Kansas State position battle: Who are the starting defensive ends?

Our Kansas State season preview series continues with an in-depth look at the defensive ends and who could claim starting jobs. For the sake of the article, we have already anointed Khalid Duke as one of the starters. K-State wouldn’t have moved him without that being the plan.

Kansas State contenders

Brendan Mott: The Iowa native was moved into the starting lineup out of necessity last year when Kansas State was hit by the injury bug. He capitalized on the opportunity, particularly with his three-sack performance against West Virginia.
Nate Matlack: Unfortunately, Matlack was one of the players that was held back by injury. Instead of just hopping on the bench, preserving himself for the offseason and healing up, he made the sacrifice to battle through his multiple physical ailments and give K-State everything he could to en route to a conference title.

Analysis

When it comes to experience, there is no clear favorite between the two.

Mott was a significant rotational piece for Kansas State to begin last season before being forced into even more snaps once Matlack was injured and hobbling on two bad wheels. He made the most of it and was in the top 10 of the Big 12 in sacks.

Heck, Mott had more sacks than Will McDonald of Iowa State if you can believe that.

Does he hold onto that job or does Matlack recapture his original playing time and role? After all, the Olathe East product made a splash towards the end of the 2021 season and was thought to be a potential breakout player in 2022. If not for injury, that likely comes to fruition.

Prediction

Though Matlack was once the starter, Mott performed more than good enough in his absence to not lose his job. He was one of the better pass rushers in the Big 12, even if he was a beneficiary of playing alongside Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

Meanwhile, and it was because he was gutting through some intense pain in his lower body, Matlack was not nearly as effective. It would be a bit of a surprise to me if Mott isn’t rewarded for his play from a year ago and Matlack comes off the bench with an opportunity to prove his worth again.

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