Kansas State 2016 Season Preview: Bill Snyder Seeks 200th Win

By Shawn Spencer | Aug 25, 2016

Oct 25, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder waits to lead his team onto the field before the start of a game against the Texas Longhorns at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

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Nov 21, 2015; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats football players leave the field before the start of a game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. The Wildcats won the game 38-35. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Nov 21, 2015; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats football players leave the field before the start of a game against the Iowa State Cyclones at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. The Wildcats won the game 38-35. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports /

The Players

Kansas State may have had just one player selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, but offensive lineman Cody Whitehair isn’t the only player the Wildcats will have to replace. Fortunately for Kansas State fans, Bill Snyder has done a tremendous job over the years of developing talent and getting the most out of players who weren’t highly recruited.

The offensive line is the biggest question mark entering the season, and not just because of the loss of Whitehair. In total, four of the five starters have to be replaced. Only center Dalton Risner, who started all 13 games last season as a redshirt freshman, is returning. Expected to join Risner in the starting lineup are junior college transfer Breontae Matthews and senior Terrale Johnson on the left side and freshman Scott Frantz and senior Will Ash on the right. This group will have to gel quickly as the QB they’ll be protecting is also inexperienced.

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While the QB competition is still underway, the two currently atop the depth chart are junior Jesse Ertz and freshman Alex Delton. Those two have a combined zero pass attempts in college. The most experienced of the group is Joe Hubener, however he’s once again projected to start the season as a backup.

The skill positions are in good shape as Charles Jones and Deante Burton return after leading the team in rushing and receiving respectively last season. They should be able to take at least some of the pressure off of the QB and offensive line.

On paper, the defense looks to be more stable than the offense. All three levels have veteran leaders who can make an impact on every play. While the defense did struggle last season, most of the top performers, including the five top tacklers, are back in 2016.

Up front, senior Jordan Willis leads the way. The 6-foot-5, 258-pound defensive end has started every game over the past two seasons. He’s the school’s top 2017 draft prospect and will look to build upon his 9.5 sacks from a year ago.

Defensive tackle Will Geary and DE Tanner Wood bring even more experience to the defensive line. The only unknown up front is who will replace Travis Britz at the other DT spot. Senior Craig Settles is expected to begin the season as a starter, but he’s being pushed by junior Matt Seiwert.

The three linebackers have all played a significant amount of snaps. Elijah Lee, Charmeachealle Moore and Will Davis were solid contributors last season and will be relied on to carry the defense against the high-powered offenses of the Big 12.

To say the secondary played poorly last season would be an understatement. The team ranked 121st in the nation against the pass. As a team, Kansas State only picked off five passes in 2015. Four of the five interceptions were made by linebackers. There are reasons to believe the secondary will be much better this season, starting with sophomore cornerback Duke Shelley. As a true freshman last season, Shelley proved capable as a starter over the final eight games of the season.

Shelley has earned his starting role this season, however Donnie Starks is expected to move back into a reserve role. That’s because California transfer Cedric Dozier, a former four-star recruit, will play his final season at Kansas State.

Next: Impact Freshmen