Yesterday, coach Ron Prince, defensive end Ian Campbell, quarterback Josh Freeman, and defensive back Chris Carney took the stage at media days. Most of what was said was standard coach-speak and preseason-speak, but there were some tidbits that stood out to me as worth discussing.

Ron Prince

The recruiting philosophy was to really do what Kansas State is best at and what they've always done which is to really have a unique mix of high school players and community college players.

Ah, yes, the scourge of the community college recruiting question. On KC sports radio this morning, a good point was made that, while 19 community college players were recruited, only 14 or 15 of them will actually end up in Manhattan. Yes, that's still a lot. Yes, maybe it means Prince feels like he needs to win, win more, and win more sooner. But I'm really tired of hearing it's not a sustainable practice. What, are there suddenly going to be no more recruits? Last I checked, there are more kids playing football than ever, and they won't go be "stockpiled" at traditional powerhouses, and the 85-scholarship limit ensures a more even talent spread. Husker Mike thinks we're hitting the panic button, but as a Husker fan he's genetically unable to see anything but doom for K-State.

We did recruit three and signed three high school running backs: Kwamaine Brown, Logan Dold, Jarell Childs. We think all three will have a significant contribution. But we also brought in Justin Woods and Dee Bell the year before.

The running back situation is getting interestinger and interestinger. While Leon Patton's status has not changed, part one of his legal trouble has concluded as he was convicted (I'm guessing he pled? The article is very unclear, but I doubt they had a trial) for stealing two video games from Wal-Mart. Dumb, but forgivable. Now he still faces charges in Riley County over his failure to appear for a court date. Once that case concludes, Prince will have a decision to make. Let Patton back immediately (a "time-already-served" sentence) or keep him suspended a while longer.

Meanwhile, as you can tell from Prince's quote above, Kwamaine Brown should be on the squad this fall. I say should because apparently the NCAA clearinghouse hasn't affixed its stamp of approval yet, and Dominique Sutton and Jamar Samuels can tell you what a pain in the arse that process can be (although if you're Darrell Arthur, it's a breeze!).

Anyway, the running back situation is at least a little more settled than it was just a couple weeks ago.

One of the criticisms I had of our offense in the off season is I didn't feel we ran the ball as effectively in the red zone as we could have. We had the most red zone appearances in the league but we also kicked the most field goals. I think we actually attempted and completed 23 of them. That's far too many. Particularly on the road games that we had. That really made it challenging.

Thank God it wasn't just me. Every time we drove down to the five and couldn't smash the ball across and had to kick a field goal, a little part of me died. Let's hope the offensive line is as improved as it's supposed to be this year. Having a subpar line the last few years has devastated our offense's ability to play consistently well.

Josh Freeman

"I feel like I'm the best guy in the conference...I truly believe I'm the best quarterback in the conference."

Please, prove it Josh. Please.

Ian Campbell

Not much from ol' long hair, but he did ask a reporter who had driven through his hometown, Cimarron, Kan., whether he blinked on his way through. He was also pretty entertaining on sports radio in KC yesterday, though I don't have any direct quotes from that.

Other Stuff

Disgraceful: You would really think newspapers could get a Heisman finalist's last name right by now, but apparently not.

That's great, but can he prove it in college, first? I realize pro sports have a tendency to draft off potential rather than actual accomplishments, and Josh Freeman has potential flooding out of every pore, but could we maybe focus on whether he can lead K-State to eight or nine wins before we start talking about his NFL draft status? If (more like when) he goes pro, I wish him the best of luck, but any success he may have in the NFL would be kind of hollow for me if he never gets over the hump at K-State.

I hope he helps make my point moot this season.

Get a new line, chump:

The nonconference schedule, after dropping Fresno State in favor of Montana State, is downright Snyder-ish. But the Big 12 slate is extremely treacherous.

Or Mangino-ish. And did you forget we're playing at Louisville?

There's Gotta Be One: At Burnt Orange Nation, PB wants to know what, or who, will surprise in the Big 12 this year. Your thoughts?

[Unrelated to K-State football] Enjoy Prison, Scum: The alleged human being accused of killing Kelsey Smith has pled guilty. Smith would be between her freshman and sophomore years at K-State but for this guy.