K-State Defensive Coordinator Jordan Peterson Pleased With Competitiveness of Defense

K-State defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson has built a great relationship with Collin Klein. The two worked together for the last two years at Texas A&M as coordinators. Peterson is a Texas A&M alum, but he followed Klein to be his defensive coordinator in Manhattan. Making that type of decision shows the confidence Peterson has in Klein and the belief that they can achieve something great at K-State.

For Klein, one of the most important things he wants in his program is competition. He has emphasized that a position isn't earned in one day, but rather throughout the season by how hard a player competes every day.

The Wildcats have a grading system in which they post players' grades in practice each day. This documented system shows who is competing at the highest level each day. Peterson was recently asked which position was standing out, but he complimented all three levels of his defense.

“All of them," Peterson said. "It's really the truth. Every day we are posting their grades from the practice. We believe in transparency. We believe in guys understanding exactly where they're at compared to their peers. It obviously makes the conversations a whole lot easier. ‘This is black and white. This is what this grade is, this is what this grade is, and this is what this production level is."

There is no sugarcoating it for the players. They are held to a standard every day, and if their level drops at any point, the coaches will reiterate the importance of competing. Peterson understands that the players may not always want to hear when they're not playing their best, but it is something that needs to happen to keep the standard at a high level.

"Ultimately, although they may not like what they hear all the time, they can have an appreciation for the fact that we're going to shoot them straight," Peterson said. "Pretty much across the board, they have to show up every day. There's not going to be anybody in that, ‘Oh yeah, you’re definitely the starter’ kind of mode.”

There have been a lot of battles for different positions on both sides of the ball in the off-season, and for K-State, those battles don't end when Klein announces a starter. The real competition starts after those positions are earned. Does the player who gets the spot get complacent, or does he continue to improve and take his game to another level? Does his backup let the decision impact him negatively, or does he continue to push the starter and be ready when he is called upon?

These are all the types of questions that will ultimately determine the type of season the Wildcats end up having. If that competitive spirit can remain high throughout the season, then it could be a special season in Manhattan.

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