Kansas State football counting on depth to fill voids at cornerback

MANHATTAN — For the past two seasons, Van Malone had the luxury on writing the same two cornerbacks' names into the Kansas State lineup, secure in knowing that the Wildcats were in good hands.

Julius Brents and Ekow Boye-Doe were fearless and steady as could be while matching up against the Big 12's premier receivers.

"When you look at last season in that room, more than any two players, Julius and Ekow Boye-Doe, those guys had more reps than anybody," said Malone, K-State's assistant head coach and also the man in charge of the cornerbacks. "So to lose their rep count is a challenge to be able to replace."

But with Brents and Boye-Doe off to pursue professional careers, it falls on Malone, himself a successful defensive back both at Texas and with the Detroit Lions in the NFL, to get a whole new group of corners ready to go this spring. He always has seen himself as a teacher first and foremost, so that part hasn't changed.

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"For most of my career, I've coached the cornerbacks who have walked in and hadn't been the highest rated or the highest regarded players, and this spring really has been no different," Malone said. "So I really get an opportunity to coach and to help guys get better.

"That's been cool for me this spring, to watch Jordan Wright, to watch Will Lee who just arrived this spring, (and) to watch Jacob Parrish, who was a freshman and played for us throughout the season on special teams but had more time (at corner) toward the end of the year. And Keenan Garber, who we ended up stealing from the offense and throwing out there in the Big 12 championship."

While Brents is expected to go in the early to middle rounds of the NFL Draft and Boye-Doe's speed and athleticism almost certain to give him a shot, K-State still has plenty of options at cornerback. They just lack experience at the Division I level.

Brooks could be a star in the making after appearing in all 14 games last year as a true freshman. Omar Daniels saw action in 10 games as a redshirt freshman, and Garber, a senior, spent three years at wide receiver before switching to defense late in the season and playing 21 snaps as an injury fill-in during the Wildcats' Big 12 championship victory over TCU.

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Then there are highly regarded junior college transfers Wright and Justice Clemons, both of whom redshirted, and spring enrollee Lee, a juco All-American, who as a freshman last year helped lead Iowa Western to a national championship.

Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman said the days of plugging in two cornerbacks and calling it good are likely over. He has no qualms about rotating the repetitions among several players.

"I think it's going to be more corner by committee, and it's not because we don't have two guys that are alphas," Klanderman said. "I think it's because we've got several guys that are alphas."

While Lee was a late arrival and is just getting his feet wet, Parrish has continued to impress this spring.

"I think that Will Lee as a transfer guy is getting more and more comfortable. He'll have a big role," Klanderman said. "Will is just still not quite certain about how we do things, but he is flashing.

"Jacob Parrish has kind of been steady Eddie. I think his biggest deal is he's put on a significant amount of weight, and I think for the first couple of practices he was learning to deal with that."

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The Wildcats have exhibited enough depth at cornerback that Klanderman claimed promising redshirt freshman Colby McCalister and switched him to safety. So seeing four or five different corners logging meaningful playing time is not out of the question.

“That's always the goal, and I say it to our players. It's about the level of trust, not just the trust that I have in you, but the trust that your teammates can have, the trust in the other coaches on the staff that they would have in your ability to go out and there not be a drop-off in play," Malone said. "So, I'm excited about where we are right now, because I have four or five guys who have shown, from a physical standpoint, that they can do it.

"And they continually impress upon myself and other coaches on the staff that from a mental standpoint, from an assignment standpoint, from a technique standpoint, that they can go out and be able to be successful."

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 Twitter at @arnegreen.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football will have two new starters at cornerback in 2023