K-State's Dylan Edwards In Bowl Spotlight With DJ Giddens Departure

Oct 19, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Kansas State Wildcats running back Dylan Edwards (3) runs during the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Kansas State running back DJ Giddens had such a great season he improved enough to become a better NFL prospect.

So, naturally, he entered the draft weeks before the Wildcats play against Rutgers in Rate Bowl in Tuscon, Ariz.

While losing Giddens is a negative, the positive is coach Chris Klieman gets opportunity to look at the future. It provides the chance to see Dylan Edwards as the feature back.

"I'm excited to watch Dylan Edwards," Klieman said. "I'm excited to watch Joe Jackson. Obviously, you throw Avery [Johnson] in that mix. We have some playmakers back there."

Edwards is the most touted of the group. He began his freshman year at Colorado playing for coach Deion Sanders. After one season, he decided it was time to return to his home state.

This season, Edwards had 56 carries for 350 yards and three touchdowns in a backup role to Giddens. He also had 17 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown.

Even though Klieman refused to single out anyone, Edwards is expected as the featured running back next season.

"One of the things I've kind of challenged the offensive staff is try to utilize all those guys because they all can be productive," Klieman said. "They all can make plays. In this brief prep we've had, with all the other things we've had going on. I like some of the things that we've have going."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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