3-2-1: Early Kansas State training camp news

It is time for the Kansas State edition of the 3-2-1 feature.

THREE THINGS WE LEARNED ABOUT KANSAS STATE

1. New conference partners: The 3-2-1 from last week saw us correctly point out that it was expected for the Big 12 to add Arizona, Arizona State and Utah. They join Colorado as new conference partners for Kansas State. The Wildcats, Sun Devils and Utes joined soon after Washington and Oregon bolted for the Big Ten. The Pac-12 has been relegated to four remaining schools – Oregon State, Washington State, Cal and Stanford.

2. True freshmen: Although it is the time of the year when true freshmen are challenged the most and have a difficult time surfacing enough to grab anyone’s attention, K-State head coach Chris Klieman identified three that are doing so. He has been impressed the most after one week of training camp by linebacker Asa Newsom, running back Joe Jackson and safety Jack Fabris.

3. Duffie: As we have noted on KSO, Kansas State offensive lineman Christian Duffie is on the shelf for a few more weeks. He suffered an injury in the offseason that has kept him off his feet for the most part. Klieman revealed on Tuesday that he won’t return until after the first part of the season. It is not considered a long-term deal. While they have kicked out Cooper Beebe back to tackle at times, the most common alternatives have been just to insert Carver Willis, John Pastore or Andrew Leingang at right tackle.

Catch up on what Chris Klieman had to say about the Kansas State training camp thus far, via @galloway__drew https://t.co/S4Bz7rMTdx

— Derek Young (@DerekYoungKSO) August 8, 2023

TWO QUESTIONS

1. Glover: Both of our questions are connected to Jerome Tang and K-State still attempting to pursue targets in the transfer portal. Guard Ques Glover is available, and the Wildcats are on the hunt. After some time at Florida and Samford, he committed to BYU before re-opening his recruitment. Can Kansas State close and be the winners for his services? They’ll have to topple Indiana and Illinois.

2. Portal finish: They don’t have just one spot available. K-State has two. Do they fill them both? Tang would love to, but he isn’t going to take just anyone to have a complete roster, either. He made that clear when he spoke to the media at a scheduled press conference last week.

Jerome Tang talks Kansas State basketball schedule and potential late portal movement, with one name beginning to surface. https://t.co/p8iVkqptqQ

— Derek Young (@DerekYoungKSO) August 7, 2023

ONE K-STATE PREDICTION

1. Finished: Despite it not being agreed upon by everyone in the media world, our sources continue to insist that the Big 12 is finished with realignment at the moment. They are not seeking to add any of the remaining Pac-12 schools and the steam on UConn has significantly cooled. We do not foresee SMU or San Diego State being part of the conversation, either. The next move, if any, would be if a television network incentivizes a basketball-only movement or if the walls in the ACC crumble sooner than expected.

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