By now, it’s pretty obvious that players such as Tysyn Hartman, Arthur Brown and Collin Klein are excelling at Kansas State’s voluntary summer workouts. All three have been voted captains by their teammates, and all three were invited to Dallas for Big 12 Media Days by coach Bill Snyder.
But what about the players further down the depth chart? What about some newcomers? Who came into the offseason flying under the radar (excuse the cliche) but now has a chance to turn a few heads during games?
I asked those questions earlier this week, and came away with a handful of answers.
On the offensive line … “A lot of guys are working hard up front,” said Klein, a junior quarterback. “Clyde Aufner, B.J. Finney, Colten Freeze, I could go on and on.”
Aufner started eight games a year ago at tackle and as a senior should be one of the leaders on K-State’s line. Finney received great reviews from teammates at the end of spring practices. I will be surprised if he doesn’t start at center as a redshirt freshman. Freeze played in all 13 games last season in a reserve role, but could make a run at starting right guard this year.
At wide receiver … “Sheldon Smith has had a really good summer,” Klein said.
You may remember Smith as the breakout star of K-State’s spring game. The senior wide out caught five passes for 138 yards and a touchdown.
Freshman receiver Tyler Lockett has also earned his share of praise the last few weeks. He obviously has the proper last name to contribute at K-State, but the 5-foot-11, 170-pound freshman has said he will likely redshirt and use his freshman season to bulk up. Has that plan changed?
“We’ll have to see,” said Hartman a senior safety. “There’s a lot of skill at wide receiver, that’s probably one of our most competitive positions. He’s got his weight up. You look at it and we’ve got Tramaine Thompson and Brandon Banks that played here and have done well — and David Garrett. Size (hasn’t been an issue).”
At defensive back … “Kip Daily, he’s … athletic, good football IQ and a good guy as well,” said Hartman.
Daily comes to K-State from a familiar destination — Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. In junior college, he recorded 37 tackles and grabbed five interceptions. The junior will compete for playing time right away alongside Garrett at cornerback.
