Drew dives deep into the defensive end unit. Can someone emerge from the pack?
Originally this was supposed to be a defensive line preview, but I got carried away with nose tackles and decided to split things up. If you missed the nose tackle preview you can find it here.
2024 Kansas State Defensive End Unit
As I said in the nose tackles preview, the only real question I have about this defense is up front in the trenches. The linebackers are good, the secondary could be elite, but the front 3 (or 4) were a problem last season, and I’m going to need to see some proof that it’s not a problem this season.
In Kansas State’s base 3-3-5 stack, defensive ends need to hold up at the point of attack in the run game and provide some of the pass rush. Unlike a 4-man front, the rush can come from the defensive end spot, but it can also come from the second, or third level. Starting the play with 3-linemen allow you to get creative with your blitz packages. I’m getting a little too far into the weeds in terms of scheme, if you’re interested, I’ll be writing more about that in a future article.
The ‘Cats have plenty of options at defensive end this season, but there are plenty of questions that need to be answered as well.
The Known
Brendan Mott – Sr. – 6’5”, 244
Getting Mott back for a Super Senior 6th year was as big as any potential portal player Coach Klieman and company could have landed. The 2023 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention end is back for one last run. Word is he’ll be fully vested in the pension plan by the end of the year.
Last season Mott started every game, recorded 27 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. He was… fine. He didn’t quite live up to his 2022 season where he played Robin to King Felix’s Batman and racked up 6 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. Life was easier for Mott when he had a first round NFL draft pick holding down the other defensive end spot, but that was to be expected.
Brendan is an all-action, play every down like it’s his last, type of player. He’s plenty athletic, I don’t want it to sound like he’s not, but when he gets home, it’s usually because he outworks someone. In the pass rush, he keeps going until the ball is gone. He uses his long arms to create separation, and he just keeps going. Not only does the offensive line not get any plays off with Mott on the field; they don’t get part of any play off.
His issue is holding up in the run game, he’s tall and lean for a defensive end in this scheme and guards can occasionally get under his pads and take him for a ride. He works hard at the point of attack but can be physically overwhelmed by big offensive linemen.
Last season, in my humble opinion, he played too many snaps. His relentless effort is a killer late in games if he’s fresh, but he was just as tired as everyone else at the end of games. You can only dial it up to 11 for so many snaps before you’ve got to start dialing back. His return was crucial, but I’m hoping to see him less on the field, but more in the stat sheet, if that makes sense.
Luckily, Kansas State is in a better place to keep him fresh this season.
The Somewhat Known
Cody Stufflebean – Sr. – 6’4”, 257
Like Mott, it feels like I’ve been writing about Stufflebean for over a decade. I remember covering his commitment back in 2019 when he was a tight end. After switching over to defensive end at the of 2021 he saw snaps in every game in 2022, mostly on special teams. Last season he was on the field every game again, this time as a reserve defensive end. Now, in his 5th season in the program, it looks like he’s going to get the chance to run out with the first team defense.
In 2023 he amassed 19 tackles, 2.5, tackles for loss and 2 sacks. His stat line was greatly aided by his performance against Baylor where he slipped into a fugue state and put up 4 tackles and 2 sacks while having an out-of-body experience. They need that version of Stufflebean on a regular basis this season.
When paired with Mott, Stufflebean is generally the strong side defensive end. His elite skill is strength, in fact, he’s one of the strongest players on the team. He’s got heavy hands and won’t hesitate to rock an offensive lineman at the point of attack if given the opportunity. He’s a better run defender than pass rusher, as opposed to Mott, who’s a better pass rusher than run defender.
Outside of the Baylor game last year, he hasn’t been particularly disruptive. That’s fine in this scheme, but Mott (or whoever is rushing from the opposite side) could really use a solid back board to rush against. Stufflebean doesn’t have to get sacks, but he does need to control his lineman and keep the quarterback in the pocket for Mott or a blitzer to polish off.
Like Mott, I like Stufflebean as a starter, but I also like him in a time share. He’s not the guy you want of the field chasing down a quarterback on 3rd and long. Luckily, the Wildcats have other guys capable of that task, and Cody should be able to focus his energy into stopping the run.
Strong Guys
Travis Bates – 6’3”, 265 – R-So. (Austin Peay Transfer)
Bates is the new guy on the block, transferring to K-State after one year at Austin Peay, where he was named a Freshman All-American by Phil Steele (for what that’s worth). He put up 32 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks for the Governors and clearly stood out on film as the best player on the defensive line.
It’s going to be hard to keep Bates off the field this season, especially against run heavy teams. Like Stufflebean, he’s strong at the point of attack, but he might be a little quicker, it’s hard to tell because the level of opponents the two have played is vastly different.
One advantage in playing Bates (you can do this with Stufflebean to some extend as well), is at a strong 265, a linebacker can slap him on the rear end and send him down a spot on the line, and suddenly he’s a 3-Tech defensive tackle flanked by a speed rushing linebacker. I like his pass rush skills against guards more than I like them against tackles and I wouldn’t expect to see this look on many downs that indicate run (again, more on this in a future article).
Look for Bates early and often this season, it would not surprise me to see him starting or at least getting an “or” designation on the depth chart by the end of the season.
