College Football Preview 2024: Kansas State Wildcats win projections, strengths and weaknesses, quarterback spotlight and more

Head coach: Chris Klieman (Sixth season)
2023 record: 9-4 (Won Pop-Tarts Bowl)
PFF power ranking: 22nd
Chance to win the Big 12: 9%
Strength of schedule: 59th
Projected win total: 6.8
FanDuel win total: 9.5
2024 recruiting rank (On3): No. 42 nationally, No. 5 in the Big 12

Kansas State has been the model of consistency under head coach Chris Klieman, finishing with at least eight wins in four of his five seasons. While the expectations are to at least hit that mark again in 2024, the Wildcats must do so while replacing many fundamental parts of their offense.

Offensive coordinator Collin Klein left for the same job at Texas A&M, quarterback Will Howard transferred to Ohio State and Kansas State lost its top two pass-catchers and three of its five starting offensive linemen, including All-American guard Cooper Beebe. Luckily, the team should still have a dynamic ground game, led by DJ Giddens. The secondary should still be solid despite some key players departing for the transfer portal. The Wildcats will need their front seven to step up.

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Biggest Strength: Three-headed rushing attack

Kansas State has one of the 10 best running back units in college football, thanks to DJ Giddens and Colorado transfer Dylan Edwards. Sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson is also incredibly dangerous with his legs, placing seventh among Big 12 signal-callers last year with 311 rushing yards despite serving as a backup.

Biggest Weakness: Will the front seven improve?

The Wildcats’ biggest weakness in 2023 was their defensive line and linebackers. Kansas State’s front seven finished outside the top 100 FBS teams in PFF grade. The Wildcats also ranked outside the top 90 in team run-defense grade, pass-rush grade and tackling grade. Making matters worse is the fact that their highest-graded player from that unit, edge defender Khalid Duke, signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.

2023 Team Overview

Offense
EPA per play	Yards per play	Successful play rate	Explosive run play rate	Explosive pass play rate
0.144	6.1	40.3%	17.9%	15.6%
15th	T-47th	11th	28th	47th
Defense
EPA allowed per play	Yards allowed per play	Successful play rate allowed	Explosive run rate allowed	Explosive pass rate allowed
-0.094	5.7	31.4%	14.5%	12.2%
30th	71st	23rd	54th	23rd

Three Notable Transfer Portal Additions

RB Dylan Edwards (Colorado): 62.8 PFF grade
WR Dante Cephas (Penn State): 62.2 PFF grade
OT Easton Kilty (North Dakota): 83.4 PFF grade

Three Notable Transfer Portal Losses

QB Will Howard (Ohio State): 78.1 PFF grade
CB Will Lee III (Texas A&M): 76.2 PFF grade
RB Treshaun Ward (Boston College): 77.6 PFF grade

Quarterback Spotlight: Avery Johnson

2023 Grade: 73.5
Key Stat: 14 explosive runs on 52 carries, excluding kneel-downs