Slate: Deciphering the Depth Chart

Coach Klieman and his staff released the depth chart for the week of the first game, and seemingly everyone has weighed in. First to the party was our own Drew Schneider, who broke down the offensive side of the ball, noting a potential position of strength where it could be most valuable: along the offensive line. Over at the Star, Kellis Robinett agrees, noting that the Wildcats will likely start five seniors up-front. Ryan Black of the Mercury gave top billing to James Gilbert, who will be the first running back to hit the field. KSNT also focused on the running-back battle, though most expect plenty of touches for a number of backs.

The season kicks off Saturday night at 6:00, in case you didn’t know, with FCS foe Nicholls State providing the opposition to ignite the Klieman era. Nicholls returns 40 letter-winners and 12 starters from a team that went 9-4 last year and won the Southland Conference. In his “Five Things” feature, Kellis notes that Nicholls is one of the top teams in FCS, and that K-State fans should expect to see lots of personnel at every position except quarterback.

The PodCats crew got together with fan favorite Nick Leckey to preview both the game and the season. Former Wildcat and current San Francisco 49er DJ Reed says he doesn’t want anything except to win everything. He was also happy for former teammate Byron Pringle, who scored a touchdown for the Chiefs on a jet sweep in the third preseason game, which pitted the two against each other for the first time in the pros.

The dwindling countdown to kickoff also means double-time for BracketCat as he tries to finish introducing the roster. Since yesterday’s Slate, he’s covered the following:

No. 4, Freshman defensive back Wayne Jones

No. 5, Junior punter/placekicker Ty Zentner

No. 20 (minus 15), Senior defensive back Denzell Goolsby

Position group breakdowns will be posting soon, so check back often.

Basketball

Football didn’t garner all the headlines over the past 24 hours. First, Coach Weber dusted off that pesky unused scholarship and used it to award senior Pierson McAtee, who originally walked on after graduating from Manhattan High. Weber made the announcement in a team meeting, describing McAtee as “an unbelievable, quality young man” and a “quiet leader.” McAtee has appeared in 40 games for K-State, scoring 20 points.

Weber also announced some changes to the coaching staff, highlighted by the return of Jordan Henriquez-Roberts and Mason Schoen as graduate assistants. Also, Mike Furlong was promoted to the position of director of student-athlete development, a position vacated by Shane Southwell, who left to take a job as an assistant coach at Robert Morris. AMS has all the details for you.

Volleyball

The volleyball squad netted two features today: First, K-State Sports Extra says K-State’s “experienced youth” is ready to be put to the test. The “youth” aspect will be further tested by the transfer of middle blocker Elle Sandbothe to Ohio State.