KSO VIDEO: 8.20.19 Klieman presser w/transcript

Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman met with the media today to provide a variety of updates from fall camp.

CHRIS KLIEMAN, HEAD COACH

Opening Statement…

“Good afternoon everybody. I’m excited to be getting closer to game week. Just finished practice this morning. Coaches are up watching and looking at the film. We’ve transitioned over a little bit this week to doing some Nicholls work. We’re still doing quite a bit of K-State/K-State, and battling the ones against the ones, just limiting that a little bit more. And just spending some more quality time with some scout team work, getting our preparation continued on for Nicholls. The guys have been working really hard. I’m pleased with where we’re at. We still have a lot of work to do, but we still about eight practices to get this all ironed out and ready to go so we can put our best foot forward on August 31. I know the guys are excited about getting a chance to play, but more importantly, they know we have to continue to attack each day and continue to progress on a daily basis so that we are ready to play because we still have some work to do in all areas — offense, defense and (special) teams. I’m pleased in our leadership. We have a bunch of exceptional seniors and juniors that are doing a really good job of challenging the guys on a daily basis to give more and to be their best. For us to be where we want to be, we have to continue to improve on a daily basis. Today was a great practice. I thought the guys had great energy and focus. Now, the challenge is to stack another good one on their tomorrow.”

On the enthusiasm of the team…

“The guys are excited to compete and go out and play every day. I’ve been really happy with the effort on a daily basis to come out there and continue to try and improve. They know they’re learning something from our schemes every day, learning something from a coach every day on how to do a technique. It’s all new to them, that’s the thing I’ve enjoyed. They’re really sponges. They want to improve and continue to get better. They know we’re barely scratching the surface of what we’re doing offensively and defensively, and for us to stay on that trajectory to be where we want to be, we have to continue each day to get better. They’re excited to improve every day.”

On his biggest concerns and highlights in fall camp...

“The one or two of our biggest concerns right now are us detailing things every day. I think, broad perspective, understanding offensive and defensive schemes, I think we’re doing a great job, and that’s a positive. But we have to continue to detail our work, detail an alignment, an assignment, detail a footwork, a hand placement, whatever it may be. That’s where we still have to continue to try to push each other to be better. I like where we’re at, but not it’s just detailing, whether it’s a specific play, a technique, and not just offensively and defensively, but special teams as well. We’re by no means ready to go, but I like the enthusiasm and how eager the guys are to learn.”

On fullback Adam Harter’s status…

“Adam’s going to be lost for the season. He had a knee injury a couple of weeks ago. It was his first day back. He had some hamstring issues throughout the summer, and, unfortunately for Adam, he was injured, kind of a non-contact deal in practice and he’ll miss the season. We’re trying to figure out where that will be as far as getting his senior year back.”

On if Adam Harter’s injury hurts the depth at tight end and fullback…

“It does, but at least we have the time to figure it all out. Everyone that’s a tight end is also a fullback, from (Nick) Lenners to Logan Long to Blaise (Gammon) to Sammy (Wheeler) to Luke Sowa. We’re throwing Jax Dineen in the mix as well. There’s so many bodies back there now. We have the time. It’s unfortunate that Adam was injured, but it’s not like it’s happened two days before the game. So, we have a number of guys that we’ll keep rotating through.

There’s not going to be a set, ‘The only thing you are is a tight end and the only thing you are is a fullback.’ We have to continue to push the guys and see how much they can absorb and understand to play multiple spots. It’ll be a revolving door there, but a lot of guys are going to play, too.”

On being able to reflect on lessons learned being a head coach the last five years…

“I’m learning stuff every day, whether it’s about our team — that’s the main thing — because I’m still getting to know these guys. Every day I’m learning a little bit more. I think all of our coaches learn a little bit more about these guys, of their skillsets especially, the things we need to do to put them in positions to be successful. But, once again, we as a staff are really pleased with the effort, the energy. The guys are busting their tail to try to learn what we’re doing.”

On linebacker Cody Fletcher’s status…

“He’s got a lower-leg injury. I think Fletch will probably miss, maybe, two more weeks. Is he going to miss the first game? I would say he would. The second game, I think there’s potential he could be back. It’s one of those things we’re going to evaluate again probably between week one and week two.”

