TLDR, but maybe you'll want to.
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We now know one thing for sure about LHC Bill Snyder: The man has a liberal return policy.
Although the football program Snyder bequeathed to Ron Prince in 2006 was not quite the same one that had nearly played for the national title in 1998, or even the same one that won the Big 12 championship in 2003 -- Snyder himself had gone just 9-13 in his final two seasons -- it was a program that still had strong recruiting ties in its home state and still generally owned the state. Snyder beat archrival Kansas in three of his last four tries. The program had some wear on it, but it still had value.
But when Prince returned the program to Snyder in 2009, it was falling apart. There were frayed edges, missing pieces, mustard stains all over it. It was a mess.
Relationships with Kansas high school coaches had dissolved. The program was filled with an outrageous number of junior college transfers. And Kansas had won three in a row, the Jayhawks' longest streak in the series since the 1988-90. But Snyder took it back anyway, and when he returned, he likened the situation to a rocky sea.
"I would hope that I can settle the waters," he said. "The important thing is to be able to smooth those waters and draw the K-State family back into a true family."
The concerns about Snyder upon his return were that, at 69 years old, he might not be socially and technologically savvy enough to compete in an ever-changing recruiting landscape and that, frankly, part of the reason the first Snyder era ended is that the program appeared to be on a decline under his watch. In his typically understated fashion, Snyder noted he had gotten the hang of text messaging, and then promptly took a largely overmatched team with no passing game -- usually a terminal illness in the modern Big 12 -- or a 6-6 record that included a crushing blow to rival Kansas, which freefell to a 5-7 record and ran off its coach.
Even better, Snyder started plucking highly recruited Kansas prep players who had gotten away to other schools. Sophomore Chris Harper, of Wichita left Oregon to play for Snyder.
Another receiver, sophomore Broderick Smith of Garden City, left Minnesota for K-State. And Wichita linebacker Arthur Brown, one of the most highly recruited players in the state's recent memory, left Miami and enrolled at Kansas State this spring. Snyder also signed the Rivals.com No. 4 player in the state of Kansas, running back DeMarcus Robinson of Wichita (the top three players in the state are all headed to Oklahoma).
So while it would be stretching to say the ship is back on course for the BCS, at least the vessel isn't leaking anymore. Snyder proved in one season that any concerns he was too old for this racket were premature.
That all said, what Snyder returns for 2010 is still a significantly flawed team, and it begins, as it often does, at quarterback. Snyder managed to cobble together decent quarterback play from transfer Grant Gregory and senior running back/wildcat quarterback Daniel Thomas (6-2, 228), but Gregory is gone, meaning the top returner is senior Carson Coffman (6-3, 211), who & well, he did not excite the fan base during his time as the starter early last season.
Though his per-game passing numbers were a little better than Gregory's, the Wildcats' offense labored with the immobile Coffman under center, and lost to Louisiana-Lafayette and UCLA, both games that, in retrospect, Kansas State probably would have won if Gregory had been the quarterback.
OFFENSE
QUARTERBACKS
Although spring games are given to preposterous events, few around the country could challenge this stat line: Carson Coffman -- 28-for-51, 440 yards, seven touchdowns (in, by the way, a 79-0 win for his purple squad).
This from a guy who threw for all of 860 yards and two touchdowns in six games last season.
So what in the name of Michael Bishop does this mean? "He was all right," Snyder said. Oh.
The unspoken message from Snyder seemed to be that the senior Coffman (6-3, 211), who called all his own plays in the spring game, was probably going to be the starting quarterback in the fall. But that wasn't a message many K-State followers were eager to believe just yet (it's that whole "860 yards in six games" thing).
No matter what you think, it's difficult not to see the quarterback position as a concern again this season for the Wildcats. Coffman is a careful, rigid pocket passer who struggles on the move and took a lot of sacks last season. As such, he is not a good fit for the offense Snyder has traditionally liked, which employs a lot of option, zone read and quarterback draws.
Fans are eager to see junior Sammuel Lamur (6-4, 221), a junior college transfer who red-shirted last season. He is more athletic than Coffman and thus, more of a natural fit for Snyder, but he was never a productive player at either of the two junior colleges he attended, throwing for a combined 575 yards while completing just 42 percent of his 102 passes and running for 59 total yards as a career backup. As a starter in the spring game, he completed 10-for-16 passes for 57 yards.
The other quarterbacks who played in the spring are freshmen Billy Cosh (6-1, 219) and Ryan Manes (6-4, 194), who attempted a combined 11 passes. K-State also has true freshman Ty Zimmerman (6-1, 202) and sophomore transfer Collin Klein (6-5, 233), who also plays receiver.
An interesting option for Snyder could be sophomore Chris Harper (6-1, 234), who signed with Oregon as a dual-threat quarterback and played the position there for part of the 2008 season before moving to wide receiver and eventually transferring to K-State, where he red-shirted last season. The Wildcats list Harper as a wide receiver, and he didn't play any quarterback during spring ball, but Snyder, never one to divulge his plans anyway, has that in his back pocket if he wants it. The bottom line is, though, that there is not much predictive experience in that group.
A viable option is to use senior running back Daniel Thomas (6-2, 228), who was recruited as a quarterback, as a situational QB. Thomas is a long, powerful runner who has been effective in the Wildcat formation and is just enough of a threat to throw that defenses can't cheat as much as they'd like to. The problem with using him this way is that you don't get to use him at running back, and you couldn't survive for four quarters with such a limited passer. But at the very least he gives Snyder a curveball he can mix in.
