Big 12 Media Days 2018: Bill Snyder on the Big Stage

It’s the 2018 Big 12 Football Media Days, and today, Kansas State football head coach Bill Snyder took to the big stage in Frisco, TX to address the media members in attendance.

Snyder did not open with a statement as most other Big 12 coaches did, but instead immediately went to questions from the assembled media members.

He was asked about the two big new rule changes that are being implemented by the NCAA this season — the new kickoff rules and the transfer rules. Snyder, for his part, seemed much less concerned about the kickoff rule, but also said that he and the staff are still working on how those new rules will affect them. Kickoff returns shouldn’t change, and will be dependent as always on who actually wins the job. Kickoffs will be a bit different, and again will be dependent on what the “guys are capable of”, but don’t expect major changes to kickoff philosophy under Snyder.

On transfers, Snyder was a little more direct than he often is in pressers. He says they will continue to do “whatever it is we’re directed to do” by the NCAA, but he is not a fan of the new rules. Snyder — who mentioned he was uncomfortable saying it but he felt it needed to be said — expressed that he feels the new rules feed the current “instant gratification” culture, and is teaching lessons contrary to the ideas of needing to work hard and be committed to something to be successful in whatever you are doing.

Snyder also showed his age when asked about the current era of stadium and facility construction, saying he doesn’t really like it, though that may be because he’s “100 years old”. He doesn’t like what it says about the academic functions of the college, when the football program gets incredible facilities yet regular professors are stuffed in offices the size of closets. Snyder understands that athletics are where the money is right now, with TV and media deals and mega donations, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t seen as a slight to the rest of the university. He said players will even get a stigma of being “spoiled brats” because of the facilities, no matter how hard working/down-to-earth those guys actually are.

Back on more Snyder-like answers, Snyder addressed the new coordinators, replacing departed players, and bringing both QB’s to media days. Asked if there were going to be tactical changes from the new coordinators*, Snyder brought up his giant playbook and the fact that regardless of what’s in the book, they have to gameplan based on what athletes they have available.

*(Gates, bro, you had to know that question was a throw-away)

He also was aksed about replacing several departed players, especially the loss of Byron Pringle and Dominique Heath from the receiver corps. Snyder said that it really doesn’t affect what they normally do, as they are always evaluating talent season to season and practice to practice, and that he was comfortable with 4-5 guys coming out of spring camp (thouh he did not name names) in the receiver corps.

The penultimate question to Snyder was about bringing the two QB’s, Skylar Thompson and Alex Delton, to the media days. Snyder spoke on the difficulty of being a QB, and though it was a good way of applying some preseason pressure to both “young guys”. But he said both players stepped up in the offseason as leaders, both are captains, and so both deserved the spot in Dallas.

Overall, nothing really new or exciting from Snyder at Media Days, but if you were expecting that then you haven’t followed K-State football in the last 28 years. Snyder said plenty of words without saying much at all, though he was maybe surprisingly direct and honest about the money in college athletics and the new transfer rules, which may have been worth the price of admission.

We’ll have more from the media days as it becomes available.