Head Coach Bill Snyder
On defensive back D.J. Reed…

“I am really proud of D.J. I think he is a tremendous person. He has a great deal of humility. I think he fits this program extremely well. I think he is a hard worker. He is doing exactly what you would expect. What happened last year is last year for him. Right now, he is trying to make himself better. He works diligently every single day. He is a guy who has, in the short period of time here, proved to be extremely dependable. He is a guy who is going to do the right things. He is always attempting to do the right things both on and off the field. He has, in his own quiet way, provided some leadership with our program as well. I am awfully proud of him.”

 

On his reaction to his diagnosis and how he is pushing on…

“I cannot tell you my exact reaction. It was before the bowl game when all of that took place. It is not something you want to hear, but by the same token, it is what it is. You have to deal with it. I am finished with all the treatments. I am going through all the after effects right now. I will get tested again in a few months. The hardest part is the after effects that come along with it. That is what we are going through right now. Millions and millions of people have done it. All the support has been a very humbling thing. I cannot tell you how many thousands of responses have come in. People are so gracious and so kind, all across the country, locally and within the university and the nation. People are very gracious.”

 

On managing his time with the program and his health…

“It is certainly my intent to be here during the spring and all the way through right now. I am not here the length of time I am normally. I am working full days.”

 

On quarterback Jesse Ertz…

“He will be out part of the spring if not all of spring. If he is ready to go by the end of the spring, we might just hold him for safety’s sake. Right now, we have three youngsters, Alex Delton, Hunter Hall and Skylar Thompson. Alex Delton has had a little experience last year. He is working at the number one spot right now and taking the vast majority of the reps. He is really doing a nice job. He has made some improvements from where he was a year ago. He has a very nice skill set. I am pleased with that. The other two youngsters are relatively new to the program, so consequently they are still learning. Both are making progress as well. I am not happy where that is.”

 

On the advantages of having the younger quarterbacks taking a majority of the reps during the spring…

“It is certainly a positive for them. It builds depth. Spring is a brief period of time. It is 15 practices, so we are almost 30 percent through and we have only been of the field four times. The downside of it is, our number one quarterback is watching it all. He can use the experience as well. We look at him as an experienced quarterback because he had last year. However, he came into last year without any real experience because he got injured the previous year in the first ballgame. He still needs work as well.”

 

On the dedication from the out-of-season program…

“I was very pleased with our first two practices. They were very upbeat, they moved very rapidly and we practiced faster. Their spirit was good. The third practice was a bit of a letdown. On April 3, 2017, it was kind of a mixed bag. We had a little bit of a scrimmage, which is usually always upbeat, but I think our guys are always into it. I was not very pleased with our out-of-season program. It could have been much better than what it was. Just some of the responsibility aspect of it. So far they have gotten off to a decent start in spring practice.”

 

On whether or not he can see the work from the out-of-season practices on the field…

“Yeah. I think they have done better in the spring practices up to this point. It was a matter of discipline and carrying out responsibilities, and not being as responsible as you could have been. I always get concerned about ‘taking things for granted’ and consequently there is so much talk about having a ton of returning starters back and being experienced. If you are 18-19 years old you sometimes can take things for granted. I think a little bit of that showed up during the out-of-season program.”

 

On the linebackers…

“I hope it becomes extremely competitive. I think it is going to take us a full 15 days to get a handle of it. I think Jayd Kirby has done a really nice job. Trent Tanking has done a nice job. I am very pleased with Trent. He stepped up to a tremendous leadership role. He was selected as a player representative. He received the second most votes of anybody on our team. He is a really ‘into it’ guy. Every step he takes is a learning process for him. He is making some head way. Sam Sizelove also fits into that group right now.”

 

On the mentality after the bowl game…

“I can see how the drive has dissipated a little bit. I think that is an accurate assessment. It is always something you are concerned about. You like the motivational aspect to prove that you are better. But you also get concerned with the other side of it. Which, as I alluded to before, seems to be what we are kind of dealing with during the course of the out-of-season program.”

 

On the running backs…

“Mike McCoy could fit in with the pack, but he would have to mature a great deal for that to happen. He does have the skill level though. I have been very pleased with Alex Barns and Justin Silmon. Both of them have done a tremendous job. Dalvin Warmack has been banged up a little bit and has not had a way of repetitions, but he will fit into the mix. I think the three I mentioned first. McCoy can, he has the capabilities, but it is just a matter of him understanding what this is about. He just has to mature a little bit.”

