The Wildcats host the Skyhawks in the 2024 season opener.
Welcome back, Wildcats. You have survived yet another long summer — though not quite as long as usual thanks to the BatCats playing into June for the first time sine 2013. The countdown is over, all the previews are done. It’s time for Kansas State Wildcats football.
The 2023 season was a bit of a letdown after returning a large number of players from a team that won the Big 12 Championship in 2022. But the Cats still capped off an 8-4 regular season with an impressive 28-19 win over NC State in the Pop Tarts Bowl.
Maybe the most impressive thing was that the Wildcats won that bowl game while essentially hamstringing themselves by refusing to let Avery Johnson, the first K-State true freshman QB to win a bowl game, use his running abilities for fear that he might get hurt with no real backup options available. But with a new season brings a new depth chart. Everyone is healthy, everyone is available. There will be no limits put on Johnson, or DJ Giddens, or anyone else on the Wildcats offense.
2024 also brings something else crazy and new. For the first time since 1988, the Wildcats will enter a season without someone on the roster or on-field coaching staff with any ties to Bill Snyder. Collin Klein left Manhattan for Texas A&M before the bowl game, and he was replaced on staff by Matt Wells. Wells has been coaching college football since the late-90’s, and had a successful stint as the head coach at Utah State from 2013-2018, including tutoring Green Bay Packers starting QB Jordan Love, before jumping to the big leagues and taking the Texas Tech job for the 2019 season (he was also considered a candidate for the K-State job that season). Wells was never a great fit out in west Texas, and despite a 5-3 record, was fired 8 games into the 2021 season (after a 1-point home loss to K-State).
And so after a couple years as an analyst in Norman, Wells brings his offensive prowess to Manhattan, and has already drawn rave reviews from the players in spring practice. He’s joined calling the offense by Conor Riley, who has earned his stripes leading one of the best offensive line units in college football over the past several years.
This is the start of a big year for K-State. With so many new starters, expect some rocky times. Johnson starts his first season as the full-time starter. There’s basically a whole new offensive line (though it brings back a lot of starts and snaps, just not as this starting 5). There’s new options at receiver and running back, though stars from last year do return. So no matter what, it’s going to be different at K-State this year.
And we haven’t even talked about the defense. But a lot more returns on that side of the ball, all the coaches are back, a lot of the starters return to a defense that’s finally hitting it’s stride heading into Joe Klanderman’s 4th season as the defensive coordinator. There are still new faces and new starters, but the Mob defense should keep right on rolling in 2024.
The Wildcats open the 2024 campaign against the Skyhawks of UT Martin. The Skyhawks, a FCS program, finished the 2023 season with an 8-3 overall record and a 5-1 record in conference play that gave them a share of the Big South-OVC conference crown, but lost the auto-bid to the playoffs to Garder-Webb. They are a solid program, winning at least a share of the conference crown each of the last three seasons, and went two games into the FCS playoffs in 2021. Head coach Jason Simpson enters his 19th season as head coach, all at UT-Martin, with an overall record of 115–87 and just two non-Covid seasons under .500. They aren’t one of the Dakota schools, but they won’t exactly be a pushover either. Expect a fight, at least early, and a team that’s not going to lay down when things get a little tough.
Regardless, this is a game that K-State should win, and win handily. But don’t be surprised if the score doesn’t reflect that until later in the game.
We’ve got a 6:00pm CT kickoff for the 2024 season opener from Bill Snyder Family Stadium being streamed on ESPN+ with Mark Neely (Play-by-Play) and Ahman Green (Analyst) on the call.
If you don’t have ESPN+, the game can be heard across the 28-station K-State Sports Network with Wyatt Thompson (play-by-play), former K-State quarterback Stan Weber (analyst), and Matt Walters (sidelines) calling the action. The game will also be on SiriusXM Satellite Radio Ch. 160 or 198, and available online at K-Statesports.com. Live stats are also available at k-statesports.com, and social media updates (@KStateFB) will also be a part of the coverage.
Go Cats!