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MANHATTAN — Kansas State football was only five practices into its preseason camp, but Chris Klieman clearly has liked what he saw from his Wildcats in the opening week of preparation for their Aug. 31 opener against Tennessee-Martin.
The Wildcats, who finished 9-4 last year with a victory over North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, are ranked No. 17 in the preseason US LBM Coaches poll, and they were picked second in the expanded, 16-team Big 12.
Klieman, who is starting his sixth season as head coach, touched on a variety of topics Monday during his first news conference since the start of camp. Here is some of what he had to say.
Extra coaches on the field a welcome change
No longer are teams limited in the number of coaches that can be on the practice field, and Klieman said his team already is reaping the benefits.
Most notably, with offensive line coach Conor Riley taking over as offensive coordinator, it has allowed offensive analyst and former Wildcat lineman Drew Liddle (2010-14) to be more hands-on. Same with new special teams quality control coach Nate Kaczor, who brings years of experience as an NFL assistant.
Related: Big 12 Football Preseason Media Poll: Utah, Kansas State picked to finish top of league in 2024
Sep 23, 2023; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman claps after the Wildcats scored a touchdown during the first quarter against the UCF Knights at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
“Huge difference in the fact that you can split up a lot of things,” Klieman said. “Kaczor is a special teams guy and so he and I and Clint Brown (director of roster management) are doing a lot of special teams work. And having Drew Liddle come back, it was a really good time for us because … he gives Riles and opportunity to go, move…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kansas-state-football-coach-chris-224718810.html
Author : The Topeka Capital-Journal
Publish date : 2024-08-05 22:47:18
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