Rapid Recap: Our locker room is second to none

It has been mentioned elsewhere, but one of the bright spots on the offense throughout the offseason has been redshirt freshman receiver RJ Garcia. He was praised last year during his developmental season with Kansas State.

He is primed for significant snaps this season and those inside the program, both privately and publicly, have been endorsing his ability and anticipate him making a large imprint on the offense during the 2022 season.

Assistant Thad Ward echoed those sentiments when speaking with the media on Wednesday.

Ward noted that Garcia really came on during the Spring and it has shown up on the practice fields during fall camp. He's very happy about what he has seen from the Tampa product.

He called Garcia a hard worker, dependable and someone that his teammates can trust. Garcia grows every single day and is cerebral in his approach to the game. Ward looks forward to coaching him further and watching to see how far he can go.

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Another key piece to the 2022 season will be if Malik Knowles can become a more consistent player. He has an all-conference skill-set, but it hasn't resulted in all-conference production.

That will take more consistency instead of a flash every few games.

According to his coaches, his desire and hunger has been ratcheted up a few levels for this season and it has been evidenced by him becoming more detail-oriented and coming for one-on-one meetings with his wide receiver coach.

Ward shared that Knowles has a very clear and comprehensive understanding of the offense and the different coverages that have been or will be thrown at him. He can take the next leap when it comes to becoming more crisp and tightening up his technique.

Will there be any changes to the wide receiver position, roles or responsibilities under the new scheme, and philosophy being implemented by new offensive coordinator Collin Klein?

Ward admitted that there would be. He specified all of their roles are expanding and their involvements within them are increasing by a large amount. That is the most transparency we have heard from a K-State assistant.

It's not surprising. If they are going to be more quarterback-friendly under Klein, it would be the receivers that probably see the most tangible benefit.

Whether it is in two-wide receiver, three-wide or four-wide sets, Ward's room is competing for bigger roles. But, as has been the case in Manhattan and Ward re-emphasized, the best players will play the most.

When coaches speak with a hoard of media members during fall camp, they are almost always asked which younger players are flashing in the first few practices. That was no different when Ward stepped up to the microphone to the side of the field in Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

His first answer was to again discuss RJ Garcia. After all, he's still a young guy. But he also heaped some complimentary words onto walk-on Xavier Loyd from Blue Springs and new transfer addition Jadon Jackson.

Loyd has been mentioned before, unprovoked, and is probably a walk-on receiver that will show up on many of the special teams phases and push for playing time at some point in his career.

Jackson arrived in Manhattan after a few years under Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. He has shown up on the camp highlight packages a few times that Kansas State's in-house media team creates each day.

As the newest face to Manhattan and having been on campus for a few months already, Ward was asked for his overall impressions on the roster entering the 2022 season. He used it as an opportunity to commend the culture that has been created at K-State.

The culture at Kansas State is set, according to him. It's not that way at other places or different schools. Every coach comes in early. Every player is early to meetings. Everyone arrives prepared and eager to learn.

"Our locker room is second to none."

According to Ward, everyone cares about each other. They're a real family. Every program preaches family and a brotherhood. They say it everywhere you go. It sounds good, but it doesn't happen everywhere. It just doesn't work that way.

At some places it's real, while at others it's not. It's real at K-State. That’s an important piece to success.