No. 16 Kansas State's season opener against SEMO is fast-approaching.
Anticipation, excitement and expectations are rising steadily as that Sept. 2 date in Manhattan approaches.
And the EMAW Online staff is diving into a few preseason discussion topics and perspectives as we're days away from the season.
Which player or two is a name we're not yet talking about or hearing about nearly enough, but will be in the next month or two?
MASON VOTH: Keenan Garber is my pick. There have been some good pieces of news trickle out about Garber's move to corner since midseason last year and he is in the group of top three corners at this point in time based on what Chris Klieman has said during camp. I am intrigued to see what Garber can do on the field with significant reps for the first time in his career, after coming in as a celebrated receiver from Lawrence four years ago.
KAMDEN TATKENHORST: I think linebacker Desmond Purnell is poised to have a breakout season for the defense. Purnell only had one start last season but is expected to get a lot more this season. Klieman described him as a “wow” player in his latest press conference, and that’s how a lot of fellow teammates have been describing him as well. The Wildcats will need someone to step up on the defensive side of the ball and I think Purnell is a good candidate for that.
GRANT SNOWDEN: Ben Sinnot. Sinnot had four touchdowns for 447 yards on just 31 receptions. Sinnot proved to be more of a threat under Will Howard than he was for Adrian Martinez outside of the Oklahoma game. With Howard going into the top spot this offseason, I have high expectations for these two to combine for a lot more touchdowns this season. I'm going to change things up and go with special teamer too in Chris Tennant. With now Eagles punter Ty Zenter's kicker out of the way, I expect Tennant to turn heads this season. All of Tennant's misses last season came by less than 2-feet off the post. With him now taking all the kicking duties he will be receiving more reps and I expect his accuracy and percentage to be much higher in 2023.
JAKE STEPHENS: The player that comes to mind for me is Jacob Parrish. He has shown that as a true freshman last year he can step in and step up when his number is called. I think back to the Texas game when Julis Brents went out with a targeting call early and Parrish came into his first big role and got a huge fumble recovery. I think of the Big 12 title game when he got a pass deflection on a slant while guarding now NFL wideout Quentin Johnston. Parrish has proven that he can be a gamer, and this year I think he steps up to the plate and potentially earns All-Big 12 honors.
