Kansas State football's most pleasant surprise for 2023 was Daniel Green's decision to return

MANHATTAN — When Steve Stanard picked up the phone, he could scarcely believe his ears. Joe Klanderman immediately celebrated when he found out.

The biggest surprise of the new year for Kansas State's football team wasn't any new recruit or the emergence of a young player during spring practice. Instead it was the decision by linebacker Daniel Green to return for a super-senior fifth season.

"It was the best phone call I've had in a long time in January when he called and said, 'Coach, is it OK if I come back?' " Standard, the Wildcats' linebackers coach, recalled. "What do you say? No? Yeah, of course."

Green, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound physical force at middle linebacker, began the 2022 season with high expectations. He was a Big 12 preseason all-conference selection after leading the Wildcats in tackles as a junior.

But a foot injury severely hampered him early in the season, and then a rib injury later on limited his effectiveness. And still he played through it, missing just one game and finishing fifth on the team with 58 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

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"After probably the first or second game, he was kind of a shell of himself with his foot," Stanard said. "He came back, and he started feeling as good as he ever had, and then he had that hit where he didn't break ribs, but he tore cartilage in his ribs.

"So I would say Daniel maybe played two games completely healthy. So that was, I think, the motivating factor."

Indeed, that is exactly what Green said in a Jan. 14 social media post.

"I have thought long and hard about leaving and entering the 2023 NFL draft," he wrote. "After a season plagued by injury and not being 100% for most of the year, I wanted to finish my college career playing my best ball. See y'all in the fall."

Green's decision to return was pleasant surprise for Kansas State coaching staff

Stanard wasn't the only one who was pleasantly surprised by Green's decision. Defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman didn't see it coming, either.

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"When it came out, I've got to tell you, I think me and my wife went to dinner that night as a celebration," Klanderman said. "That was a joke. (But) it was big-time. It was awesome (and) it was incredibly unexpected.

"He's such a leader for us and such a difference-making. A local guy and presence in the locker room, and just the face of the program. He's outstanding."

With the return of Green and senior Austin Moore on the weak side, the Wildcats have two potential all-conference linebackers returning. Moore had a breakout junior year, leading the Wildcats in tackles with 87, including 10 for loss, while receiving honorable mention votes from the Big 12 coaches.

That veteran presence at the Mike and Will linebacker spots certainly will help as K-State looks to fill the strong-side position vacated by senior Khalid Duke, who has moved back to his natural defensive end spot.

Stanard and Klanderman listed sophomores Des Purnell and Jake Clifton as the top two candidates there. Others who could factor in at the three linebacker positions include junior Gavin Forsha, redshirt freshman Tobi Osunsanmi, junior Beau Palmer and junior college transfers Terry Kirksey from Hutchinson and Rex Van Wyhe from Iowa Central.

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Klanderman called it the strongest group at that position since the current staff took over in 2019.

"Definitely, from an experience standpoint, from a knowledge of scheme standpoint, and I daresay from a leadership standpoint, also," Klanderman said. "Those guys are just incredible."

But the biggest impact of all came when Green chose to come back.

"Coach (Chris Klieman's) policy on that is he doesn't want that to be on the forefront. We don't want to press guys on that," Klanderman said of discussing seniors' decisions of whether to return for the extra year granted because of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. "And I appreciate that, and I think the players do, too.

"We want the players to concentrate on the season that they're in, and then after the season we'll discuss what the next move is. And so we had never really had tremendous dialogue with (Green) about it, but every kind of hint was (he was turning pro), so it was totally unexpected."

The same was true for Stanard.

"For months, it was he was going to go on and move on with his career," Stanard said. "We were hoping. I was always prodding him to please come back, but at the end of the day, we knew it was him and his family's decision and what was best for him.

"It was a complete surprise."

And a pleasant surprise at that.

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 linebacker Daniel Green's return a big boost