K-State Q&A: Jerome Tang’s next basketball transfer, football, Big 12 Mexico and more

It’s time for another K-State Q&A.

No need for a lengthy introduction this week. Let’s dive right into your questions about the Wildcats. Thanks, as always, for providing them.

Sadly, I don’t have a great answer for you right now.

Jerome Tang and his coaching staff put the vast majority of their energy into landing an elite guard out of the portal, and they accomplished that mission when North Texas transfer Tylor Perry chose K-State over Florida, Mississippi and Texas Tech. So much so that they haven’t targeted anyone as the new top transfer on their board.

As far as I know, the Wildcats don’t have any visits lined up. They are trying to stay patient and cast a wide net as the top players in the portal go through the NBA Draft process as early. My guess is things heat up closer to the end of the month or even in June.

Remember, K-State waited until extremely late in the process to land Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills last summer. And they were the top additions of the offseason. Tang isn’t afraid to wait for the best players to present themselves.

That being said, I think there is some level of mutual interest between K-State and Toledo transfer RayJ Dennis, a guard who averaged 19.5 points last season. He is the top-rated available transfer currently in the portal, according to Bart Torvik. But he has been involved with Illinois and other schools, so nothing seems imminent there.

K-State reached out to Oklahoma State transfer Moussa Cisse when he hit the portal. I haven’t noticed much buzz about him of late, but he would a solid option if the Wildcats are looking for a rim-protector next season. The only catch with him is that Tang has said he wants a versatile big who can play on both ends of the court. I’m not sure that’s Cisse, even though I would absolutely take him if I was coaching the team.

One of my favorite players currently in the portal is Utah Valley center Aziz Bandaogo. Not sure there is any connection between him and Tang, but he can really play.

North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson could get a look if he doesn’t turn pro.

More than 500 players remain available in the portal. I’m sure Tang will find a way to land one or two good ones, regardless of when it happens.

I can tell you a little more about football.

The Wildcats have three available scholarships after they lost a few outgoing transfers earlier this week. I’m told they will look to bring in one new transfer, preferably a defensive back, and debate whether to use the other two on the portal or as a reward for senior walk-ons.

One name to keep an eye on is cornerback Tyler Nelome from Southeast Missouri. K-State recently offered him a scholarship.

A No. 18 ranking seems a smidgen high. I would have the K-State football team at about 23 in my way-too-early rankings. But I have no problem at all with the Wildcats starting the season in the top 25.

They deserve that honor after all the accomplished last season.

My hesitation to rank them higher is based on what they lost. Just look at the results from last week’s NFL Draft. Felix Anudike-Uzomah went in the first round. K-State hadn’t previously produced a Round 1 pick since 2009. Julius Brents went quickly in the second round, giving the Wildcats two very draft picks.

Then Deuce Vaughn and Josh Hayes were drafted and a small army of players signed on with teams as free agents.

Replacing that much talent won’t be easy.

I will be curious to see how the offense performs without Vaughn. Yes, the entire offensive line is back. But they are no longer blocking for the most electric running back in the country.

Will they drop off without him? Or were they the ones making Vaughn look good all those years.

We shall see.

But there is still a lot to like about these Wildcats. They return their starting quarterback (Will Howard), their head coach (Chris Klieman) and their offensive coordinator (Collin Klein) from a year ago. And nothing beats that kind of continuity.

If K-State can shore up some holes in its secondary, on the defensive line and at receiver there is no reason why the Wildcats can’t win eight or nine games next season.

Unfortunately, the money that student-athletes earn through NIL deals is not public record.

When a coach signs a new contract with K-State, I can easily obtain a copy of the deal via an open records request. But when a player signs an endorsement deal with a local car dealership, the monetary value of that partnership only becomes public if the athlete or sponsor choose to share that information.

On occasion, we hear specific figures like with Nijel Pack and Life Wallet at Miami. More often, everyone would prefer to keep that information private just like most of us do with our own salaries.

That being said, I can give you a few details about the NIL money that student-athletes are making at K-State.

