Special note: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, any junior or older on the team still has an extra (5th) year of eligibility at their disposal.

For example, Ismael Massoud and Nae'Qwan Tomlin are entering their fourth years of college basketball and are noted as "seniors". If they choose to do so, they could use their extra year of eligibility and be considered a "fifth year senior" in the 2023-2024 season.

Markquis Nowell, Desi Sills and Tykei Greene are the only Wildcats currently on the roster with only one year of eligibility remaining. Abayomi Iyiola enters as a sixth year senior since he redshirted (RS = used redshirt) his third season of college basketball.

Keyontae Johnson would normally be considered a fifth year senior, but he has a medical redshirt that could be used if he wants to play in the 2023-2024 season.

5th - Markquis Nowell, Desi Sills, Tykei Greene

SR -

JR - Anthony Thomas

SO - Cam Carter

FR - Dorian Finister

Newcomers (5): Cam Carter, Dorian Finister, Desi Sills, Tykei Greene, Anthony Thomas

Recruiting Outlook: With three guards exhausting all of their college eligibility after this upcoming season, reloading with at least three guards in the Class of 2023 makes sense.

Adding a transfer or two next offseason may also be prudent for Kansas State to inject some experience back into the 2023-2024 roster. Much of that decision might depend on how much Anthony Thomas progresses.

The Wildcats first two additions to the class are four-star guards, Dai Dai Ames and RJ Jones.

More targets include DeVeon Thomas (JuCo), Kaden Cooper, Comeh Emuobor, Darius Carr and Cameron Carr.

Projected Need: 3

Commits and/or Signees: Dai Dai Ames, RJ Jones

Targets in Class of 2023: Darius Carr, Kaden Cooper, Cameron Carr, Comeh Emuobor, DeVeon Thomas (JuCo)

5th -

SR - Ismael Massoud, Nae'Qwan Tomlin, Keyontae Johnson

JR - David N’Guessan

SO -

FR - Taj Manning

Newcomers (4): Taj Manning, Nae'Qwan Tomlin, David N'Guessan, Keyontae Johnson

Recruiting Outlook: Johnson, Massoud and Tomlin are seniors, but they could exercise their fifth year of eligibility in Manhattan if they choose to do so. Only one forward may be necessary, but they could fit in two if the spots are available.

Attrition could always make that number rise further, but we are a long way from that being a factor.

Mouhamed Dioubate and Macaleab Rich are the main targets at the moments. The way the staff is maneuvering infers they would happily add both if achievable.

Rich will visit K-State and other programs in September with a commitment at the end of that month. Dioubate has the Wildcats high on his list and will likely tour the campus sometime in the Fall.

Assane Diop will be a tough one to attain, but he possesses all of the traits Tang is looking for in the frontcourt.

Justin McBride is set to visit the Wildcats in mid-September. Similar to Diop, he's a hybrid at forward and in post that has maybe the best jumper out of all of these options.

Projected Need: 1 or 2

Commits and/or Signees: N/A

Targets in Class of 2023: Mouhamed Dioubate, Macaleab Rich, Assane Diop, Justin McBride

5th - Abayomi Iyiola (RS)

SR -

JR -

SO - Jerrell Colbert

FR -

Newcomers (2): Jerrell Colbert, Abayomi Iyiola

Recruiting Outlook: Abayomi Iyiola will be gone after this upcoming season, and his role will likely be handed down to Jerrell Colbert next year. Adding a high school big man to the Class of 2023 will be a priority.

Samson Aletan and Babacar Mbengue both bring different things to the post. Aletan is an enforcer, while Mbengue is a long athlete.

Baye Fall is a five-star the Wildcats and many other programs would love to add.

Okechukwu Okeke is a junior college target the Wildcats offered before anyone else. Other high major programs have caught on, adding some competition for his services.

Kendrick De Luna was the first big to receive a scholarship opportunity from the new staff. I have my doubts that they are still pursuing him at this point.

Projected Need: 1

Commits and/or Signees: N/A

Targets in Class of 2022: Samson Aletan, Baye Fall, Okechukwu Okeke (JuCo), Babacar Mbengue, Kendrick De Luna

FIFTH YEAR SENIORS (3): Desi Sills, Tykei Greene, Abayomi Iyiola

Evaluation: Jerome Tang wants instant success in his first season in Manhattan. That is what makes this trio some of the most important additions to the roster.

Desi Sills and Tykei Greene are the experienced guards necessary to compete at the highest level of college basketball, especially when combined with fellow fifth year senior, Markquis Nowell.

It isn't a guarantee that Sills and Greene will duplicate what Nijel Pack and Mark Smith brought to the table, but with steady improvement from Nowell, it should be enough. It will likely come down to how all three can shoot the basketball.

Sills had a down year from behind the arc at Arkansas State, Greene had a tremendous final season at Stony Brook filling it up from deep, and Nowell notched a three-point percentage lower than expected since transferring to Kansas State from Arkansas-Little Rock last year.

If Sills, Greene and Nowell can manage to shoot around 33 percent from deep as a group, it should give the Wildcats the firepower they are looking for on the perimeter. All three experienced guards are adept at getting to the rim.

Greene is bulky, long and strong enough he could fill the '4' in a pinch.

Then there is the Nigerian center, Abayomi Iyiola. He could be the anchor of the defense. He isn't flashy, but he's good enough around the rim offensively to be a serviceable scorer and his rebounding on that end should give K-State plenty of second chance opportunities.

