Kansas State Football: Key Houston Depth Chart – Injury Notes

Offensive Lineup

Wide Receivers (WR):

• #10 Kegan Johnson – 6’0″, 206 – Junior – Bellevue, Nebraska (University of Iowa)
• #0 Jadon Jackson – 6’1″, 187 – Senior – Centeron, Arkansas (University of Mississippi)
  or
• #8 Ty Bowman – 6’5″, 220 – Senior – Chanute, Kansas (Chanute)

Tight Ends (TE):

• #86 Garrett Oakley – 6’5″, 239 – Sophomore – Columbus, Nebraska (Scotus Central Catholic)
• #87 Brayden Loftin – 6’5″, 237 – Sophomore – Omaha, Nebraska (Lewis Central, IA)

Left Tackle (LT):

• #71 Easton Kilty – 6’6″, 307 – Senior – Stamford, Wisconsin (University of North Dakota)
• #78 John Pastore – 6’6″, 303 – Sophomore – Erie, Colorado (Erie)

Left Guard (LG):

• #54 Hadley Panzer – 6’4″, 305 – Senior – Lakin, Kansas (Lakin)
• #56 Andrew Leingang – 6’6″, 306 – Junior – Bismarck, North Dakota (Century)

Center (C):

• #75 Sam Hecht – 6’4″, 287 – Junior – Shawnee, Kansas (Mill Valley)
• #66 Michael Capria – 6’2″, 295 – Sophomore – Liberty, Missouri (Liberty)

Right Guard (RG):

• #69 Taylor Poitier – 6’3″, 305 – Senior – Kansas City, Kansas (Bishop Miege)
  or
• #56 Andrew Leingang – 6’6″, 306 – Junior – Bismarck, North Dakota (Century)

Right Tackle (RT):

• #77 Carver Willis – 6’5″, 291 – Senior – Durango, Colorado (Durango)
• #53 Drake Bequeath – 6’6″, 292 – Sophomore – Colleyville, Texas (Grapevine)

Tight Ends (TE):

• #83 Will Swanson – 6’5″, 251 – Senior – Papillion, Nebraska (La Vista South)
• #80 Will Anciaux – 6’6″, 246 – Freshman – Wichita, Kansas (Kapaun Mt. Carmel)

Quarterbacks (QB):

• #2 Avery Johnson – 6’2″, 192 – Sophomore – Wichita, Kansas (Maize)
• #5 Ta’Quan Roberson – 6’0″, 201 – Senior – Orange, New Jersey (University of Connecticut)
  or
• #7 Jacob Knuth – 6’3″, 213 – Sophomore – Sioux Falls, South Dakota (University of Minnesota)

Running Backs (RB):

• #31 DJ Giddens – 6’1″, 212 – Junior – Junction City, Kansas (Junction)
• #4 Joe Jackson – 6’0″, 203 – Freshman – Haines City, Florida (Ridge Community)

Running Backs (RB):

• #3 Dylan Edwards – 5’9″, 167 – Sophomore – Derby, Kansas (University of Colorado)
• #47 La’James White – 5’7″, 196 – Junior – Kansas City, Kansas (Air Force)

Wide Receivers (WR):

• #1 Jayce Brown – 6’0″, 179 – Sophomore – Fort Walton Beach, Florida (Choctawhatchee)
• #6 Sterling Locket – 5’10”, 170 – Sophomore – Leawood, Kansas (Blue Valley)

Wide Receivers (WR):

• #14 Dante Cephas – 6’0″, 193 – Senior – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Penn State University)
• #12 Tre Spivey – 6’4″, 217 – Freshman – Chandler, Arizona (Hamilton)

Notes:

The offense remains largely intact and needs to start strong and manage rotations along the offensive line, especially with Panzer and Willis returning from injuries. DJ Giddens may benefit from a lighter workload due to his physical running style, which can take a toll over time. Kegan Johnson has been battling injuries, and some time off could be advantageous. Brayden Loftin’s recent return to action was limited, but he could contribute more effectively against Houston.

