Kansas State's Chris Klieman Details Why Rutgers Is A Good Opponent
Kansas State coach Chris Klieman almost visibly exhaled a sigh of relief when asked about Rate Bowl preparation.
With so much talk about recruiting and the transfer portal, Klieman finally had the opportunity to rave about facing a team like the Scarlet Knights.
"Greg Schiano is a phenomenal football coach, so much respect for him," Klieman said. "I have not had the chance to meet him yet. I'm excited about that just because of the respect I have for him. They're gonna be disciplined, they're gonna be physical, they're not gonna beat themselves. I'm sure they're gonna be going through some of the same things, whether it's injuries, trying to play some young guys, to maybe a guy deciding if he's going to the NFL. That makes it a little bit difficult to prep, but our guys are really excited to be able to play a Big Ten school."
COACH KLIEMAN SAYS PREPARATION IS 'ALL ABOUT BUILDING THE ROSTER'
Chris Klieman and the Kansas State Wildcats would love to put all their focus on their Rate Bowl game against Rutgers (7-5) next Thursday.
But, with active recruiting and the winter transfer portal closing soon, they need to balance the game preparation with maintaining the roster. When asked about establishing that equilibrium, coach Klieman said his primary focus is developing within the program.
"It's 20 out of 24 hours a day, and the other four you get a quick nap in," Klieman said. "For me, it's 70 percent trying to continue to build the roster. Then the other 30 percent is working on Rutgers, being around the players and stuff... That's the challenge that everyone's facing."
Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
Jayden is a journalism school graduate of Howard University. He was the 2024 recipient of the Terez Paylor scholarship award. He previously worked at the Orlando Sentinel.