K-State Q&A: Football transfers, Jerome Tang’s future, Pop-Tarts and Christmas movies

Last week’s mailbag was a bit of a downer, so let’s start off this edition of K-State Q&A with an ode to Pop-Tarts.

That’s right, I’m about to tell you why I love the toasted pastry that has taken over as the title sponsor for the Orlando bowl game that K-State will play in later this month.

By the way, that bowl has gone by many names.

Seriously, has any bowl changed names more than the one K-State will play in later this month? Previous names: Cheez-It Bowl, Camping World Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl, Champs Sports Bowl, Tangerine Bowl, MicronPC Bowl, Carquest Bowl and Blockbuster Bowl.

I vow to one day save enough money to get this game changed to the Kellis Bowl.

Sorry, I got a little off track there. Back to my love for Pop-Tarts.

No joke: I used to eat 10 a week when I was younger. A typical breakfast for me in high school consisted of two Pop-Tarts and a Dr Pepper while I drove to school.

When my kids learned about those horrible eating habits they wanted to know how I didn’t turn out to weigh 300 pounds. I don’t have an answer for you on that one. When I got older and looked at the nutritional info on Pop-Tarts and soda I switched to a much healthier diet. But my teenage body could apparently handle anything thanks to lots of exercise and a high metabolism.

I am willing to pig out on Pop-Tarts once again when I arrive in Orlando in late December, though. My favorite flavor has always been frosted strawberry. But I have also been known to eat cherry, frosted cinnamon roll and chocolate chip.

It wasn’t until just recently that I started asking K-State athletes for their favorite Pop-Tarts flavors that I realized there are so many in existence.

Let’s hope they have a big sampler platter in Orlando. We should all be prepared to eat Pop-Tarts like teenagers on Dec. 28.

Now, let’s dive into your questions. Thanks, as always, for providing them.

For it to be considered a successful season, what is the floor for the Women’s & Men’s basketball teams? What is also a reasonable ceiling for both of them? - @garretts_myth via X

We will probably disagree on this topic.

I’m guessing most fans of the men’s basketball team will want to see another high Big 12 finish and some more wins in the NCAA Tournament. But I think that is shooting too high for Jerome Tang’s squad.

Even after an 8-2 start the Wildcats only rank No. 43 at Ken Pomeroy and No. 52 at Bart Torvik. This team is not a lock to return to March Madness, especially without Nae’Qwan Tomlin.

If K-State can win some exciting games in Big 12 play and reach the NCAA Tournament, regardless of seed, I think this should be considered a good year.

Switching to the K-State women, I am expecting more from Jeff Mittie’s team.

I think they need to reach the Sweet 16 for this season to truly be considered a success. The women’s team has been to the Big Dance many times in recent years, but winning more than one game on the bracket has been a challenge.

With Ayoka Lee and several other quality players on the roster, it would be a nice step for this group to make the Sweet 16.

I’m not sure how to answer the ceiling part of your question, other than to say if both teams reach the NCAA Tournament then anything is possible.

Is there anything Chris Klieman and/or the K-State administration could have done to keep Collin Klein in Manhattan? I am still surprised he left us for Texas A&M. - Andrew B. via e-mail

Klein’s departure also came as a surprise to me, simply because I thought he would remain at K-State until he was offered the job of head coach at a school like Colorado State.

He can be an elite offensive coordinator at K-State just as easily as he can at Texas A&M.

But the Aggies were able to offer him a few things that the Wildcats could not. For starters, he will make a lot more money in College Station. He should become one of the highest-paid coordinators in the country there. He also now has access to the best recruits in the nation. Furthermore, winning at Texas A&M will probably accelerate his path to a head coaching gig.

Kliff Kingsbury had one good year as the OC at Texas A&M and immediately got the top job at Texas Tech and then the Arizona Cardinals.

There’s not much that athletic director Gene Taylor or Klieman could have offered to top that.

But I will say, the Wildcats may have erred last offseason when they failed to make him a $1 million coordinator. He gave up a lot of money and opportunity when he passed on Notre Dame. I wonder if he didn’t feel fully appreciated afterward.

In any case, his time coaching in Manhattan may not be over. One would think he will be on the short list to replace Klieman whenever his time at K-State comes to an end.

The Kansas kid that de-committed from NDSU I heard was paid for by NIL. If true would that money have been better spent on a more immediate contributor impact transfer? - @markkloster via X

I suppose NIL money could have been involved when St. Thomas Aquinas defensive lineman Kian Payne decided to withdraw his commitment from North Dakota State and then switched his allegiances to Kansas State.

But he isn’t going to be on scholarship with the Wildcats. He will walk-on in Manhattan. So I seriously doubt anyone at K-State broke the bank to get him here.