 

On how he would like to see the running backs move…

“You would like to see somebody separate themselves. Alex Barnes intended to move in that direction toward the end of the season. I have been impressed during the spring. It has been very competitive between him and Justin Silmon. We scrimmaged yesterday and both of them had very fine scrimmages. It is back to being very competitive.”

 

On the safety positions…

“I think the biggest question mark is how Sean Newlan fits in. Sean has had a lot of playing time. He has to mature in a lot of different ways, and if he does, he will be a very adequate player for us. If he does not, Denzel Goolsby will probably be next in line.”

 

On the offensive line…

“Tyler Mitchell will move into the spot for Terrale Johnson. He has been very productive. I really like him. He is a hardnosed guy. He tries to do the right things. He really cares, he plays hard and practices hard. He will do fine in there. That will complete us across the board, at least with number ones. Our concern is to develop the depth there.”

 

On the impact of Del Miller’s retirement…

“Del was the first coach I hired here. Del always tried to do things the right way. He has a great working knowledge of what our offense is. He was good with his players. He did more than just go out on the field and coach football. He worked with his players in all aspects of their lives. That is what is really significant in our program. He will be missed in that respect. He is just one of those guys who did not make a lot of noise, he was quiet and unassuming, but he was very impactful. We will miss him.”

 

On the coaching staff…

“Blake Seiler will move to linebackers, the coach that we will bring in will be with our defensive ends. Blake will accept some assistant coordinator positions and responsibilities. Blake is a really fine coach and has really come along and learned the system. He is another coach, like I mentioned about Del Miller, who really cares about his players. He really works with them the right way in all aspects of their lives. I am awfully proud of Blake.”

 

On wide receiver Carlos Strickland II…

“He is trying to work his way into the mix. He has not quite gotten there yet. He is still in the process of learning the system. I think there are some things he brings to the table. He has some capabilities. We also like his size. It comes down to how quickly he learns, and how he can practice and play with an ease of mind. We do not want him to think all the time ‘am I taking the right step here?’ He is kind of at that point right now. When we get beyond that, his skill will be forever present.”

 

On Alex Barnes after the injury…

“I have been around a long time. Stuff happens. It is just part of the game. I think for him it was ultra-disappointing. Rightfully so. I would not have wanted it any other way. He is a guy who wants on the field. He loves to compete and he competes very well. You have to understand that is part of the game. He has come back quite well and there are no problems now. I think he reads the schemes quite well. He can pick his spots. He sees daylight, as the old adage goes. He is an aggressive runner. He always runs as hard as he possibly can, which is a plus. He is a physical back to go along with everything else.”

 

On Jordan Willis’ NFL Draft prospects…

“I talked to Jordan the other day. He has been shown an awful lot of interest. I am quite certain, he did not tell me, but I am quite certain that he will be a very high choice. It is going to be quite interesting to me if he becomes the first defensive end selected in the draft. He is some very tall company there. I think by the way he played at the end of the year, the way he performed at the combine and the way he has performed during a variety of different workouts, what the NFL has learned about him has put him in a good position. I think he will go pretty high.”

 

On defensive end Reggie Walker…

“Well Reggie came out of nowhere during the course of the season. He got better and better and better. He is still working at it right now. I said all along, he just seemed to take on Jordan Willis’ ways. You have heard me say numerous times how proud I was of Jordan, in reference to how he works. I think that is one of the things the NFL people are excited about as well. They realize how passionate he is about the game and his passion about doing everything the right way. Reggie has taken that on. He did last ear. I have not seen anything yet to dissuade me from that.”

 

On the defensive end spots…

“Well we have a couple guys back who have played a great deal. We are banged up a little bit there. If you go back, we played four guys there last year. Having three of them back is good. I do not feel uncomfortable about the position.”

 

On the quarterbacks…

“I think Skyler Thompson was good for our defense last year. He did a nice job on the scout squad. That is always extremely important to us. I think that has carried over for us. I think he is getting reps in the two and three spot. He is getting ample number of repetitions. He seems to be responding to it well. He has thrown the ball reasonably well. He is picking up on the offense. A lot of it is still new to him, but we put everything in during the spring and we put a lot in each day. Your mind can be swimming a little bit when you do not read it off of a card. I think he has handled the mental aspect of it quite well.”

