Early Poll Predictions

[AJcat7755]

O-line is likely going to be a concern as well. Risner and Beecham are pretty big holes to fill. Just continue dominating the squawkers.

Risner and Beechman are very talented, and will be missed, but hopefully, the experience with the starters can help cover for the newcomers. I'm not so much concerned with the starters, but the depth is my concern.

Starters:
LT - Scott Frantz - rSR - Has started all 38 games of his career and should be NFL bound
LG - Tyler Mitchell - rSR - Has started 30 games in his career and has played RG, LG and RT so he can move around if needed
C - Adam Holtorf - rSR - Has started 25 games in his career, all at C
RG - Josh Rivas - rSO - Here is the youth in the line. He did play in 12 games, with 2 starts as a rFR. It's a good sign he was getting into games early
RT - Nick Kaltmayer - rSR - Not young, but not experienced on the OL at K-State. Has played in 25 games, but only 1 start at RT

Backups:
Evan Curl - rSR - Played in 14 games, but mostly on FG protection and not on the OL
Hayden Perry - rSR - Walkon transfer from Hutch CC. Played at Hutch, but no game experience at K-State
Justin Eichman - rJR - Transfer from Butler CC. Started at RT at Butler, but no game experience at K-State
Noah Johnson - JR - Transfer from Butler CC. Started 2 years at Butler at G and earned 1st team All conference, but no game experience at K-State.
Bed Adler - rSO - Has only played in 1 game in his K-State career
Harrison Creed - rSO - No game experience at K-State
Kaitori Leveston - rFR - No game experience at K-State
Christian Duffie - rFR - No game experience at K-State
Marshall Kellner - rFR - No game experience at K-State
Hayden Gillium - rFR - No game experience at K-State
Tre Eaton - FR - Incoming freshman will likely redshirt
Taylor Poitier - FR - Incoming freshman will likely redshirt
Trevor Strange - FR - Incoming freshman will likely redshirt

There are going to be a lot of young players getting some game experience on the OL because they will be needed when K-State losses 4 starters and 2 backup SRs at the end of the year.

[stlcatfan]

O-line is likely going to be a concern as well. Risner and Beecham are pretty big holes to fill. Just continue dominating the squawkers.

Risner and Beechman are very talented, and will be missed, but hopefully, the experience with the starters can help cover for the newcomers. I'm not so much concerned with the starters, but the depth is my concern.

Starters:
LT - Scott Frantz - rSR - Has started all 38 games of his career and should be NFL bound
LG - Tyler Mitchell - rSR - Has started 30 games in his career and has played RG, LG and RT so he can move around if needed
C - Adam Holtorf - rSR - Has started 25 games in his career, all at C
RG - Josh Rivas - rSO - Here is the youth in the line. He did play in 12 games, with 2 starts as a rFR. It's a good sign he was getting into games early
RT - Nick Kaltmayer - rSR - Not young, but not experienced on the OL at K-State. Has played in 25 games, but only 1 start at RT

Backups:
Evan Curl - rSR - Played in 14 games, but mostly on FG protection and not on the OL
Hayden Perry - rSR - Walkon transfer from Hutch CC. Played at Hutch, but no game experience at K-State
Justin Eichman - rJR - Transfer from Butler CC. Started at RT at Butler, but no game experience at K-State
Noah Johnson - JR - Transfer from Butler CC. Started 2 years at Butler at G and earned 1st team All conference, but no game experience at K-State.
Bed Adler - rSO - Has only played in 1 game in his K-State career
Harrison Creed - rSO - No game experience at K-State
Kaitori Leveston - rFR - No game experience at K-State
Christian Duffie - rFR - No game experience at K-State
Marshall Kellner - rFR - No game experience at K-State
Hayden Gillium - rFR - No game experience at K-State
Tre Eaton - FR - Incoming freshman will likely redshirt
Taylor Poitier - FR - Incoming freshman will likely redshirt
Trevor Strange - FR - Incoming freshman will likely redshirt

There are going to be a lot of young players getting some game experience on the OL because they will be needed when K-State losses 4 starters and 2 backup SRs at the end of the year.

Your list highlights the big concern on this roster. We have a good group of upper classmen (1st stringers) with experience, but a huge hole in the roster with the two classes behind our current seniors. Some young guys will need to step up to fill the gaps. We may also need to go after a juco o-lineman or two in the 2020 class. Definitely not an ideal situation.

[AJcat7755]

Your list highlights the big concern on this roster. We have a good group of upper classmen (1st stringers) with experience, but a huge hole in the roster with the two classes behind our current seniors. Some young guys will need to step up to fill the gaps. We may also need to go after a juco o-lineman or two in the 2020 class. Definitely not an ideal situation.

As of now, here is what the 2020 roster will look like at OL:
RG - Josh Rivas - rJR - Should have 14 games of starting experience at this point

Baring injuries, the rest of these players likely won't have more then 4 starts, but will have varying degrees of experience in games.

