Although Kansas State will participate in the Rate Bowl on Dec. 26, the off-season will begin before that.
The timing of that bowl game and the transfer portal opening presents a unique and interesting situation for Kansas State's coaches, who will have to balance bowl preparation with retooling their roster for the 2025 season.
Last season, the Wildcats were active in the transfer portal, adding ten new players. Those new additions were headlined by starting left tackle Easton Kilty (North Dakota), running back Dylan Edwards (Colorado), and backup quarterback Ta'Quan Roberson (UConn).
The Wildcats will likely take a similar approach this season, adding immediate impact players in the transfer portal. That means Kansas State will likely have a smaller transfer portal class, much like last season.
That approach comes from head coach Chris Klieman's focus on building through the high school ranks and not looking for quick fixes in the transfer portal. Kansas State has long preferred developing high school prospects over multiple years and not changing their entire roster every season.
"If I ever go and say, 'I'm going to quick fix this and flip that to 23 transfers and four high school kids, I'll do something else," Klieman said during Early Signing Day. "I got to do something else because I still believe in developmental kids."
With the transfer portal opening, here are some key dates, rules, and storylines to know.
Dates to Know
Dec. 9, 2024: The transfer portal officially opens for every player in college football.
Dec. 28, 2024: The winter transfer portal period officially closes.
Jan. 15, 2024: The "hard" deadline to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft
Feb. 5, 2025: National Signing Day for unsigned players.
April 16, 2025: The spring transfer portal period opens for athletes.
April 25, 2025: The spring transfer portal period closes for athletes
Rules to Know
The 105 roster limit rule...
College football teams are preparing for a change in roster sizes due to significant changes in the $2.8 million House v. NCAA settlement. The pending agreement would set roster size limits for every Division I NCAA-sponsored sport, including football.
Should the settlement go through, football roster limits would cap at 105 players, a significant decrease from the average of 121 players on college football rosters in 2023-24. This would mean a reduction in walk-ons and could signify additional movement via the transfer portal.
Chris Klieman is not a fan of the rule and voiced his displeasure during his Early Signing Day press conference last week.
"There's not one coach that I know of that I'm close with in the Big 12 that thinks 105 is a great idea," he said. "We don't have any control over that. It's losing opportunities for kids. And I hope the division two and FCS schools really benefit from it because it will hurt the schools that you and I all know about that count on these guys."
Players can commit at any time...
The dates listed above are just for players entering the transfer portal. NCAA rules do not prevent athletes from committing to schools outside of those proposed dates. As a result, you'll see players commit to school in January, even though the transfer portal is closed.
Players can enter the transfer portal anytime if their head coach leaves...
If a head coach leaves a particular school for whatever reason, the transfer portal will open for 30 days for athletes on that team. With a College Football Playoff starting on Dec. 20, that rule could signify late entries into the transfer portal that could intrigue Kansas State.
Which Kansas State players have entered the transfer portal so far?
Although the transfer portal just opened, multiple Kansas State players have announced their intentions to enter it.
Storylines to Watch
Will DJ Giddens enter the NFL Draft?...
Viewed as a potentially early NFL Draft by most experts, running back DJ Giddens is a major storyline heading into the offseason. At the time of writing, Giddens has not announced his intentions to enter the NFL Draft, and Kansas State is pushing to keep Giddens for another season. His decision could have ripple effects for multiple players on their roster, including other running backs.
How many starters will Kansas State lose to the portal?...
Like every program in college football, Kansas State will lose players viewed as starters for next season. Last year, safety Kobe Savage and cornerback Will Lee III were starters who chose to enter the transfer portal.
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