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.

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

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.

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.

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.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A motorcycle driver is fighting for their life after they fell 35 feet into a railyard below a Kansas City, Mo., highway that is under construction.

The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department says that just after 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, emergency crews were called to the area of northbound Highway 169 and Highway 9 with reports of a single-vehicle crash.

When first responders arrived, they said they found a blue Kawasaki motorcycle had been headed north on 169 Highway, however, the driver had been speeding too fast to maintain control around the curve just before the Highway 9 exit.

KCPD noted that the roadway in the area is under construction and has been reduced to a single lane, the right lane, while the left lane is closed with cones. The driver went straight through the curve and hit a concrete jersey barrier.

Emergency crews said that after the driver hit the barrier, the motorcycle’s momentum kept the pair going north, bouncing off the barrier before the driver was ejected and fell 35 feet below on railroad grounds, but not the tracks.

KCPD said a Union Pacific train had been passing through the area when the operator saw the driver fall. The train was able to stop while the conductor called 911. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Copyright 2024 KCTV. All rights reserved.

FC Dallas embarks on a unique proposition over the coming days: being on the road against Sporting Kansas City twice at the same venue within four days. The two sides will play at Children’s Mercy Park in MLS regular-season play on Sunday night before a rematch in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Key Player: Daniel Salloi

Salloi has been dealing with injuries, but he’s always been a terror for FC Dallas to contain. Over the years, he’s accounted for eight goals and two assists against FC Dallas, including SKC’s first goal in 2023 in their 2-1 loss at Toyota Stadium.

Key Matchup: Erik Thommy vs Sam Junqua/Marco Farfan

The DP for Sporting has four goals and three assists on the season. He and Johnny Russell will likely rotate along the wings a bit, but either way, you can expect their attack to largely run through Thommy.

Availability Report:

Suspended: none
Out: Logan Ndenbe (knee)
Questionable: Robert Castellanos (ankle), Daniel Salloi (ankle), Remi Walter (knee)
On Loan: none
International duty: Felipe Hernández

Last year against SKC: The clubs split their season series last year with both teams winning their home games. FCD came from behind to beat SKC 2-1 in the first meeting at Toyota Stadium before SKC picked up a 2-1 win over FCD in the lone meeting at Children’s Mercy Park.

At home against FCD: After struggling at the SKC venue for several years, Dallas has finally found some positive results in the last few seasons there. Sporting has won just one of their last seven vs. FCD at Children’s Mercy Park.

Recent form: The struggles have been real for SKC in 2024, in their last ten games they’ve gone 2-8-0 (2-3-0 in their last five).

Potential Lineup:

Peter Vermes has stuck with his 4-3-3 formation for another season.

Melia, Pierre, Rosero, Voloder, Leibold; Rodriguez, Radoja, Thommy; Russell, Agada, Salloi

1. Stay aggressive: It will be hard not to overplay their hands in the first game before the important USOC game on Wednesday, but when we’ve seen FCD at their best this season, it has been due to a higher press and aggressive play from the attack. On Thursday night against Portland, the times when FC Dallas was most dangerous were their forced turnovers in the Timbers’ defensive end. SKC is leaky in the back and could give up easy attempts if FC Dallas puts on the pressure.

2. Keep feeding Musa in the box: I probably sound like a broken record at this point on this item, but it really is that simple. Musa has ten goals on the season, and lately a lot of that has to do with finding him in space, with the ball at his feet in the penalty area. The Croatian knows how to handle the rest from there.

3. Limit stupid mistakes in the back: Sporting is going to still press a bit, that has always been a trait of a Vermes’ team. Dallas will want to limit their errors in the back and avoid their slow build up play that we’ve seen them struggle through at times this season.