Collin Klein Emphasizing Competition in All Aspects of the Program

With the college football season less than a month away, the conversations on position battles are heating up. Like many coaches across the country, K-State head coach Collin Klein is making decisions over the next couple of weeks about where his guys fall on the depth chart. Many of these competitions have been going on since the spring, and fans are ready to know who the guys will be in September.

For Klein, he isn't looking for competition during the off-season when fighting for a job, but rather for something the team does every day.

"Competition is something we want in this program, and that is never going to stop," Klein told reporters during his media day on Monday. "Who wins this job, that isn't worth the paper that it is written on. You have to go out every single day on that practice field, and you have to earn it. You have to do what the team needs you to do for us to be successful on that unit. That's at every position across the board, every day."

"Competition is something we want in this program, and that is never going to stop."

Collin Klein and staff will eventually have a depth chart, but no one's position is safe and has to be earned every day.#KStateFB pic.twitter.com/1jmvNhrNcR
— Kole Emplit (@KoleEmplit) August 11, 2026

Competition everywhere for K-State

The Wildcats entered this off-season with many positions wide open when it came to the depth chart. Outside of Avery Johnson, Joe Jackson, and a few other guys, there weren't a lot of sure-fire starters returning. With Klein and his staff bringing in so many talented players in the transfer portal, it set up for a competitive spring and summer.

One competitive position is at wide receiver, where there is plenty of talent. Jaron Tibbs is the leading returner, but the Wildcats brought in some very talented players. One of those guys is Izaiah Williams, who played his first two seasons at Texas A&M with Klein. Having Williams able to help teach the rest of the receivers the offense is a huge asset.

Still much to be decided when it comes to official depth chart

With the season-opener against Nicholls not until Sept. 5, there is still plenty of time for decisions to be made. With the 5-for-5 rule in the NCAA, there are even a bunch of guys still out there looking to play the extra year. Klein said during the press conference that as of now, nothing is really happening. However, if there is a fit that makes sense, then Klein would have to consider bringing a player in.

There are still 25 days until the Wildcats kick off the season, giving Klein and his staff plenty of time to continue evaluating the team. Regardless of the depth chart, one thing that is for sure is that the competing is just getting started in Manhattan.

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