Three and out: Recognition for Kansas State assistant
Kansas State ticket sales
Stop us if you have heard this before. Kansas State ticket sales are going through the roof. It was even acknowledged by both head coaches Chris Klieman and Jerome Tang. It is good to be on top of your game, and it certainly makes it even look better for athletics director Gene Taylor.
He is at the head of an athletic department that continues to hit lofty goals from both a donations and facilities standpoint, has already secured a contract extension for Klieman and has nearly done so for Tang as well.
There isn’t a lot left to check off on the bingo card.
Perhaps it was attendance, but they have seen a big boom on the volleyball and women’s basketball front as well in recent months. K-State football has already announced sellouts for the SEMO, Troy and TCU games.
The UCF game is on the verge of being a sellout, which would ensure full capacity for each of the first four home contests. The only remaining ones would be against Houston, Baylor and Iowa State during the latter half of the season.
Basketball-wise, Kansas State is within striking distance of selling out every game in Bramlage Coliseum. To be able to say that in August is clearly a massive accomplishment for the program and athletic department.
Porter achieves goal
As most know by now, one of the seven captains for K-State this football season is legacy Seth Porter. His father was former Wildcat kicker Mark Porter. Not only that, his brother Shane Porter is a walk-on receiver for Kansas State.
It’s definitely a family thing, which makes him becoming a captain even more storybook, memorable and emotional for the Porters. That is an accomplishment that is valued an incredible amount by a family that eats, sleeps and breathes K-State Wildcat football.
It is Seth’s sixth year in Manhattan wearing a Kansas State uniform. He had already graduated. Heck, he’s also already married. He could have easily began the next stage of his life. Instead, he wanted to embrace another year with the Wildcats and hopefully earn the opportunity to be a captain.
Mission accomplished.
Recognition for K-State assistant
As soon as we hired in Manhattan, we have lauded Chris Klieman and K-State for the hiring of new assistant Matthew Middleton. The receivers coach spent the last couple seasons at Kent State before initially being hired at USF.
At Kent State, he worked for brilliant offensive mind and head coach Sean Lewis, who is now the offensive coordinator for Deion Sanders at Colorado. Middleton was hired soon afterwards by the Bulls’ new head coach Alex Golesh.
Golesh was one of the masterminds and architects behind the high-powered offense at Tennessee under Josh Heupel. Those kinds of reputations and coaching trees having interest in Middleton perked our ears up about the new Kansas State assistant and it was only reinforced by those with knowledge at the time.
Sources specifically noted his relationship with Golesh and being impressive enough to work under him as being an obvious indicator that Middleton was a coach on the rise and an endorsement of his ability to improve and modernize offenses.
As shared in the tweet above, On3’s Matt Zenitz is hearing similar things about the path, upside and potential career trajectory for Middleton. Teaming him up with Collin Klein, Conor Riley, Brian Lepak and Brian Anderson on the K-State offensive staff is exciting to envision.
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