Justin Eichman - rSR
Noah Johnson - SR
Bed Adler - rJR
Harrison Creed - rJR
Kaitori Leveston - rSO
Christian Duffie - rSO
Marshall Kellner - rSO
Hayden Gillium - rSO
Tre Eaton - rFR
Taylor Poitier - rFR
Trevor Strange - rFR
Carver Willis - FR
Sam Shields - FR
Hadley Panzer - FR

2019 is a bridge year, with K-State having enough returning experience at positions to challenge for a bowl, but 2020 is going to be a step back. Lack of recruiting across the board, and players leaving early, are going to make the 2020 team very very young across the board. Fans need to be prepared that 2020 could be a rough year. But on the positive side, all the young players getting experience could payoff in 2022 and beyond, it will just be rough getting the depth built back up.

[Zoltar]

So you are saying we will not be good this year and can hope for 6-6 and bowl game but next year we will have to rebuild and may not do this well? I do not like the way that sounds. Was there no recruiting at all before Klieman was hired?

[Jax]

There are differing opinions on recruitment efforts for the past several years. Some think the team is in good shape with just a few pieces missing. Others like myself think the poor recruiting has taken a toll and finally caught up with the Cats.

If an optimistic argument could be made that the first team can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league, they would also concede there is an enormous drop in talent after the first team. I will take 6-6 in Coaches first year.

[AJcat7755]

If you want a easy picture of why 2020 could very well be a down year, look at the 2017 class. If properly used, you would think that most of the 2017 class would RS in 2017, and by 2020 would be 4 years into the program and would be redshirt Juniors ready to lead the team as upperclassmen or seniors if they didn't RS.

As of now, only 12 of the 27 players from the 2017 class are still in the program, 2 of which are JUCOs. That is why the team is going to look really young in 2020 because those upperclassmen aren't there. And not even all of those that are left look to ever start in their careers.

That requires you to then have to try and even classes out with JUCOs or transfers, or just take your lumps as a young team and build up.

K-State also didn't get a single RB for 2 straight classes. So when your top RB goes to the NFL early, and another has his career ends early, it puts you in a tough spot. Major programs should get at least 1 RB in every class, if not more because of injuries and attrition.

[wild@nite]

So you are saying we will not be good this year and can hope for 6-6 and bowl game but next year we will have to rebuild and may not do this well? I do not like the way that sounds. Was there no recruiting at all before Klieman was hired?

There was recruiting, just very mediocre the last 2-3 years, and some would argue poor.

We won 5 games last year with 2 NFL OL that are gone, an NFL RB that is gone (and all depth behind him), and our top WR and playmaker gone. Our top returning LB is out for the season and we have little experience coming back in the return game. We couldn't win 6 with that, oh my....

To be better than 6-6 this year, we will have to have an effective running game (did I mention we have zero Big 12 experience at RB) and a short, efficient passing game, combined with a much improved defense.

To be better than 6-6 in 2020, we better nail a juco playmaker and some DL/LBs that can stop running games and make teams more one dimensional.

It's just reality. I'd love to hear why you think we will be better than 6-6 each year. Hell, I hope I'm really off. Please convince me!

2021 and 2022, we start the 8-9 win theme, imo.

[AJcat7755]

Also, in regard to 2020, on initial glance, it appears the OOC may be easier, because all the games are at home, and the P5 school is Vanderbilt which should be easier then Mississippi State on the road, but there could be a seriously tough game from Buffalo. Lance Leipold has built Buffalo up and won 10 games last year, the best in the short history of that program. Maybe if he does it again, he will get another job elsewhere, but starting the season against them could be a challenge.

[ArKSU]

AJcat7755
Maybe if he does it again, he will get another job elsewhere, but starting the season against them could be a challenge.

1. I'll take our staff + HCCK 99 times out a hundred.
2. I'll take our staff + HCCK 99 times out a hundred
3. Beef-a-Low V KSU + HCCK---Give me KSU every FkUcing time..

[ksustars754]

There's a lot of question marks going into this season for the Big12, in large part because of 4 new coaches. I would put the Wildcats as high as 6 and low as 9. Though, I would not be surprised to see them finish slightly higher than that. But there are just a lot of question marks for the Cats.

Yep. Too many to finish higher than 5th, imo. WR corps has lost two expected contributors, one which was our top guy, plus lack of true playmakers (I mean 60 catches type with stretch the field capabilities), an apparent, average, unproven RB corps, missing our best LB, then new specials?

I think 5-7 or 6-6 is what we are. People can play it off, but losing Zuber, Rison, and Hughes aren't losses that average teams can afford when depth is a team issue.

Keep our foot on KU's throat, find a way to get 6, and I think we should be on the right track under Klieman.

Just trying to be realistic.

I couldn’t get past the “missing our best LB” statement.