First, let’s talk quarterbacks. In our first installment of “Off the Record,” a quote we probably pulled back on too much was the reported concern the coaching staff had with Alex Delton’s durability/ability to consistently run between the tackles and be a physical runner as a quarterback. Rumors started circulating as soon as we posted this that Delton had sustained an injury that would keep him out for at least the season opener, and that would prove to be the case.
This was said last week, but warrants mention again. We don’t want to take anything away from Alex Delton, and it would be surprising to the staff here if you don’t see him find a way to impact a game – maybe multiple games – early in his career as a sophomore with a good grasp of the offense and athleticism that sets him apart from his quarterback peers in that area. This isn’t somebody to write off - we’re just sharing information.
Of course, we have to address the Jesse Ertz injury rumors from this weekend. While multiple sources confirmed to us that Ertz is fine, others on the board have sources saying Ertz did indeed get dinged this weekend. The “truth” likely falls somewhere in the middle. We have faith in our sources (in this particular situation, they’d know) – but there also may be something to the idea that they simply know anything that “did” happen to Ertz wasn’t going to affect him or be noticeable the next time the Wildcats take the field.
Really, everybody gets nicked up every game. Of course it probably depends on your definition of “nicked up,” but that’s likely the extent of anything that happened to the K-State quarterback who put up numbers like you’d see in the (no more, thanks Ed O’Bannon) EA Sports NCAA Football series.
Injuries are always a mystery at K-State, and that’s not a barrier we want to break down. We’re not going to let this piece ever evolve into something that gives out information that would hurt the Wildcats or give a potential edge to other programs, but we did get some pretty interesting insight into how the Wildcats do handle injuries on a day-to-day basis.
Something new recruiting analyst Derek Young has quickly come to understand is how the Wildcats are able to maximize the ability of the recruits the program lands, in large part because of the types of things talked about above. And to cap off this edition of “Off the Record,” Derek shares a little more recruiting info with us.
****After a flurry of commits occurred just before K-StateOnline went live, we’re now in a spot where most of the official visits will take place later in the season or afterwards as Kansas State continues to recruit and evaluate many prospects. One housekeeping item of note - that isn't exactly inside information - is that defensive back commit E.J. Thomas of Carver High in Atlanta will actually take his official visit to Manhattan this weekend as K-State hosts Charlotte.
****Last week, we commented on how multiple sources indicated that the Wildcats were in fantastic position as it stands now to land one of their top defensive back targets in in-state standout Ekow Boye-Doe of Lawrence. We don't want to keep spoiling you (okay, we do) but different sources have brought two more names into the discussion.
****Keep an eye on Scottsdale C.C. punter Kevin Macias. Kansas State will lose four scholarship specialists to graduation. Specialists will be added in one form or another. K-StateOnline has learned that Macias has already heard a ton from the Wildcat staff, which has expressed a very, very strong interest in the junior college punter. Stay tuned. Macias was an NJCAA All-American a year ago.
****The second name already holds an offer from Kansas State, isn’t a specialist and comes from the high school ranks.
He also just happens to be committed elsewhere at this point in time.
K-State continues to pursue Houston defensive tackle commit Tajh Brown of the New Orleans area. The Wildcats always attack the state of Louisiana on the recruiting trail, and Brown's commitment to the Cougars has not slowed them down. Someone close to his recruitment has revealed to us that they would not be surprised to see Brown ultimately sign with Bill Snyder and his staff.
That’s it for “Off the Record” but trust us, it’s not it for the recruiting coverage you’re going to see this week from Young and the rest of the K-StateOnline staff (aka Derek Young).
This was said last week, but warrants mention again. We don’t want to take anything away from Alex Delton, and it would be surprising to the staff here if you don’t see him find a way to impact a game – maybe multiple games – early in his career as a sophomore with a good grasp of the offense and athleticism that sets him apart from his quarterback peers in that area. This isn’t somebody to write off - we’re just sharing information.
Of course, we have to address the Jesse Ertz injury rumors from this weekend. While multiple sources confirmed to us that Ertz is fine, others on the board have sources saying Ertz did indeed get dinged this weekend. The “truth” likely falls somewhere in the middle. We have faith in our sources (in this particular situation, they’d know) – but there also may be something to the idea that they simply know anything that “did” happen to Ertz wasn’t going to affect him or be noticeable the next time the Wildcats take the field.
