Associate Head Coach Sean Snyder
On quarterbacks coach Collin Klein…
“It was a no brainer having him back. Collin is very aware of everything that goes on in the program, whether it is what he is doing on the field or the recruiting aspect of it. His awareness and knowledge that he has gained in a short period of time is going to be a tremendous help to the program. Two characteristics that are really good about Collin are he is humble. He carries himself very well in that way. In this profession, you see that there are a lot of good egos and a lot of not so good egos. Collin also has a good strong humility about himself. He is consistent. He is consistent with the things he does. He is consistent in the way he coaches and the way he handles things. Those two things, to me, carry a lot of weight.”
On the absence of head coach Bill Snyder…
“He is doing very well. He has some appointments up in Kansas City today, so he is running in to do that. He has been in and out. He has been at all the practices right now. He is doing well. It is kind of standard post-treatment stuff right now. He is moving in a positive direction.”
On differentiating between coach and son…
“The coach/son thing has been interesting over the years for a lot of different areas, this one in particular. When the diagnosis initially came out it was a pretty tough period because I was telling him to ‘get out of here, and go and do what you need to do.’ He probably did not go as fast as I would have liked him to, but he went. He got things taken care of. Obviously, post-bowl game he was able to get in and get treatments started. Emotionally it has gone back and forth an awful lot because with the stuff that needs to take place here, and happen here, like the coaching staff and the support staff. Everyone has been here and has been here for a long time. That part is a well-oiled machine. There are times when he needs to feel comfortable, when he needs to go get rest and get away and go do that. You know how he is. He wants to be here. He wants to be around every minute. He misses being around the players an awful lot. That part is tough, but it is a balancing act.”
On having former players still apart of the program…
“Having them around is huge. It goes a long way. There are a lot of transitions. A new coach comes in and there is a transition. New players come in and there are transitions. There is a process that has to be done with everything. Having guys who are used to the work ethic and used to the accountability and the structure we have makes that transition a lot easier for an incoming player. For example, an incoming player may come in who does not understand all of the expectations that are expected of him. Now we have someone closer, who is not on the same playing field, but still a little bit closer who can say, ‘Hey, I went through this, I have been there. Everything works out and things get better as time goes.’ Those things are a real plus.”
On defensive back Denzel Goolsby…
“One of the things that I think all players go through during the transitions is the speed of the game and how they process a game. For Denzel, who is a very good and gifted athlete, everybody goes through the processing and how fast the game is being played. For him and with his experience last year, I expect him to be a completely different player on special teams. I think it helps him on the defensive side of the ball and what he is doing there. But the growth of every player when they go through the process and get the experience on the field, it is a matter of being able to see the game at a fast speed and being able to process it at that speed as well. You need to be able to make the decisions that needs to be made while going at 100 miles per hour. I think there is going to be a vast improvement from where he is at. I expect to see him on a lot of things within the special teams.”
On having a large number of returning special team players…
“It is very important having them back. Transitioning from punters and kickers is always a challenge. We have to develop some depth. That is one of the areas we need to work on. Mitch Lochbihler, who wound up doing a lot of our kickoffs toward the back end of the season, needs to gain the consistency to be able to perform as a punter and a kickoff guy. Matt McCrane is a solid and proven field goal kicker. Nick Walsh has been a very proven punter. We have a lot of areas we can continue to improve on with all those guys. There are a lot of new faces in each unit. I think there are going to be some pluses. I think there will be some areas we need to stay focused on to improve. Having all those returners back with D.J. Reed, Byron Pringle and Dominique Heath, we have a group of guys back there who are really special and who can do some things. I am pretty excited about that.”
On wide receiver Byron Pringle…
“Toward the back half of the season, his comfort level of the game just got better and better. He is able to see the game at fast speed and process it well. The same thing is seen in his return game. As he was returning kicks, it was the same thing. There were times, as a seasoned guy, where he would hit the hole fast. Just like at the bowl game, he can catch one on the sideline and then just separate himself from everybody. Those things for him are great, the comfort level of the game and he has been able to slow the game down for himself. I expect him to have a good year. Like we all do, he has some work to do, but I think there is a good opportunity ahead of him.”
Sophomore Running Back Alex Barnes
On the depth running back position…
“It is special right now. We have five guys who are really getting after it and are very talented. We all could play any down, so it is a special thing we have going on. We are looking to take advantage of that.”
On quarterback Alex Delton…
“He is probably the second-fastest guy on the team. He is explosive and no one on the defense is going to catch him when he gets loose. It is fun to watch him run. He has improved a lot as a passer. I know he has worked on his mechanics and he has spent a lot of time with Colin (Klein) too. He has really worked hard to improve his passing game.”
On wide receiver Byron Pringle…
“He has really stepped up as a leader for us. He is kind of guiding some of the younger guys. He really has the route tree down and knows everything that we are doing. His effort in practice has really improved since last year. It will be fun to watch him and (Alex) Delton throughout the rest of the spring.”
Sophomore Defensive Back Denzel Goolsby
On his biggest challenge when switching to safety…
“The biggest challenge is getting so comfortable to the point where I do not have to think about it, I just react. That is kind of why the spring has been so big for me. I do not want to have to question myself about anything and just play fast.”
On the competition in practice…
“I think it is good competition between me and Sean (Newlan). We push each other every single day. We are good in the locker room together and we are good on the field together. It is a battle. That is what the spring is about. That is what the summer is going to be about and the other phase is team camp. It is not just a one-time deal where you prove yourself. It is over the course of it all.”
Junior Linebacker Da’Quan Patton
On the process of coming to K-State…
“Things did not go as they were planned. K-State gave me the opportunity and I took it. It was just rolling pretty fast. Things have just linked together and it happened.”
On the most difficult thing so far…
“Nothing has been difficult so far. Everybody has been nice to me. They spent time with me and taught me everything that I needed to learn.”
On his learning curve…
“I have been learning stuff every day. The coaches and the players spend a lot of time with me to help me run the plays.”
Junior Linebacker Sam Sizelove
On the linebacker competition…
“It is tough. We have four or five guys that are playing on a first-team level. Every day you have to bring your A-game and just be disciplined. Each of us is playing aggressively and trying to make as many plays as we can.”
On his progress…
“This is my third spring here. I got the hang of things and I know how everything works. The experience is definitely helping me, but this spring I made a lot of progression, such as knowing the defense completely and not making any mistakes.”
On the newcomers…
“Da’Quan Patton is probably one of the most athletic linebackers that I have ever seen. He brings a hammer when he hits people. He is a great guy and teammate and I see the bright future for him.”
On Elijah Lee and his decision to go professional…
“Living together, I talked to him back and forth on what his plans were. It was kind of up in the air until after the bowl game. At this point of his career, he is definitely skilled enough to go and I think he is going to do well in the NFL.”