On the linebacker depth…

“We’re rotating three guys right now in there a lot: Elijah (Sullivan), Da’Quan (Patton) and Daniel Green. Those are the three guys that are rotating. Nick Allen’s in that rotation as well. We’re pushing those top three guys to learn multiple positions. Eli is playing both positions. Daniel Green is focusing more on Mike, and Da’Quan is focusing more on Will backer, and Nick can play both spots as well. We’re fortunate that we’re not losing Cody for very long. It’s a marathon and not a sprint, so we need to be smart with him. Then, we can still swing Eric Gallon back and forth between linebacker and defensive end. We’re probably a little bit more thin on special teams just because Fletch was a starter on all four teams, so we’re trying to even out and divvy out those reps on special teams.”

On his feelings for special teams...

“I feel really good. We’re doing a really good job. We have Stanton Weber who’s a quality control coach for us, and obviously Sean (Snyder) is still helping us with quality control. Those guys, using their expertise, to the coaches that are responsible for each unit, has been really productive. I feel really good where we’re at with special teams, especially where we were at the first of August to where we’re at now. We’ve made really good strides and really good leaps. Devin Anctil is a phenomenal punter, and I look forward to him having an All-American-type season. Blake Lynch is doing a great job kicking field goals and has a lot of confidence. We’re rotating two snappers. Wes (Burris) and Randen (Plattner) are both snapping. I think those two competing against each other has helped raise both their levels of play up. I like Phillip Brooks as a punt returner, kick returner. Jordon Brown can do both. Malik Knowles can do both. We have enough depth there. We’re just continuing to find more depth as far as across the board on the punt and cover guys on kickoff. We’re continuing to move guys around so we can find more talent, more depth, and that’s where you might see some younger players, whether they’re redshirt freshman or freshman, get an opportunity on special teams. We don’t have a depth chart yet on all those teams. We’re getting closer, but we’re working a lot of guys in on both units.”

On his general philosophy for selecting return men…

“We look at all of them. Walt can do it. AJ Parker can do it as well. But, we may try a couple different guys back there. Phil (Phillip Brooks) has done it before, and I feel confident with him. It’s always needing to create depth on the return game. So, we’ll use all the skill guys.”

On the importance of hiring Collin Klein…

“He knows the program exceptionally well, and he knows what it takes to be a K-State Wildcat. The pride that he has in being a former player here, everybody sees that. All the guys that are new, coaching-wise, they see what Collin brings. There’s just not a better person than Collin Klein. I have so much respect for him, not only as a quarterbacks coach but as a man. I love sitting in on some of the quarterback meetings because I like the way he details everything for those quarterbacks. He’s coaching them on the big picture, but then he’s pulling it down and really hitting the details, whether it’s mechanics, coverages, footwork. Him being part of the staff has made it a lot easier on all of us coaches that are new because we can ask him (questions). Collin’s done a phenomenal job, and I’m really excited he’s on our staff.”

On what pleases him about the offense...

“The fact that Skylar is really running the show and feels more and more comfortable on a daily basis of getting us in and out of the right situation, changing a play at the line of scrimmage, communication that he has with the tight ends and receivers, if we have to check something at the line of scrimmage. I’m really pleased with all those senior offensive linemen. They’ve really stepped up. I think we’re really playing as one on the offensive line, and I think that’s critical. When you have five seniors that are in the mix playing on the offensive line, whether they’ve played a lot together or you throw Evan Curl, who hasn’t played as much. Evan’s really stepped up his game, and I’ve been really pleased to watch Evan join that group of guys that are playing really well. For us to be successful on offense, it’s going to start with those offensive linemen and Skylar. Those six guys have to play really well. And we can’t put everything on Skylar’s shoulders. We need to spread some of that leadership out among the offensive linemen. I’ve been pleased with Scott (Frantz) and Tyler (Mitchell) and Adam (Holtorf) for taking some of that leadership role on and alleviating some of that from Skylar. Offensively, I’ve been really pleased with where they’re at.”

