typically doesn't release a depth chart until the week of the first game, in this case Monday before the Sept. 2 matchup against Southeast Missouri at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Even so, we can offer a pretty good projection of what the starting lineup will look like for the 6 p.m. kickoff against the FCS Redhawks.
Quarterback
The starter: Will Howard, sr.
The reserves: Jake Rubley, so.; Avery Johnson, HS-fr.
Howard is the undisputed starter after taking over midway through last season and leading the Wildcats to a Big 12 championship. Rubley, who saw limited action as a redshirt freshman last year, has had his best preseason camp so far, while true freshman Johnson could push for the backup job by season's end.
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Running back
The starter: Treshaun Ward, sr.
The reserves: DJ Giddens, so.; Anthony Frias, so.
Ward started six games at Florida State last year and led the Seminoles in rushing with 649 yards, including seven touchdowns. He was recently named Big 12 preseason offensive newcomer of the year. But he will split carries with powerful Giddens, who ran for 518 yards and six scores while backing up All-American Deuce Vaughn as a redshirt freshman.
Wide receiver
The starters: Phillip Brooks, sr.; Keagan Johnson, so.; RJ Garcia, so.
The reserves: Seth Porter, sr.; Jadon Jackson, sr.; Xavier Loyd, so.
Brooks, a super-senior with 129 career catches, is a veteran in the slot, but Iowa transfer Johnson has generated a lot of buzz since his arrival in the spring. Garcia, a backup last year, also has made big strides and appears ready for a starting role.
Tight end
The starter: Ben Sinnott, jr.
The reserves: Garrett Oakley, RS-fr.; Will Swanson, jr.
Sinnott was a breakout star last year with 31 catches for 447 yards and four touchdowns, and he became one of Howard's favorite targets in the second half of the season. Oakley had a solid spring and preseason camp and could be a future star.
Offensive line
The starters: KT Leveston, sr. (left tackle); Cooper Beebe, sr. (left guard); Hayden Gillum, sr. (center); Hadley Panzer, jr. (right guard); Christian Duffie, sr. (right tackle).
The reserves: Taylor Poitier, sr.; Carver Willis, jr.; Andrew Leingang, so.; Sam Hecht, so.; Drake Bequeaith, RS-fr.; John Pastore, RS-fr.
All five starters return, led by preseason All-American Beebe, not to mention Poitier, who started last year's opener at right guard before suffering a season-ending knee injury. But Duffie is expected to miss the start of the season, which could create some changes — Beebe was an All-Big 12 tackle two years ago — thought the most likely solution will be to insert Willis at right tackle until Duffie returns.
Defensive end
The starters: Khalid Duke, sr.; Nate Matlack, jr.
The reserves: Brendan Mott, sr.; Cody Stufflebean, jr.; Chiddi Obiazor, HS-fr.
Duke is back at defensive end after starting last year at Sam linebacker and is a fierce pass rusher. On the other side, Matlack is healthy after battling a high ankle sprain all last season, and Mott is coming off his best season with six sacks in 2022.
Nose tackle
The starter: Uso Seumalo, sr.
The reserves: Jevon Banks, jr.; Damian Ilalio, so.
Seumalo, all 340 pounds of him, is in the best shape of his career and has been the talk of preseason camp on defense. He has been out with a minor injury that makes him uncertain for the season opener, but he has two capable backups in Mississippi State transfer Banks and Manhattan High school product Ilalio.
Linebacker
The starters: Austin Moore, sr. (Will); Daniel Green, sr. (Mike); Desmond Purnell, so. (Sam).
The reserves: Jake Clifton, so.; Tobi Osunsanmi, RS-fr.; Terry Kirksey, jr.; Asa Newsom, HS-fr.; Austin Romaine, HS-fr.
Moore and Green, who decided to return as a super-senior after battling injuries last year, give the Wildcats two potential all-conference players. Purnell, a backup last year, won the Sam linebacker job with an outstanding preseason camp.
Cornerback
The starters: Jacob Parrish, so.; Will Lee, so.
The reserves: Keenan Garber, sr.; Justice James, jr.; Tyler Nelome, sr.
With two-year starters Julius Brents (Colts) and Ekow Boye-Doe (Chiefs) gone to the NFL, Parrish has stepped up his game after a solid true freshman year as a backup. Lee, who helped Iowa Western win a national junior college championship in 2022, has drawn comparisons to Brents. Garber, who has made rapid progress since switching from wide receiver at the end of last season, also should figure into the rotation.
Safety
The starters: Kobe Savage, sr. (strong), Marques Sigle, jr. (free), VJ Payne, so. (jack).
The reserves: Coby McCalister, RS-fr.; Jordan Wright, jr.; Matthew Maschmeier, jr.
Preseason all-conference pick Savage is back to full strength after suffering a knee injury late last season. Payne started four games last year as a true freshman, and North Dakota State transfer Sigle is a converted cornerback. Experienced depth is the biggest concern, which is why McCalister and Wright both moved over from cornerback during the offseason.
Specialists
The starters: Chris Tennant, jr. (kicker); Jack Blumer, sr. (punter); Randen Plattner, sr. (long snapper).
The reserves: Leyton Simmering, RS-fr. (kicker); Simon McClannan, HS-fr. (punter); Mason Olguin, so. (long snapper).
Tennant was the kicker at the end of his freshman season and at the start of last year, before struggling with consistency and losing the job to Ty Zentner. He and Simmering are still battling for the job. Blumer shared the punting job two years ago, and Plattner has been a fixture at long snapper.
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 preseason depth chart predictions