Curry Sexton, a former wide receiver who now helps run the Wildcat NIL collective, has told me previously that any star athlete at K-State can “easily” expect to make six figures per year in NIL money. Think Ayoka Lee, Deuce Vaughn and Felix Anudike-Uzomah here.

Insiders have also told me that the largest single donation made to any of the K-State NIL collectives has been $150,000. I believe that money was split seven ways between top-performing members of the football team.

In the future, maybe that much money could go to one specific player. We shall see.

Another donor gave the volleyball team a large sum of money to split evenly across its roster.

Most NIL deals are on the small side, but K-State fans and businesses have opened up their check books for returning stars. Will Howard and Cooper Beebe won’t have to stress about cash this season.

Avery Johnson seems to be one of the few K-State athletes who started getting NIL deals the second he arrived on campus. That makes sense, seeing as how he is a star quarterback from nearby Wichita.

If he stays at K-State for four seasons and turns into a Heisman contender, I won’t be surprised if his NIL earnings reach seven figures.

But I can’t tell you exactly how much he has earned so far. That’s just not how it works.

I am not a fan of Big 12 Mexico.

Hate is a strong word, but I have no problem using it here.

I hate the idea of playing conference games in another country.

For those who haven’t heard about Big 12 Mexico, here’s a quick explanation. Brett Yormark wants to begin playing Big 12 basketball games in Mexico City and football games in Monterrey starting in 2024.

Kansas vs. Houston in men’s basketball is one game that has been floated as a possible candidate for Mexico City. I don’t get that at all. Allen Fieldhouse would go bonkers for that game. Fertitta Center, which is used to hosting conference games against Memphis and Wichita State, would go nuclear for a home game against the Jayhawks.

Why move a game with that much local interest across the border to a location where very few fans from either team can be in attendance?

Unless the money is outrageously good, I don’t see enough value to give up home games for it.

K-State recently moved a home football game to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. That worked because the Dallas Cowboys gave the Wildcats a nice check for the game and it was located in an area filled with recruits and K-State has a strong fan presence in the DFW area. It was also a manageable drive from Manhattan. Most fans who wanted to attend that game could still do so. And it gave the Wildcats a preview of the Big 12 championship venue.

That was also a nonconference game against Stanford that had no impact on the Big 12 standings.

I’m not seeing any of those perks involved with Mexico.

Yormark wants to extend the conference’s reach and create new fans in an untapped region. On paper, that sounds like a good idea. But I have doubts that many people in Mexico are eager to jump on the Big 12 bandwagon.

Pro soccer is the biggest sport down there. Yes, fans have sold out stadiums and arenas for the NFL, NBA and MLB. But will they care at all if college teams are playing in town?

I would be very interested in watching Manchester United play Chelsea at Arrowhead Stadium. But I’m not spending any money for Oxford vs. Cambridge.

The Pac-12 tried playing games in Australia and China, thinking it would create a fan presence in those countries. But you may have noticed they gave up on those ideas pretty quickly, even though a sports network in Australia agreed to occasionally televise Pac-12 games after California and Hawaii played there.

If it didn’t work for the Pac-12 then, why is it going to work for the Big 12 now?

The only way I see this working is if there is a Big 12 team that is similar to Jacksonville Jaguars, who volunteer to move home games to London all the time. If, say, Houston or Texas Tech of BYU love the idea of Big 12 Mexico and they are willing to sacrifice their home games so no one else has to, I guess that’s OK.

But I don’t envision K-State fans celebrating an appearance in Mexico if it means they have to give up a home football game against Oklahoma State to play it.

I am prepared to eat crow if this happens and Big 12 Mexico turns out to be the coolest thing ever. But I’m not excited about the idea right now.

That being said, I have a good friend who grew up in Manhattan, attended KU and then went to Texas for law school. He currently lives in Mexico City and he is all for the idea. It would definitely be a cool thing for him.

There is only one answer to this question.

Buy a fedora.

It’s way better than a driving cap or a top hat or a bowler.

My oldest son recently made the honor roll and his middle school threw a party for everyone who made the list. Kids were asked to dress up. One boy strolled into the ceremony wearing a fedora and he was instantly the envy of all his peers.

The same could happen for you!