No matter who is playing the position, Kansas State is going to have to be a little creative to make it work. And no matter what the Wildcats decide to do, it's unlikely this is going to be much of a passing team. The quarterback's role will be to not lose the game. Winning it will be the job of the defense, special teams and an occasional well-timed play-action pass.
RUNNING BACKS
There were times last season it looked like Daniel Thomas was the dad and opposing defenders were the rug rats, hanging on his legs and trying to take down the giant.
Thomas isn't so much a Ferrari as he is a John Deere -- durable, unstoppable, and loaded with torque. He led the Big 12 with 1,265 rushing yards in a first-team All-Big 12 campaign as a junior transfer last season, when he carried the ball a Big 12-high 247 times for 11 touchdowns and a 5.1-yard average.
This is made all the more remarkable when you know Kansas State's passing game ranked 106th in the nation last season. Thomas wasn't bursting through gaping holes in the middle of five-wide formations. He was gliding off tackle and dragging safeties.
With an entire offseason to learn a position he just picked up last year, Snyder thinks Thomas is a better, more prepared back this season. "I think he learned more about the nuances about the position that he plays," Snyder said, "and learning how to slow down a little bit and finding the creases a little bit better."
This is certainly Kansas State's greatest offensive strength. But if there is a concern, it is that Thomas is the only returning running back with any significant experience.
Senior William Powell (5-9, 205) was the second-best runner in the spring game (11 carries, 88 yards), but he appeared in just six games last season, and was a special teams guy at that.
Tim Flanders (5-9, 211) is a speedy red-shirt freshman who was the No. 9 player in the state of Oklahoma as a senior. John Hubert (5-7, 182) is another red-shirt freshman who was an all-state selection in Texas when he ran for 2,853 yards and 41 touchdowns as a senior. Flanders and Hubert both played sparingly in the spring game, combining for 36 yards on seven carries. DeMarcus Robinson (5-9, 192), a four-star prospect according to Rivals.com, may be the most gifted of the reserves, and could get some time as a true freshman.
In any case, it will definitely not be a running-back-by-committee situation for the Wildcats, although as often as they are likely to be running it, a quick No. 2 back would be a nice complement to Thomas' bullying style.
RECEIVERS
If you can count on one thing with Kansas State's receivers, it is that you know they're hungry.
Neither of the Wildcats' top two wideouts, senior Aubrey Quarles (5-11, 202) or sophomore Broderick Smith (6-2, 206), played last season, and both are itching to get back on the field. "It feels great," Quarles said after the spring game. "Last year I had a rough time trying to get on the field, but now I'm back out there."
While tiny playmaker Brandon Banks is off to the NFL, this was a position at which the Wildcats should be able to withstand some attrition.
Quarles, who made 34 catches in 2008 but redshirted last season, returns as a senior this year, where he figures to start alongside Smith, now eligible after transferring from Minnesota after the 2008 season. He started two games for the Gophers that year, catching five passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. It's been a long wait for Smith, but he thinks it has been a valuable respite.
"I think it was worth it," he said. "I appreciate the coaches having patience with me and for bringing me into this program, letting me get accustomed to this program."
In that wild spring game, Smith had 12 receptions for 167 yards and four touchdowns, while Quarles added nine grabs for 105 yards and a score.
All of which seemed to establish Smith as a go-to receiver for K-State, though he was reluctant to make that proclamation himself. "We have a really good receiving group," he said. "I think that if all of us just keep working hard we could all be the go-to guy. We will just have to see what comes around in the fall."
For now, fans will have to take Smith's word for that, because the rest of the K-State receiving corps is mostly unproven.
Redshirt freshman Tremaine Thompson (5-7, 165) certainly looks like Banks on the field. He's up for starting consideration and had six grabs for 86 yards and a touchdown in the spring game. K-State is also excited about sophomore Chris Harper, a highly recruited Wichita native who sat out last season after transferring from Oregon, where he made a switch from quarterback to wide receiver partway through the 2008 season. Though he had just one catch in the spring game, Harper is expected to contribute this season and may be the most talented receiver on the team.
He and the rest of the receivers give the Wildcats a generally beefy group that could make for a nice fit in K-State's ground-oriented offense. "I keep hearing that we've got a lot of size on us," Quarles said. "And we've got to take advantage of that by being more physical on the blocks and getting more yards after the catch."
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Wildcats return four starters along the offensive line -- seniors Zach Kendall (6-2, 312), Kenny Mayfield (6-4, 338) and Wade Weibert (6-4, 303) and junior Clyde Aufner (6-5, 300) -- which is good. But K-State lost its best lineman, Nick Stringer, who happened to play the unit's most important position, left tackle.
Fortunately, K-State has a replacement presumably ready to go in Zach Hanson, a 6-foot-8, 313-pound red-shirt junior who was Stringer's backup last season.
If Hanson wins the left tackle job, it will give the Wildcats an offensive line on which the average player is 6-5, 315 pounds and in his fourth season in the program. Those tend to be good signs. And considering four of those guys blocked for the Big 12's leading rusher last season, there is some production to go with the promise.
But K-State's offense was entirely one-dimensional last season, and the offensive line bears its share of blame for that. The group allowed 26 sacks in 2009, which ranked 71st in the nation. But when you realize that was on a team that attempted just 298 passes, easily the lowest total in the Big 12, you can see pass protection was a major issue, one that isn't likely to improve with the immobile Carson Coffman under center instead of the speedy Grant Gregory, who was the starter most of last season.
