K-State Slate: 5.13.14 - Goodbye, #LIFE

Daniel Sams, finding himself buried at the depth chart at two positions and apparently either unable or unwilling to try a third, is taking his show on the road. Derek has all the details.

Reaction from the usual suspects on Sams' exit: Kellis Robinett at the Star, Ken Corbitt at the C-J, David Ubben at FOX, and Jake Trotter at ESPN. All the stories lean on D. Scott Fritchen's report at GPC, which itself is sourced from a conversation with Sams' mother. She made it clear that both she and Sams are Wildcats at heart, and that this move is nothing more than an acknowledgement that Sams simply wasn't going to get on the field this year. As much as anyone hates to see a beloved player choose to transfer, the simple reality is this: it's the right move for Daniel Sams, and it only marginally affects the product on the field in 2014. By moving to an FCS team where he's liable to start immediately, Sams has the opportunity to showcase his athleticism and talent for the NFL; he would not have that here, and let's just be honest about why football players go to college in the first place.

On the flip side of the discussion, let's not throw stones at the coaching staff. They did not mismanage Sams. They didn't use him as effectively as they might have last year, and they're all aware of that. But Sams simply did not fit Bill Snyder's required skill set at quarterback, no matter how much we wished otherwise. We're all perfectly aware at this point what Snyder's idea quarterback looks like, and the bittersweet inescapable truth is that Jake Waters resembles that ideal more than Daniel Sams. You may disagree, but then you haven't won nearly 200 Division I football games.

Moving on: Josh Katzenstein of the Detroit News profiles the Lions' new mountain of man-flesh, Cornelius Lucas, along with the Lions' other UDFAs.

Big12Sports.com's Wendell Barnhouse takes a post-spring look at the Wildcats.

ESPN's Damon Sayles on dual-threat quarterbacks trying to avoid being pigeonholed. Alex Delton has a prominent place in the story.

Ken Corbitt was busy yesterday. In addition to covering Sams' announcement, he dropped this piece in K-State's courtship with Malak Harris.

Basically, the Northern Colorado Bears will take the court next year with K-State's coaching staff from last year. The only difference will be who's actually running the show, as Kamie Etheridge has hired Deb Patterson as an assistant along with Kelly Moylan and Shalee Lehning. Interestingly, the dynamic will be that Lehning takes on Ethridge's old role in Manhattan as associate head coach, while Patterson and Moylan are down the bench.