 

On scheduling around Jesse Ertz…

“To a certain degree it has factored in if you look at the broad picture and how well your offensive is doing. But that is the same for any position where someone is missing, or a probable starter is not of the field. Then sometimes, it can distort the entirety of the ball, either offense or defense. As far as Jesse is concerned, when we go through spring, we look at each individual. It is very individualized in that respect. We are trying to make each player we have the best they can be. If I am going to evaluate spring practice, I am going to evaluate it position by position, individual by individual, and how that individual improves, and where did he put himself in regard to be on the field. I do not look at it as how we are collectively. I think this will play out in the long run.”

Sophomore Quarterback Alex Delton

On the first week of practices…

“The main thing, different than last year, is that I have a little pressure on myself, but I feel like I have handled it well. I feel like we have been executing really well. Every year is different. I feel like I have been getting it done and handled it in a good way. I feel a lot better as a player at all aspects of the game.”

 

On redshirt freshman quarterback Skylar Thompson…

“He is a talented guy. He can throw the ball pretty well. It is never easy being a young quarterback in the system, but Skylar has handled it well. We are getting after it every day. We are very close and we do everything to help each other out.”

 

On new quarterbacks coach Collin Klein…

“It has been amazing. Coach Klein is so energetic and so fun to be around. He made the game so fun for us. The biggest thing that I got from him so far is to go out and have fun. This is my third spring here; it has already gone fast. These days are limited. I just want to embrace it and have fun with it.”

 

Sophomore Running Back Alex Barnes

On team’s reaction about Coach Snyder’s diagnosis…

“We were extremely sad; it is not something that people should deal with, especially a man like Coach Snyder. It was tough, but we knew he would be able to battle through it. He talks to us about stuff like that all the time and we knew he would be able to overcome it just based on his values.”

 

On how spring practices have started…

“It has been competitive; everybody is just getting after it. We had our first scrimmage yesterday; it went very well. We were able to run the ball very well; as a running back, it is always my first priority. The defense had some good and athletic plays. We are just looking as a unit overall.”

 

On quarterback Alex Delton…

“We are roommates, so every night we are able to talk about football things and watch a little film together. It is really good to see him stepping up and becoming a leader of this team. He is exuding confidence now, and it is a whole new person. It is very good to see him mature like that.”

 

Senior Linebacker Trent Tanking

On the linebacker position…

“It is a little different. Last year we were going into spring ball bringing everybody back, and this year we lost four guys that contributed a lot and played the last three years.”

 

On Elijah Lee foregoing his senior year for the NFL Draft…

“I talked to Elijah a little and I just told him it is your decision, don’t let anybody influence you one way or another. He told me he would let me know. After he made the announcement, he texted me and said thanks for your input and I wished him good luck.”

 

On being a leader at a successful program…

“I have been a leader since my high school. They voted me team captain and I was very honored to be it. I kind of took a follower role last year since I was not starting and we had several seniors who stepped up that were in that position. Now that I am a senior, I feel like that is my responsibility and my job to be able to step up and make all the calls that I need to make.”

 

On learning about Coach Snyder’s diagnosis…

“It was tough just because Coach is a very private person. We wanted to help him, but we also knew that he wanted to handle it in his own way. He let us know how he was doing the whole time. As long as he let us know he was doing well, we were willing to work throughout the offseason to be ready for spring ball.”

 

Junior Defensive Back D.J. Reed

On transitioning from community college to Division I…

“The difference is that you have to watch more film. You have to practice harder and you have to prepare yourself more because you are playing better athletes. I would not say I am surprised or anything because I put the work in. Coach (Tom) Hayes really got me right; he really trained me and developed me. Same as Coach (Chris) Dawson in the weight room. You put all of that together. It definitely helped.”

 

On players he looked up to when he first arrived at K-State…

“Somebody I followed and watched do it was Jordan Willis. Jordan and I started getting closer at the end of the year, but he is just very consistent in everything he does. It is little things – just watching more film than everybody else or taking more ice baths. Just doing more than everybody else so he can have that edge when game day comes.”

 

On the honors he received last season…

“It feels good. When you work hard, you want to be rewarded for it. I like the recognition, but now it’s 2017, so I’ll focus on this season now. I do not want to get a big head or anything. I just try to get better every single day.”

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RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics