Kansas State football assistant Steve Stanard talks linebacker depth
Kansas State football assistant coach Steve Stanard talks about the Wildcats’ improved depth at linebacker after a rash of injuries last year.
MANHATTAN — All Steve Stanard could do was smile and shake his head when reminded about the rash of injuries that decimated his Kansas State football linebacking corps last season.
“It comes with playing linebacker,” Stanard, the Wildcats’ veteran linebacker coach, said.
Occupational hazards notwithstanding, K-State was especially hard hit at linebacker last season, especially during a rough month of November in which the Wildcats dropped three of their last four regular-season games. It forced the defensive coaches to be creative, a challenge they hope to avoid this year.
“Last year, when we lost Asa (Newsom) and we lost Beau (Palmer), we were really down to four guys,” Stanard said of injuries to two of his top backups. “We were doing a little bit of a shell game.”
There is no questioning the Wildcats’ quality at middle linebacker, where junior Austin Romaine established himself as one of the best in the Big 12 last year as a true sophomore, and is a 2025 preseason all-conference pick. On the strong side, senior Desmond Purnell begins his third year as a starter.
The biggest question is who will replace multi-year starter and team captain Austin Moore on the weak side. Junior Ohio State transfer Gabe Powers is a likely candidate to fill that spot, though returning junior Rex Van Wyhe also could be in the mix after playing in all 13 games last year as a reserve.
Newsom and Palmer also should be back after each playing only seven games a year ago, and the Wildcats added a junior transfer from West Florida in Junior Ortiz. Senior Zach Wittenberg also returns, and the Wildcats will have five true freshmen available.
“That’s one thing I feel positive about is the depth,” Stanard said. “Knock on wood, if we stay healthy, I don’t think we’re going to have to play the shell game as much.”
Just how healthy are the Wildcats at linebacker?
Both Stanard and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said they expect the linebacking corps to be at full strength by the Aug. 23 season opener against Iowa State in Ireland. But they have some catching up to do.
Romaine, Purnell, Palmer, and Newsom were all sidelined during spring practice while recovering from injuries. But in their absence, Klanderman said both Powers and Van Wyhe stood out.
“The guys that were in the hopper, Asa Newsome and Beau Palmer, who has played a lot of snaps here, that will have a big impact on us in the fall,” Klanderman said. “Although the depth was not great in the spring, we fully anticipate those guys to all be back and contribute in a major way.”
Added linebacker depth should help on special teams
Perhaps the biggest impact of a deeper and healthier linebacker room will be on special teams. Injuries severely limited the ability to use Moore, Romaine, and Purnell in that role, not to mention Palmer and Newsom.
“What that allows you to do is, Austin Romaine and Des Purnell are really good special team players,” Stanard said. “We weren’t able to do that with Austin Moore last year, and he’s a really good special team player.
“That depth is going to allow us to get all those guys involved.”
Linebacker roles still not settled
Romaine is a lock to start at middle linebacker after recording a team-high 96 tackles last year, including 7.5 for loss with two sacks and three forced fumbles. Purnell ranks third among returning defenders with 46 stops, 9.4 tackles for loss, and four sacks a year ago.
As for everybody else’s roles, Stanard said preseason camp will be camp will be critical.
“I know where Austin and Des are going to figure in the picture, but how do all of them work together?” Stanard said. “Between Beau, Asa — you’ve got Gabe now — and Rex and Ralph Ortiz, you’ve got some new faces. So, this summer and fall are going to be important since we had four guys not rolling (in the spring).”
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 X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