Defensive Lineup

Defensive Linebackers:

• #38 Brendan Mott – 6’5″, 244 – Senior – Iowa City, Iowa (Iowa City West)
• #44 Tobi Osunsanmi – 6’3″, 248 – Wichita, Kansas (Wichita East)
  or
• #52 Ryan Davis – 6’4″, 252 – Freshman – Phoenix, Arizona (Sandra Day O’Connor)

Defensive Linemen (DL):

• #56 Damian Illalio – 6’2″, 300 – Junior – Manhattan, Kansas (Manhattan)
• #99 Uso Seumalo – 6’3″, 333 – Senior – Maunaloa, Hawaii (Garden City Community College)

Defensive Ends (DE):

• #39 Travis Bates – 6’3″, 265 – Sophomore – Tomball, Texas (Austin Peay University)
  or
• #8 Chiddi Obiazor – 6’6″, 282 – Freshman – Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Eden Prairie)

Defensive Ends (DE):

• #47 Cody Stufflebean – 6’4″, 257 – Senior – McPherson, Kansas (McPherson)
• #91 Jordan Allen – 6’4″, 258 – Freshman – Olathe, Kansas (Olathe South)

Strongside Linebackers (SLB):

• #32 Desmond Purnell – 6’0″, 236 – Junior – Topeka, Kansas (Hayden)
• #23 Asa Newsom – 6’3″, 228 – Freshman – Waverly, Iowa (Waverly-Shell Rock)

Middle Linebackers (MLB):

• #45 Austin Romaine – 6’2″, 242 – Sophomore – Hillsboro, Missouri (Hillsboro)
• #57 Beau Palmer – 6’2″, 225 – Senior – Overland Park, Kansas (Blue Valley)

Weakside Linebackers (WLB):

• #41 Austin Moore – 6’1″, 220 – Senior – Louisburg, Kansas (Louisburg)
• #28 Rex Van Wyhe – 6’5″, 239 – Sophomore – Rock Rapids, Iowa (Iowa Central Community College)

Cornerbacks (CB):

• #10 Jacob Parrish – 5’10”, 198 – Junior – Olathe, Kansas (Olathe North)
• #5 Justice James – 5’10”, 198 – Senior – West Columbia, Texas (Tyler Junior College)

Strong Safeties (SS):

• #19 VJ Payne – 6’3″, 211 – Junior – Gainesville, Georgia (Buford)
• #2 Colby McCallister – 5’10”, 200 – Sophomore – Houston, Texas (Clear Brook)
  or
• #18 Wesley Fair – 6’1″, 200 – Freshman – Wichita, Kansas (Wichita Collegiate)

Junior Safeties (JS):

• #6 Jordan Riley – 6’0″, 202 – Senior – Clinton, Maryland (Ball State University)
• #36 Jack Fabris – 6’1″, 193 – Freshman – Bogart, Georgia (North Oconee)

Free Safeties (FS):

• #21 Marques Sigle – 6’0″, 197 – Senior – Omaha, Nebraska (North Dakota State University)
• #12 Nickendre Stinger – 5’11”, 187 – Senior – Wichita, Kansas (Butler Community College)
  or
• #27 Daniel Cobbs – 5’10”, 190 – Sophomore – Fort Worth, Texas (Tyler Junior College)

Cornerbacks (CB):

• #1 Keenan Garber – 6’0″, 188 – Senior – Lawrence, Kansas (Free State)
• #34 Jordan Dunbar – 6’0″, 196 – Junior – Tarrytown, New York (Rice University)
  or
• #9 Donovan McIntosh – 6’3″, 190 – Freshman – St. Louis, Missouri (St. Mary’s)

Notes:

Kansas State faces a true personnel dilemma at linebacker with the loss of Beau Palmer and Asa Newsome to season-ending injuries. Despite their solid performance at other positions, finding suitable linebackers has been challenging, and recent losses have highlighted this issue. The frontline remains strong, but more responsibility will fall on them going forward. One way to alleviate some of the strain is to use an extra defensive back and allow the existing linebackers to rotate between two spots. Colby McCallister may play a larger role moving ahead, and if necessary, Tobi Osunsanmi could step in given his prior linebacker experience, particularly against run-heavy opponents.

Overall Observations:

The Wildcats could benefit from a less stressful game against Houston this weekend after two grueling contests. A strong start from the offense and early defensive stops are essential to allow backups some playing time. However, Houston is coming off a significant win against a depleted Utah team. While their offense leaves much to be desired, their defense has helped keep them competitive. Kansas State must avoid letting Houston linger in the game to prevent unnecessary strain on starters. This match is an opportunity for the Wildcats to demonstrate their maturity as a team—great teams secure easy wins and close out games early. Can Kansas State shake Houston’s confidence by halftime? That would definitely be the ideal outcome!