Kstate

Top Ten New Year's Resolutions for Kansas State

Here is a look at the top ten New Year's resolutions for Kansas State football and basketball teams entering 2026.
Ryan Kay|
Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
Kansas State Wildcats head coach Jerome Tang. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

In this story:

Kansas State WildcatsKansas State Wildcats

We will look at the five New Year's resolutions for each of the Wildcat basketball and football teams entering 2026.

Five football resolutions for Kansas State football for 2026.

Create the "Collin Klein Era" identity for the football program. When Chris Klieman left and retired earlier this month, the main goal is for Klein, the new head coach and former K-State legend, to create his own unique culture for the football program. Fans want to see Klein's own trademark on the program, whether it's toughness mixed with a fast-paced, modern offensive strategy or something else; whatever the program's identity, they want to see K-State succeed in the 2026 season.

K-State signed Derrick Salley Jr., the #1-rated community college wide receiver. Getting him and the other eight offensive student-athletes of the class of 2026 signees into the offense right away is a high objective, as the team has been lacking deep-threat verticality for the past few seasons. Along with Sally, the Wildcats signed two other wide receivers, and the hope is for Klein and his staff to have a high-powered passing game in 2026.

Win the "Sunflower State" rivalry for the 18th straight time. Since 2009, K-State has defeated its in-state rivals for 17 consecutive games. The Wildcats' main goal is still to win the Big 12 in 2026 and reach the CFP, similar to Texas Tech's achievement this season, but they must also defeat the Jayhawks in 2026.

Strengthen the offensive and defensive lines. The Wildcats must keep key players on both sides of the line and add impactful linemen from the portal this offseason, as the 2026 class has nine true freshman linemen. The goal is to turn young tackles Keegan Collins and Oliver Miller into a group that can protect the quarterback and keep K-State's reputation as a tough, run-first juggernaut in the Big 12. The incoming defensive line has to develop and must also be convinced to stay out of the transfer portal in the future.

To get back to being consistent in the postseason, K-State must commit to getting back into the bowl cycle after turning down a bowl invitation in late 2025 because of coaching changes and concern about the roster. Ideally, they will compete for a position in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, instead of turning down bowl bids. In fairness, if they were to have accepted a bowl invitation at the conclusion of this season, it would have been for a lower-tier bowl, and the expectation moving forward is to compete for a higher-tier bowl at the end of next season.

There are five basketball resolutions for the K-State basketball team entering the new year.

Under Jerome Tang, the goal in Big 12 play is for opponents to find it still challenging to overcome the "Octagon of Doom" energy to win games at home at the Bramlage Coliseum. Conversely, in conference play, the goal is to achieve greater consistency on the road, as competition will intensify with teams like Arizona, Iowa State, Houston, and BYU currently ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 Poll.

Make the most of the PJ Haggerty final season of collegiate ball. PJ Haggerty, a preseason All-American, is the driving force behind this Wildcats team this season. The plan entering Big 12 play is to make sure that the supporting cast, which includes David Castillo, Nate Johnson, and Abdi Bashir Jr., can help him navigate through the tough months of January and February in conference play in hopes of being in the top half of the conference standings entering March.

Development and utilization of international depth Jerome Tang has focused a lot on recruiting players from other countries, notably Andrej Kostić from Serbia, Elias Rapieque from Germany, Mobi Ikegwuruka from Ireland, Stephen Osei from Canada, and Dorin Buca from Italy. The long-term goal is to continue to be patient but to help them all eventually become starters and or key players off the bench at the start of the 2026-27 season.

K-State forwards and centers must continue their development. The Wildcats' top four scorers this season are all guards, and K-State needs its big boys to contribute more on the offensive end in Big 12 play. To get through the tough Big 12 schedule, they need to work on their offense and rebounding on the offensive glass. McGriff, Kostic, and Rapieque combined need to, at a minimum, average 15 points a game in conference play. On defense, they need to continue to be rim protectors and force opposing players to shoot jump shots and not attack the paint.

Lastly, K-State Athletics will move its NIL operations in-house by the end of 2025. The goal for 2026 is to make these resources more efficient so that players don't leave the team in the transfer portal. The new "recruiting" involves keeping talented players like their key contributors this season to stay for next season by keeping the basketball core together. However, they need to continue to add top-tier transfers from the transfer portal after the conclusion of this season.

More from Kansas State On SI

Stay up to date with the Wildcats by bookmarking   Kansas State On SI   and follow us on Twitter.

Published
Ryan Kay
RYAN KAY

Ryan Kay is a journalist who graduated from Michigan State in 2003 and is passionate about covering college sports and enjoys writing features and articles covering various collegiate teams. He has worked as an editor at Go Joe Bruin and has been a contributor for Longhorns Wire and Busting Brackets. He is a contributor for Kansas State On SI.

Home/Football