Five observations from Kansas State’s latest open football practice of the preseason

The Kansas State football team allowed media to watch portions of its preseason practice on Monday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

Here are some observations from the action:

Clarity on the offensive line

K-State will need an inexperienced player to fill in for Christian Duffie at right tackle until he is healthy enough to play this season.

Wildcats coach Chris Klieman has previously said that Duffie will likely miss a few games early on this season.

His replacement could easily be Carver Willis. The junior offensive lineman from Durango, Colorado spent most of his time with the starting offensive line unit on Monday and looked good playing alongside KT Leveston, Cooper Beebe, Hayden Gillum and Hadley Panzer.

Other names to keep an eye at right tackle are John Pastore and Andrew Leingang. But it seems like Willis is in the lead spot there.

Position changes on defense

Last week, Klieman said he was impressed by defensive back Jordan Wright because of his ability to play several different positions in the secondary.

Wright is listed as a cornerback on the K-State football roster, but he spent all of his time running drills with safeties during this practice.

It’s unclear if he has made the switch from corner to safety permanently, but it does show off his versatility.

The Wildcats will likely start Kobe Savage, VJ Payne and Marques Sigle at their three safety spots this season, which means Wright could be a useful replacement for any of them. Of course, he could also help at corner. He seems like a jack-of-all-trades player on defense.

Jordan Perry was also spotted with the linebackers. That is an interesting move for him, as the 6-foot-3 and 203-pound freshman from Jefferson, Georgia has an ideal body for that position. He is listed on the roster as a safety.

Fun practice environment

The Wildcats are clearly having fun.

When they gathered at midfield to stretch and warm up for practice on Monday they did so while old school hip-hop songs played at the stadium.

They listened to throwback tunes such as “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison, “This is how we do it” by Montell Jordan and “That Girl is Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe. Players bobbed their heads to the beat and a few coaches even showed off their dance moves.

Sometimes, training camp can feel like it drags on. But this group is having a good time before Week 1 arrives. K-State is also getting things done in an efficient manner. The Wildcats decided to cut practice short on Monday and ended an hour early. Still, players hung around afterward to work on their craft.

Injury updates

Two notable players were watching practice from the sideline on Monday.

Daniel Green, a senior linebacker who has made 219 tackles during his lengthy college career, was limited to individual work on the north side of the field while his healthy teammates went through drills and scrimmages.

His injury status is unknown, but it didn’t appear as though he was dealing with a serious setback. Green spent time on a stationary bike and then performed arm workouts with a handful of other injured players that weren’t in pads. He also walked around the field just fine. It’s possible he could be back in pads soon.

Uso Seumalo, a senior defensive tackle, was also not in pads. Actually, he wasn’t even in attendance. Unlike Green, he wasn’t on the sideline doing individual exercises.

Other players who did not participate in this practice included offensive lineman Christian Duffie, cornerback Tyler Nelome, defensive end Donovan Rieman, wide receiver Ty Bowman and running back Jordan Schippers. And Defensive back Nickendre Stiger practiced with a red no-contact jersey.

University president makes an appearance

A surprise guest was in attendance at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Monday.

K-State president Richard Linton watched practice from every angle while sporting a dress shirt and a tie. He seemed most interested in the Wildcats’ offensive line. He spent several minutes checking them out up close. At one point, members of the coaching staff asked if he wanted to stand on a football sled as offensive lineman pushed it backward with all their power.

He considered the offer for a moment, but then waved and walked away after he saw how violently K-State’s blockers could shove the sled.

It was nice to see Linton taking in some football before he begins cancer treatment during the fall semester.