FOURTH YEAR SENIORS (2): Nae'Qwan Tomlin, Keyontae Johnson

Evaluation: Part of the reason Texas Tech wanted Nae'Qwan Tomlin so badly was because Mark Adams felt he could be another Jarrett Culver. Culver was an excellent forward for the Red Raiders who won Big 12 player of the year in 2019 as a sophomore.

Will Tomlin live up to those kind of expectations for the Wildcats? Probably not, but it does shed some light on the kind of potential the junior college product could bring with him. He's a long, skilled and sits at 6-foot-9, a combination that is rarely found but always in demand.

He is skinny and needs to put on weight fast for the upcoming season. That is a challenge I think new strength and conditioning coach Phil Baier will embrace, but it won't be easy to quickly build his frame in the time given.

The other question is how quickly can Tomlin adjust to a much higher level of basketball. Going from junior college to a high major program isn't an easy task. Just ask junior college standout Rudi Williams, who struggled in his one and only year at Kansas State.

Williams ultimately had to transfer down to the mid-major level where he excelled. Sometimes it takes a year of experience to adjust to Division I basketball, especially when making such a leap to a high-major program like K-State.

Jerome Tang doesn't think his lanky forward even knows how good he can be. The ceiling for this season may hinge on how quickly Tomlin can unlock his potential so he can excel in the fast-moving and physical Big 12.

It is fair to say Keyontae Johnson is the best addition of the class. His All-SEC sophomore season at Florida speaks for itself.

He's a do it all forward. Johnson is efficient in every facet of the game. He will rarely force a three and he prefers using his quick first step to get by defenders for easy buckets at the rim. But if he's left open from distance, he will make the opposition pay at a high clip.

Johnson is a stout defender that is solid both along the perimeter and in the post. He uses his solid length to swat would be scorers at the rim. He's athletic and strong enough to effectively stay in front of ball handlers along the perimeter.

Of course, the former Gator will have to prove any doubts about his health and his game, considering he hasn't played organized basketball in almost two years.

JUNIORS (2): David N'Guessan, Anthony Thomas

Evaluation: Virginia Tech transfer forward David N'Guessan failed to see over 14 minutes per game in his two seasons with the Hokies. That largely played a role into why he was ready to find a new home.

Tang's system should suit the the length N'Guessan possesses, specifically on the defensive end. He can guard the '3' and the '4' using his quickness and strength to stay in front.

Although it isn't a large sample size, he should also be a reasonably good rebounder thanks to all of the traits already mentioned.

Offensively, he wasn't much of a shooter in Blacksburg. He preferred slashing to the rim and using force to get buckets. However, if he's left wide open from deep and doesn't see a clear path to the basket, he will let it fly with a decent looking shooting stroke.

At Kansas State, I imagine he will have plenty of wide-open corner three opportunities. The Wildcats will be in business if he can hit them at a solid clip.

Outside of Iyiola and Tomlin, Anthony Thomas might be the longest player on the team. He's also 6-foot-7 guard with a lot of potential to grow into a legitimate threat on both ends of the floor.

The junior college transfer is best on offense when he's attacking and punishing the rim. He's athletic with a good handle at his disposal.

Thomas' jumper could use some tweaking. He isn't the best shooter, but he has potential to be decent under the right direction and a willingness from him to put the work in.

The physical tools he has should be a perfect fit for both the '2' and the '3' in the no-middle defense we can expect K-State to implement. He's an impressive rebounder in the backcourt.

SOPHOMORES (2): Cam Carter, Jerrell Colbert

Evaluation: Cam Carter and Jerrell Colbert pack a lot of potential inside of very little experience. The guard has flashed a few times at Mississippi State while the big man struggled to ever see the floor in his one season with LSU.

Both will be expected to be immediate contributors this coming season.

Carter brings a unique trait of not having many weaknesses in his game. He's sound at all three levels offensively and is great with or without the ball in his hands. Although he possesses strong prowess as a scorer and playmaker, he also is known for stingy defense with a knack for creating turnovers.

What held Carter back from being a standout freshman with the Bulldogs? He was down the totem pole and wasn't asked to be a primary reserve along the perimeter. He simply didn't have the experience necessary to upend the veterans before him.

Out of high school, Colbert was known for his defense. He has yet to show much offensive ability outside of dunking the basketball, but he could expand his game into a forceful, slashing big man. If he can add some touch around the hoop, that will serve him well.

FRESHMAN (2): Dorian Finister, Taj Manning

Evaluation: In an ideal world, K-State would redshirt both Dorian Finister and Taj Manning. There is plenty of depth on the roster if that is the route the staff wants to go, but both freshman provide promise.

Finister is great at attacking the rim and playmaking for his teammates. It is his jumper that needs some work. He has good form, but he just needs to put countless shots up after practice to master the craft.

Finister has a big 6-foot-5 frame that Baier should have some fun molding. That will help him succeed on both ends of the floor.

The New Orleans native needs to improve at staying in front of ball-handlers if he wants to have a chance to see the floor early and often. Finister does have a tremendous ability to recover, using his athleticism to stuff would-be scorers at the rim.

Manning was an all-around power forward in high school. He could put the ball on the deck, hit mid-range jumpers and attack the glass with power. He's fairly athletic, and with more practice and strength, he should be able to fill in at the '3' and '4'.

The Kansas City native was a good rebounder and defender at the high school level.

One of the more intriguing nuggets we have heard in the offseason has been how impressed the staff have been with what Manning possesses and how he's progressed.