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Rebuilding Kansas State football’s offensive line is not as daunting as it might appear

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Rebuilding Kansas State football’s offensive line is not as daunting as it might appear


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MANHATTAN — Chris Klieman was the first to admit that rebuilding Kansas State football’s offensive line after two years of stability left him a bit apprehensive.

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But replacing four of five starters, including a two-time All-American and a second-round NFL Draft pick, might not be quite as daunting as one might suspect. For one thing, the group of returning players are not nearly as inexperienced or untested as such a turnover would suggest.

“Yeah, you lose that many starters, there is some anxiety a little bit,” Klieman said back in May, a month after the conclusion of spring practice. “But we’ve got a lot of guys that have started a lot of games for us and a lot of guys that have been in our system for an awful long time that they just need game reps.

“And so, our nonconference schedule, which would include a couple of really tough games, we’re going to put them under fire right away. I’m excited about the offensive line, but we’re going to play more guys.”

Kansas State football All-American Cooper Beebe not picky about where Cowboys use him

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All-America guard Cooper Beebe has moved onto the Dallas Cowboys and left tackle KT Leveston was selected in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Rams. Christian Duffie was a three-year starter at right tackle and Hayden Gillum held down the center position for the past two seasons.

That leaves senior right guard Hadley Panzer as the lone full-time returning starter, and he will either move to left guard or center in 2024. But don’t forget that senior Carver Willis started the first seven games last year at right tackle while Duffie recovered from an offseason injury, and sixth-year super-senior Taylor Poitier was a regular in the rotation at right guard.

In fact, Poitier beat out Panzer for the starting right guard spot before suffering a second straight season-ending injury in the 2022 opener.

Also, don’t forget that new offensive coordinator Conor Riley is one of the most respected offensive line coaches in the business and has consistently delivered under similar circumstances.

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Kansas State football adds offensive line transfer and 2024 high school receiver

Transfer Easton Kilty provides immediate help

Despite a promising group of replacements waiting in the wings, K-State turned to the transfer portal for reinforcements and landed a proven veteran in North Dakota’s Easton Kilty.

Kilty played every position but center for the Fighting Hawks and started every game last year at left tackle, where he projects for the Wildcats.

Who will be the offensive line starters in 2024?

The only wild card it would appear, is Panzer. Assuming Kilty opens at left tackle, Willis at right tackle and Poitier at right guard, where he spent most of the spring, Panzer will determine who is the fifth starter.

If Panzer is the center, look for junior Andrew Leingang to be the left guard. If Panzer is the left guard, junior Sam Hecht will start at center.

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In his May interview, Klieman said the initial plan is for Panzer to be the left guard and Hecht the center, with Leingang serving as a backup at both guard and tackle.

Wildcats will rely on depth and versatility

A hallmark of Riley’s offensive linemen is versatility. Especially in the spring, he likes to have his players practice at multiple positions.

Leingang and Panzer both could see action in more than one spot. Another possibility to back up Hecht at center is sophomore Michael Capria. Other veterans who could vie for playing time are John Pastore, Drake Bequeaith, Alex Key, and Devin Vass.

“There’s just a lot of different people that can help us there,” Klieman said. “So, we’re just going to see how it shakes out in the fall.”

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.

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Kansas

Kansas woman dead, 5 injured in NW Kansas pickup crash

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Kansas woman dead, 5 injured in NW Kansas pickup crash


THOMAS COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 10p.m. Friday in Thomas County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Ford F250 pickup driven by Kade  Homm, 18, Flagler, Colorado, was southbound on County Road 21 just south of the County Road CC Junction.

At the Y intersection of County Road 21 and a private drive, the pickup traveled  off the road  and struck a tree row. 

A passenger Emma C Brungardt, 21, Blue Rapids, Kansas, was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Baalmann Mortuary,

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EMS transported Homm and passengers Alaura Crockett-Armijo, 20, Larned; Kerstin S. Tommer, 19, Newton; Lakeddah J. Downes, 18, Council Grove and  Emma G. Krase, 18, Galva, to Citizens Medical Center. All six were properly restrained, according to the KHP.



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Arizona State-Kansas weather forecast: Excessive heat warning in Phoenix area

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Arizona State-Kansas weather forecast: Excessive heat warning in Phoenix area


From long flights to irregular sleep to time zone changes, road games come with many challenges.