WildcatNIL does like to award a handful of walk-ons with the monetary equivalent of an athletic scholarship each season. At best, that is likely what he will be receiving.

K-State should have plenty of NIL resources left over to use on impact transfers and other recruits.

NIL money is a factor in most commitments and transfer announcements these days. K-State is always looking for more.

In your opinion, has the sour note on which the regular season ended (Iowa State debacle) contributed significantly to the high number of football players entering their names into the transfer portal this month? One would think starters like Kobe Savage and others seeing significant playing time (i.e., Nate Matlack) would relish the opportunity to come back and compete for another championship in the newly-reconstituted Big XII. I’m guessing their NFL draft-worthiness would be just as good or better staying at K-State (where they are established) than going somewhere else for a single season. Or is this all about NIL money? - Kirk Z. via e-mail

Let me start off by saying that K-State has lost more football transfers than Chris Klieman was expecting.

When a handful of transfers immediately announced their departures after the Iowa State loss, there were some K-State fans screaming that the sky was falling. I got questions about what was wrong with the football team. That was a big overreaction. But fans are now entitled to feel at least a little bit worried.

Sixteen transfers isn’t necessarily too many. Other teams have lost more. And I don’t think there is anything wrong with the football team. Everyone loses transfers this time of the year. But K-State will have a hard time replacing some of the players that it lost.

It’s hard to say exactly why all of them decided to leave. But I don’t think anyone entered the portal solely because of that season-ending loss to the Cyclones.

Some of the players definitely left looking for more NIL money at a different school.

Some left because they wanted more playing time. Some left because they were unhappy. Some left because they had been at K-State for many years and wanted to try something new.

Kobe Savage is one transfer I can’t explain. His departure surprised the K-State coaching staff. They tried to change his mind but he still decided to leave.

Bottom line: Some players are going to do that. Dillon Gabriel was an All-Big 12 quarterback at Oklahoma this past season. One would think it doesn’t get any better than that, but he decided to transfer.

It’s the new norm. The best thing K-State can do now is bring in quality transfers to replace the ones is lost.

If the last two weeks of storylines surrounding K-State resemble Christmas movie classic, (and not one of those lame Hallmark Channel ones) which one would it be? - @the_funky_andy via X

The past few weeks line up well with the plot of “Christmas Vacation.”

K-State football losing a handful of quality players to the transfer portal and Nae’Qwan Tomlin getting dismissed from the men’s basketball team probably felt as painful to fans as it did to the Griswold family when Cousin Eddie showed up out of the blue and then cops smashed every window in their house.

Not even a Jelly of the Month club could brighten their spirits.

But there was a happy ending in that movie. Clark Griswold got his Christmas bonus and his dream of putting a swimming pool in his backyard was restored.

Maybe that should give K-State fans hope for whatever is coming next.

Is Die Hard a Christmas movie? - @jkinney1987 via X

Yes!

You can hear jingle bells in the opening credits. They end the film with a Christmas song. There are Christmas trees in just about every scene. Die Hard is absolutely a Christmas movie.

I would go so far as to say it doesn’t feel like Christmas until you’ve seen John McClane drop Hans Gruber from the top of Nakotomi Tower.

Here’s the real question. Is my oldest son ready to watch Die Hard at the age of 12? My brain says no. But my heart wants to say yes.

This past week has been the most drama from a negative view that KState has experienced in a long time - what would it take for us to forget this week and it just be a blip in the past? - @ChadFullington via X

Far as I can tell, many fans have already moved on.

But a basketball win over Nebraska on Sunday would help. So would a win at the Pop-Tarts Bowl later this month.

Do you think a certain university president will still have a job in January? - @carsfan3053 via X

A better question: How many consecutive weeks will you, my loyal readers, ask about the job status of university president Richard Linton?

It could be a while.

He is so unpopular with the fan base right now that I don’t see EMAW nation letting it go. This could rival the last few seasons with Bruce Weber as basketball coach, when I got five questions a week about when he might eventually get the boot.

What are the odds Coach Tang stays after this year after Linton took control of the program? Please stay Coach!!! You mean so much to the students and the community. - @bfullingt via X

Let’s all take a deep breath.

What good is it going to do to worry about that possibility in December?

Jerome Tang signed a lucrative new contract with K-State a few short months ago. He kept the same job at Baylor for nearly two decades. Looking for a new job has never been in his character.

Could he be open to other opportunities if his relationship with Linton doesn’t improve? Sure. Who among us hasn’t thought about switching jobs after a bad day or a disagreement with our boss? But how many of us actually follow through?

He could also be approached by a bigger school just like Klein and decide to leave for reasons that have nothing to do with his boss.

There are a million reasons he could stay or go at the end of this season. But that’s true with every coach, every year.

My advice is to kick back and enjoy the basketball season rather than worry about what might or might not happen in a few months.