Really, everybody gets nicked up every game. Of course it probably depends on your definition of “nicked up,” but that’s likely the extent of anything that happened to the K-State quarterback who put up numbers like you’d see in the (no more, thanks Ed O’Bannon) EA Sports NCAA Football series.
Injuries are always a mystery at K-State, and that’s not a barrier we want to break down. We’re not going to let this piece ever evolve into something that gives out information that would hurt the Wildcats or give a potential edge to other programs, but we did get some pretty interesting insight into how the Wildcats do handle injuries on a day-to-day basis.
“We have great trainers. They know what people are going through, understand this guy can’t practice today or he’s out of the game. Most of the time, the trainer is making the call: ‘Hey, you’re going to practice today,’ and sometimes you have to suck it up,” our source said. “That’s how it works. Now, there are some cases where they take a step back and say, ‘This guy should not be practicing today’ for various reasons. He’ll be out there at practice, taking mental reps, learning about schemes. But there is a mentality from the top down it’s all about toughness. Trainers do all they can to get you ready to play. Before the game, you put on the numbing agents and everything like to get ready to play and that’s how it goes. You have a lot of tough guys in the program and that’s the mentality from the top down. No excuses - if you’re out there, be ready to play.
“For a K-State player to survive in the program, toughness is instilled in Day 1 in the summer. Coach Dawson does a great job of it. I can’t remember the number of workouts we had, but they were grueling. It starts in the beginning - you start your freshman, go through grueling workouts, then you go through something called “Developmental,” and then you go through more grueling workouts at 6 a.m., and it starts to wear on you. The culture, a tough culture, surrounds you… Coach Snyder talks about being tough. In general, we have a lot of tough, gritty, hungry guys with chips on their shoulder, guys who don’t want to be denied. They’re overlooked. It motivates them. If you combine all of those factors, you get a tough program with tough players in it.”
“For a K-State player to survive in the program, toughness is instilled in Day 1 in the summer. Coach Dawson does a great job of it. I can’t remember the number of workouts we had, but they were grueling. It starts in the beginning - you start your freshman, go through grueling workouts, then you go through something called “Developmental,” and then you go through more grueling workouts at 6 a.m., and it starts to wear on you. The culture, a tough culture, surrounds you… Coach Snyder talks about being tough. In general, we have a lot of tough, gritty, hungry guys with chips on their shoulder, guys who don’t want to be denied. They’re overlooked. It motivates them. If you combine all of those factors, you get a tough program with tough players in it.”
Something new recruiting analyst Derek Young has quickly come to understand is how the Wildcats are able to maximize the ability of the recruits the program lands, in large part because of the types of things talked about above. And to cap off this edition of “Off the Record,” Derek shares a little more recruiting info with us.
****After a flurry of commits occurred just before K-StateOnline went live, we’re now in a spot where most of the official visits will take place later in the season or afterwards as Kansas State continues to recruit and evaluate many prospects. One housekeeping item of note - that isn't exactly inside information - is that defensive back commit E.J. Thomas of Carver High in Atlanta will actually take his official visit to Manhattan this weekend as K-State hosts Charlotte.
****Last week, we commented on how multiple sources indicated that the Wildcats were in fantastic position as it stands now to land one of their top defensive back targets in in-state standout Ekow Boye-Doe of Lawrence. We don't want to keep spoiling you (okay, we do) but different sources have brought two more names into the discussion.
****Keep an eye on Scottsdale C.C. punter Kevin Macias. Kansas State will lose four scholarship specialists to graduation. Specialists will be added in one form or another. K-StateOnline has learned that Macias has already heard a ton from the Wildcat staff, which has expressed a very, very strong interest in the junior college punter. Stay tuned. Macias was an NJCAA All-American a year ago.
****The second name already holds an offer from Kansas State, isn’t a specialist and comes from the high school ranks.
He also just happens to be committed elsewhere at this point in time.
K-State continues to pursue Houston defensive tackle commit Tajh Brown of the New Orleans area. The Wildcats always attack the state of Louisiana on the recruiting trail, and Brown's commitment to the Cougars has not slowed them down. Someone close to his recruitment has revealed to us that they would not be surprised to see Brown ultimately sign with Bill Snyder and his staff.
That’s it for “Off the Record” but trust us, it’s not it for the recruiting coverage you’re going to see this week from Young and the rest of the K-StateOnline staff (aka Derek Young).
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