Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas State Wildcats will be without quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Collin Klein in 2013, which seems like the first time in a decade. Klein was only a two-year starter at K-State, but he’s been the heart, soul, backbone, leader and any other honorable title that you can think of for this team.
During his tenure as the signal-caller for the Wildcats, Klein threw for 4,700 yards, ran for another 2,500 and scored 87 touchdowns, a career that deserves an immortal monument at a school like Kansas State. That’s all well and good, but Klein will now go on to bigger and better things (not necessarily the NFL) while his college program must go on without him.
Coming off a season in which they were the No. 1 team in the country at one point, the Wildcats are now looking to two quarterbacks to fill Klein’s void in 2013 and beyond. Klein’s 2012 backup, Daniel Sams, only threw eight passes this season during garbage time of blowout games. However, the job isn’t just his to lose as junior college transfer Jake Waters has the program buzzing as the new kid on the block.
Of course, Kansas State has lots of holes to fill at other offensive positions and on defense, but Klein carried this team through much of 2012 and asking a newcomer (relatively speaking) like Sams or Waters to be that for a team that came close to competing for a national title is almost unfair. There’s no scenario that will make things easy for Sams or Waters, so it’ll be an interesting season, to say the least, for K-State in 2013.
Jeric Griffin is the Director of Content for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JericGriffin, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
