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Kansas State Spring Football Review: Quarterback

Kansas State Spring Football Review: Quarterback

WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT THE KANSAS STATE QUARTERBACKS

Actually, the first thing we learned is that Kansas State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Collin Klein would remain in Manhattan after being heavily courted by Notre Dame. It is also our belief that other programs expressed sincere interest in the rising star that also played for K-State.

However, his love for his alma-mater and the community of Manhattan proved to be too strong, and he just couldn’t walk away from a room full of guys that he has gotten to know so well, enjoys so much and loves so hard.

That is the kind of culture that Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman has created, but the best small example of that is the quarterback position. For that, Klein deserves a lot of credit. But don’t sleep on the talent that they possess and how elite of a system that the play-caller is crafting.

Jake Rubley/Getty

Adryan Lara: If I were to muster a pretty solid, educated guess, he is likely number four on the depth chart. However, Adryan Lara still carries a lot of arm talent as well. If he commits to the task more and more, you never know what may happen.

Avery Johnson: It is apparent that he is the most explosive of the quarterbacks, the fastest of the quarterbacks and the one that makes the most plays that makes one’s jaw drop to the floor. Having that see the light of day at the college level when Avery Johnson is still supposed to be in high school means he’s on the fast track to being special.

Jake Rubley: While he isn’t challenging to be the starting quarterback for K-State by any means, Jake Rubley continues to impress his coaches with his work ethic. His loyalty to the program is obvious, and he’s often described as one of the better teammates that has a bunch of friends on the team and on campus.

Will Howard: He is the unquestioned starting quarterback for the Wildcats and led Kansas State to a Big 12 championship a year ago. What is fascinating is how many of the assistant coaches and his teammates stated that Will Howard has taken his game to another level in the Spring.

REMAINING QUESTIONS

Two remaining questions come to mind when it comes to the K-State quarterback position.

The first would be whether or not Howard sees a dip in performance without his skill position outlets such as Kade Warner, Malik Knowles and Deuce Vaughn. That’s a lot of production that leaves that has been relied upon in the passing game.

Heck, Vaughn’s usage alone has been historically high.

With that being said, the entire starting offensive line returns with incredible depth behind them. Kansas State added exceptional transfers in Treshaun Ward and Keagan Johnson, Ben Sinnott came into his own last year and DJ Giddens should be ready for more of a spotlight, too.

Secondly, Klein has pointed out a few times that the back-up quarterback spot is unsettled. He was not ready to anoint it as Rubley or to rule out Johnson in his first year on campus. That is a role that won’t be determined until fall camp.

AREAS OF K-STATE STRENGTH

Specifically, the strength of the room is the talent across the board and having an All-Big 12 caliber player back under center after already having won a conference championship. No other team in the league has that.

Howard’s confidence should only be soaring more and more and we just saw last season how good of a player he can be when he believes in himself, his teammates, the throws, the system and what the offense is capable of when clicking.

The power of belief and confidence is enormous and underrated. Howard is a great example of that, and playing for Klein has only unlocked that more and more.

On top of that, it is probably the most talented group at one time that K-State has had since I began covering the team back in September of 2017.

Lara wasn’t a heralded recruit, but he stuns the staff and players on the team with some of the throws that he is able to make. He just lacks a bit of understanding and consistency to make that mundane rather than surprising.

He may not have the super arm like the others or be the super athlete that Johnson is, but Rubley is pretty solid in just about every area at this point of his career and should be more playable because of it. His familiarity and maturity are keys. The game has slowed down for him a bit.

And obviously, Howard bursted onto the scene last year and showed an ability to anticipate and make tough throws under pressure. Johnson has star written all over him if he continues to dive into everything head first and work at the same level as his special gifts.

Avery Johnson/Kansas State Athletics

PROJECTED OUTCOME

We know that Howard will be who takes the first snap in September. The only thing left necessarily to project is who takes the garbage time snaps, who enters the game if a helmet pops off and who does Klieman pick if an injury were to occur.

Look, not many teams in the country are lucky enough to play just one quarterback meaningful snaps for an entire season. Injuries are a part of the game, and I don’t know if I have ever covered a Kansas State football season without some kind of injury at the spot, even when they aren’t running it at least 15 times per game.

Just judging by comments, Avery Johnson is a sensational enough athlete that he is able to help a team that expects to compete for a Big 12 title. It won’t be as a full-time player when they have the luxury of playing Howard, but he can be lethal in the right moments with the ball in his hands.

At the same time, I think that the K-State coaches would still love to redshirt him if at all possible. Because of that, I’m not sure what they do on a case-by-case and situation-by-situation basis. Assuming no disasters, I’d be shocked if he played zero snaps but I’d also be shocked if he didn’t redshirt.

The post Kansas State Spring Football Review: Quarterback appeared first on On3.

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