When it comes to October college football in Tempe, Arizona, you can add weather to the equation.

The Kansas Jayhawks will be walking into a literal inferno on Saturday at Arizona State, with game time temperatures expected to be hovering around 105 degrees. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning on Friday afternoon … and it remains in effect until Monday at 8 p.m. MST.

The NWS classifies an excessive heat warning as “dangerously hot conditions” that could lead to heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

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This is nothing new for the Sun Devils, who deal with 100-plus degree temperatures from May through October. The Jayhawks, on the other hand, aren’t used to playing in this kind of heat. The temperature is expected to remain above 100 degrees until the sun goes down at 6:06 p.m. MST. The temperature should drop into the high 90s for the second half.

Arizona State’s first two home games of the season – Aug. 31 vs. Wyoming and Sept. 7 vs. Mississippi State – both kicked off at 7:30 p.m. MST, well after sunset. The Kansas-Arizona State game is scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. MST, which means it will be played under a scorching sun for at least an hour.

“Once you’re above 90, it’s pretty darn hot all the way around,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said earlier this week. “So it’ll be a challenge, but we can’t let it get to us.”

The game time temperature will rival the hottest ever recorded for Arizona State – and the top 5 hottest games were all played in late August and early September. To have a game this hot in early October is clearly an outlier.

Arizona State’s game vs. Sacramento State on Sept. 5, 2013 was the hottest game time temperature ever recorded in Tempe at 107 degrees. A close second was ASU vs. Eastern Washington on Aug. 31, 2002 at 106 degrees. Saturday’s game vs. Kansas could easily come in third.

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Chiefs vs. Saints Injury Report: KC Loses Another Receiver, Add Tight End to Roster

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Chiefs vs. Saints Injury Report: KC Loses Another Receiver, Add Tight End to Roster


The Kansas City Chiefs have already placed their top two wide receivers, Rashee Rice and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, on injured reserve early in the 2024 NFL season. During this week of practice ahead of a Monday Night Football showdown with the New Orleans Saints, another wide receiver has landed on the injury report, putting his status in doubt for Monday night’s game.

Mecole Hardman was limited on Thursday and did not practice on Friday due to a knee injury, according to the team.

During the Chiefs’ press conferences on Friday, special teams coordinator Dave Toub was asked who could take on Hardman’s special teams duties if he’s sidelined against the Saints.

“We have a number of guys that can do it, obviously,” Toub said. “Nikko [Remigio] can do it, [Montrell] Washington can do it. Any of those two guys can possibly pop up if Mecole was down. Obviously, we have other guys in the mix. I mean, [Xavier] Worthy can be a punt returner, Skyy Moore, we have a lot of guys, we have a lot of options there.”

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Remigio or Washington would have to “pop up” from the practice squad, which already seemed plausible as the Chiefs currently have only five receivers on the 53-man roster, including Hardman. Remigio became a favorite of fans and coaches alike during this summer’s training camp. Depending on what the Chiefs value on the active roster, as Justyn Ross also waits on the practice squad, Remigio could be a useful elevation both as a dynamic returner and a plausible offensive depth piece.

On Thursday, running back Kareem Hunt (shoulder) and defensive end Mike Danna (calf) were both limited in practice, meaning that they took some reps but less than a typical full workload. The duo shared the same designation again on Friday, both officially “limited.”

Hunt, who played in his first regular season game of 2024 after not participating in training camp or the preseason, could simply be getting a bit of extra rest before another game of heavy usage against New Orleans. Danna, who missed Week 4, should be considered a toss-up for Week 5. With the Chiefs’ bye week coming in Week 6, one more game on the sidelines would give Danna an extra week of recovery before the Chiefs take the field again in San Francisco on October 20.

Tight end Jody Fortson, who returned to the Chiefs’ practice squad on September 26 after an offseason stint with the Miami Dolphins, has been signed to KC’s active roster. In a corresponding move, cornerback Darius Rush has been signed to the practice squad to take Forton’s place.

With KC’s depleted wide receiver room, they’ll now carry four tight ends on the active roster: Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, rookie Jared Wiley, and Fortson.

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Read More: Rashee Rice’s Next Steps: NFL Insiders Report Latest Plan for Knee Injury Diagnosis





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