On conditioning...

“There’s different levels of conditioning. Our guys are taking so many reps with the double-rep system. We’re averaging over 70-80 team reps on each field, so some of the guys are taking 60 of the 80 plays. They’re playing a full game every time they’re out there. They’re still conditioning after practice, based on (if) defense has loafs if they’re not running to the football, they’re going to condition. Offensively, if they have turnovers, they’re going to condition. If you asked the guys the amount of repetitions they’re getting, they’re playing a full game out there every practice.

On the flip side of that, with the double-rep system, you have to be smart because you have to get these guys’ legs back, too. That’s something we’ll do beginning later on this week. We still have a couple really hard practices ahead of us, but we need to get these guys’ legs back. They’re in great shape. Coach (Chris) Dawson and his staff did a phenomenal job throughout the summer of getting them in shape to play football. Now, I think our staff has done a great job of getting them in football condition to make sure they’re ready to play games. Now, we have to start toning some things back because we have to make sure our guys are fresh come August 31.”

On starting from ground zero with culture and system…

“It’s been fun because you’re trying to implement what you believe in, what you know and what you know works into a culture where they’ve already had success. They’ve had tremendous leadership from Coach Snyder when he was here. It’s just flipping the switch and trying to learn the way we do things. I’ve been fortunate because Scottie was part of our staff at North Dakota State and Mess (Courtney Messingham) was there, so you have the leaders on each side of the ball that know what we’re looking for. When I say, ‘We’re looking for,’ I mean all of us as a staff. We’re all in this together of what we’re looking for from how we do things and how we detail things, not only at practice, but, more importantly, in the walk throughs and the position meetings and unit meetings. That’s how you’re building this culture and building the cohesiveness between the units offensively and defensively is those leaders. I couldn’t be more pleased with what Coach Hazelton and Coach Mess are doing to lead their units. Then, on top of that, we have such great assistants that have tremendous knowledge, tremendous experience. Coach Haze and Coach Mess are so good about saying, ‘I want to know what your guys’ input is. I want to have your input and put your stamp on some things,’ and they’re allowing that to happen in those unit meetings. It’s a daily grind, and we’re continuing to improve on a daily basis, but I’m so pleased with where we’re at with the staff and how we’ve come together and started to continue to build the culture.”

On the players transitioning philosophies...

“I don’t know all the things that had transpired before. I think offensively, we probably shift, trade, motion a little bit more than what has been done in the past, but there’s some gap scheme, there’s some zone scheme. There’s some continuity there of things offensively. Defensively, it’s a little bit different, with the things that Coach (Scottie) Hazelton and I believe in and the defensive staff. We’re more of a Tampa 2 system now, as opposed to what they did in the past. In the past, it was more quarters based, and now it’s more two-deep based and more hard corners and different blitz packages and things that Coach Hazelton and I have done throughout the years, dating back to when we were at North Dakota State. That’s different from what these guys did in the past. When you’re a two-high defense, you’re a two-high defense, and they were a two-high before and we’re still a two-high now, but it’s just different ways of doing things. You take that across the landscape of offense, defense and special teams, and the terminology is just so different. That’s where we have to make sure and understand what was a term last year could mean the same, but here’s what it’s called this year, and that’s where we’re still working through some things. The guys have done a phenomenal job of learning the term terminology and utilizing it so that they’re talking Coach (Joe) Klanderman’s language in the back end of safeties, rather than what it was in the past, and that’s always a work in progress.”

On how defensive tackle Eli Huggins is forcing the staff’s hand from a playing time standpoint…

“The way he plays, the way he competes, the way he practices. He goes against (Adam) Holtorf and (Tyler) Mitchell and those guys inside and does a great job. We need him to be an effective player for us, and it allows us to have more depth on the defensive line. I’ve been really big on rotating defensive linemen and keeping them fresh. Whether you’re playing a 60-play game or a 90-play game - which we don’t want to play but we may have to at times - you need to have four or five or six defensive tackles being able to rotate in there. Eli has done a phenomenal job of adding himself into that mix with a bunch of seniors, and then you throw Drew Wiley in there as well. I’m still pleased with the depth that we have, both at the D-Tackle and D-End spot.”

