Chris Klieman spoke with the media today as part of Kansas State's first Spring Football press conference. In our 'He said, we say," piece we break down what Klieman said - quote by quote - to look for meaning.
NOTE: There is some level of paraphrasing used on all of these quotes from Klieman. A full, accurate transcript will also be provided later.
Question: Any areas where you are ahead or behind of what you expected?
He Said: I was really pleased with the improvement from day one to day two from what they expected from us in practice.
We Say: Good question, but as Klieman mentioned early in this quote it's hard to judge performance at a high level two practices in. The encouraging part is hearing players have adjusted to a new practice style as quickly as Klieman perceives.
Question: On the running back situation...
He Said: We have some bodies here. We're excited about the bodies we do have. We have some guys walking on with really good ability as well. It's a work in progress. We have guys battling for roster spots, playing time, etc. I'm not worried about scholarship guys or non-scholarship guys.
We Say: More help is certainly on the way, but it's also wise to not discourage walk-on types from believing they have a shot at earning time in this program.
Question: On the Spring Showcase...
He Said: I haven't done a Spring Game in years. I think that may be getting to be a thing of the past in college football. If you look at the injury report, we don't have enough corners to practice right now. There will still be contact on that day.
We Say: He talked a lot throughout the presser about not having enough healthy bodies in the defensive backfield to really play a Spring Game, and I think that had a major impact on this decision.
Question: On Skylar Thompson and not having to find a quarterback this spring...
He Said: It's huge to have that. I really like his ability, his leadership and how excited he is to learn our system and attack it.
We Say: K-State is fortunate to not have to be searching for its starting quarterback or trying to find an offensive leader while also putting a new system in place and starting from scratch from a personnel knowledge perspective. I like that they aren't trying to "create" a competition at quarterback. Everybody on campus knows Thompson is the best option, and it's nice to not pretend otherwise for the sake of creating a battle.
Question: On true freshman QB Jaren Lewis arriving this spring...
He Said: It's really important for him to be able to jump start this. I like his confidence, his swagger. It's not over-confidence, but he's confident in his ability. I've seen some really good things in two days. He's not engulfed by the moment. He throws a really nice ball, and I'm excited for Jaren.
We Say: If forced to place a bet, I'd guess Lewis will end up Thompson's backup at some point this season. Not because of anything said in this quote, but the words said by Klieman and QB Coach Collin Klein today did nothing to hurt my opinion there.
Question: On the receivers...
He Said: They're really athletic. They're really competitive getting off the line. There's healthy competition between the receivers and the DBs. You've got Dalton (Schoen), you've got (Hunter) Rison... (Isaiah) Zuber isn't out there due to injury, but you've got a lot of guys and competition on there. Zuber is recovering from hip surgery. I'm not worried about what he did or didn't do in the past, we're moving forward on him. I know he's excited about getting healthy for starters.
We Say: I'd say no individual position group received more praise today, from Klieman or his assistants, than wide receiver. Younger receivers such as Hunter Rison and Malik Knowles will have every chance to earn starting roles with this group.
Question: On naming captains...
He Said: We have 10 team leaders who have taken us through winter conditioning, and I've had some meetings to talk about culture things with them I'm excited about. We won't talk about captains until the fall, however.
We Say: No rush to do this, which seems wise. These guys will separate themselves at some point soon enough, if they haven't already.
Question: On injuries...
He Said: Isaiah Zuber and Brock Monty are not participating in anything the spring. Everybody else is doing at least something. I don't have the list, but there are a lot of guys who wouldn't be able to play in a scrimmage or game. I know it's in the double digits.
We Say: If nothing else, we know this staff will be much more willing to discuss injury situations with the media, which means they will to fans, as well.
CLICK HERE for a collection of videos from K-State's assistant coaches made available to the media today.