Chiddi Obiazor – 6’6”, 282 – R-Fr.
Obiazor looks like a strong side defensive end in a 3-3-5. He’s tall, heavy, and like Bates and Stufflebean, has the ability to shift inside when the occasion calls for more pass rush. Out of everyone I’ve mentioned thus far, if you’re looking for the potential NFL talent, this is the dude. He’s big, he’s strong, and moves startlingly well for a man of his stature.
Long term, I love his potential, but the guys in front of him on the depth chart have shown it on the field already. Obiazor got a taste last season, appearing in 3 games, including the Pop Tart Bowl where he was credited for half a tackle for loss. I don’t think the staff can keep him off the field much longer, and he’s another guy that could see his minutes increase as his experience increases over the course of the season.
Balanced Guys
Jordan Allen – 6’4”, 258 – R-Fr.
Allen, a former high school linebacker and receiver out of Olathe South was considered the 3rd best recruit in the state of Kansas in the 2023 recruiting class. Last season he had the opportunity to sit, watch, and work out during his redshirt season, adding an additional 8 pounds.
No one has seen Allen play in an actual game since high school, but he certainly looks the part. Athletically, he may be one of the best the Wildcat’s have at end. I’m not sure this is his year, but I expect he’ll pick up some playing time to get him ready for next season when the starting jobs are both wide open.
Ryan Davis – 6’4”, 252 – R-Fr.
Coming to Manhattan by way of Phoenix, Arizona and Sandra Day O’Connor high school, Davis is another player the coaching staff is eager to get on the field after he packed on almost 30 pounds during his redshirt year. That’s some serious eating and lifting folks, and a good example of what happens when you get an athletic 18-year-old into a high-level lifting program backed up with proper nutrition. I’m going to guess no one wanted to be in an elevator with Ryan because you know he was crushing more protein on a daily basis than most people consume in a month.
I don’t know what to expect from Davis, he’s a totally different player than the one K-State recruited in 2023. He’s been mentioned by the coaching staff as a player that has excelled in camp. I’ve got him listed as a “balanced” defensive end, but I’ve got a feeling I could also put him in the speed rusher category. If he moves anywhere close to as well as he did at 225, now that he weighs upwards of 250, the ‘Cats could have a steal on their hands.
Buzz around camp is Davis might see the field sooner, rather than later.
Donovan Reiman – 6’4”, 258 -R-So.
Reiman, like Ryan Davis, has blown up, in terms of size, over his two seasons in Manhattan, going from 237 to 258. It feels like Donovan needs to make a move this year with multiple talented players coming off redshirts and desperate for minutes. He moves well and has put the work in, in the weight room. Now it’s time to see if he can put it all together. Minutes will be at a premium, but he’s capable of providing support of the bench while he positions himself for the dog fight at the position in 2025.
Kian Payne – 6’3”, 250 – Fr.
Almost certainly heading for a redshirt, Payne was found money for the ‘Cats after convincing the Kansas 4A Defensive Player to walk on instead of taking a scholarship at North Dakota State. It’s not often you land a recruit considered a 3*(86) prospect and the 10th best player in Kansas by 247 Sports for free. I’m sure he’ll be first in line for an available scholarship, but still, this was an impressive job by the staff.
Situational Pass Rusher?
The defensive end position doesn’t have to generate all the heat in this defense but having a guy capable of coming off the bench fresh on 3rd and long to heat up the quarterback isn’t a bad thing.
Tobi Osunsanmi – 6’3”, 248 – So.
If Joe Klanderman has a flamethrower to bring off the bench, it’s got to be Osunsanmi. The former 4* star linebacker out of East High School in Wichita has completely transformed his body after arriving in Manhattan as a slim 215-pound outside linebacker who looked more like a safety than a defensive lineman.
You don’t find many collegiate defensive ends that have a state championship medal in the 4×100 meter dash and spent more time playing in the secondary than the defensive line in high school.
If the defense can figure out how to weaponize Tobi off the edge (my kingdom for Osunsanmi lined up as a standup pass rusher in a 4-man pass rush front), generating heat on the quarterback should be significantly easier. The roster has plenty of prototypical 3-man front defensive ends, but Osunsanmi brings something totally different to the pass rush.
Overall
Unlike nose tackle, I’m confident in the team finding solid production and depth at defensive end. The defensive staff says they’re going to play 7 defensive ends. That seems a bit optimistic in competitive games, but I could easily see this group go 5 deep in competitive games, with an additional two ends in reserve capable of stepping up and filling a void in the rotation if there is an injury without any drop off.
The depth is there, top-end talent is question.
Mott and Stufflebean are great hard-nosed college players, but there’s a reason they’re still on the roster this far into their careers. They can play on my team any day. You can win with them, and Kansas State has won games with them, but this defense is different when they can generate pressure with the front 3 and neither have shown to be dynamic pass rushers. One of the young defensive ends need to step up and stake their claim on both the future and the present at defensive end. Best case scenario, one of the young guns eventually overtakes a projected starter — not because of injury or poor play from the starter, but because the staff has no choice but to start the young guy because he leaves them no choice.
Right now, I see this unit as perfectly functional with the chance to be something more as the season progresses.