On practicing on the grass fields more than the stadium…

“I’m a defensive back guy and any stadium is too small. You only have 100 yards. It’s just not enough field space. So we’ve gone over to the grass fields and we’ve been able to carve out two fields, one about 70 yards and one about 55-60 yards. Then we have an auxiliary area for the D-Line, O-Line. We kind of shove those guys to the side because they can practice on any patch of grass. So it’s allowed us to have the offensive skill guys on one field and the DBs and linebackers on another field. So we utilize that space so we can do more vertical passing game things and work deep ball drills with defensive backs. Plus, I just think it’s easier on your legs. That means me as well. It’s just easier for coaches to be on the grass. I think the guys just like the environment change. Just to be outside and be in open air a little bit more with the grass fields, bounce around from spot to spot, and I’ve been really pleased. The fields have held up phenomenally well. For the amount of rain we’ve had, we’ve been forced to come inside the stadium only twice, that’s pretty remarkable. So, hats off to the ground crew here. They’ve done a great job. Our fields continue to hold up when we’re out there on a daily basis.”

On Nicholls being ranked in the preseason and having respect for them coming from the FCS level...

“We’re not going to overlook them, I can promise you that. Nicholls is a dynamite football team and I have tremendous respect for their coaching staff and their players. They’ve given a number of Power Five teams a run for their money. I saw them on film last year because they should have beat Eastern Washington. They were up early and if they don’t have a blocked field goal, they’re probably advancing on because they had the momentum. A great quarterback, tremendous skill players. They had a Big 12 win last year. Football’s not much different. South Dakota came in here last year and probably should have won, and Kansas State found a way to win. Guys understand that if you don’t have your A game and you don’t play your best football, you’re going to get beat. It doesn’t matter the level of play.”

On the competition for backup quarterback spot…

“We’re still a ways away, and that’s probably going to continue to be throughout the fall. I’ve been pleased with Nick (Ast) at times and I’ve been pleased with John (Holcombe II) at times. It’s the consistency that they both have to bring to the table as well as the ability to take care of the football. That’s what’s going to determine who that backup quarterback is. It’s a daily evaluation for us. That’s why we’re still doing a lot of second and third down, good on good, so to speak, or some seven on seven or some team periods, so we still put those guys in the fire against some of the top-line defenders we have so we can figure out who we feel most comfortable with. That’ll be ongoing. We’re not going to name a backup prior to week one. It’ll be between Coach Mess (Courtney Messingham), Coach (Collin) Klein and I as we continue to evaluate on a week-to-week basis.”

On potential freshmen getting playing time…

“We’re still working through that. I think some of the freshmen have hit a little bit of a wall. This is the third week of camp, and they’ve probably played more football in three weeks of camp than some of them have for the last couple of years, especially the intensity we’re playing with. We’re really pleased with all of them. There’s still eight to 12 that can help us somewhere along the line. If none of them play in game one, does that mean we won’t play any of them the rest of the season? Not at all. There are a few that are probably further along just because of what’s between the ears and understanding what we’re doing offensively and defensively. There’s a number of them who have the ability to play right now but mentally haven’t caught up to what we’re doing schematically. We have to understand they’re just freshmen. It’s going to take a little bit more time for those guys to really understand what we need them to do offensively and defensively. I think weekly we’ll sit down as a staff and say, ‘Here are the guys we’re going to earmark to help us out,’ whether it’s on special teams, offense or defense.”

On the Pound the Stone graphic helping the team unify and be motivated...

“(It’s) continuing to build on the great legacy that is Kansas State football. Kansas State has a tremendous tradition here, built by Coach Snyder, and we’re trying to continue to build upon that legacy. Ben Newman is a guy we’ve brought in here a couple of times as a performance coach, motivational speaker, that the guys have really enjoyed. That’s one of Ben’s mottos — Pound the Stone — that the guys have really tapped in to. We’ll continue to do that and we’ll continue to find new ways to motivate guys and new ways to get guys to believe in the new era of Kansas State football.”