Part 3: The four most important players on K-State's roster heading into the 2026 season

In the final portion of this three-part series, I rank and breakdown the four most important players on Kansas State's roster heading into the 2026 season. I believe these players will have the biggest impact in dictating the team's success under first-year head coach Collin Klein. In case you missed it, here is part one of this series where I ranked the No. 9-12 most impactful players on the roster, and part two where I ranked the No. 5-8 players on the roster.

No. 4) Zashon Rich, third-year cornerback:

The Minnesota native was an under-the-radar recruit in the 2024 recruiting class. He’s done nothing but impress both the current and past K-State coaching staffs since setting foot in Manhattan.

The 6-foot-1 corner registered 57 tackles and 11 pass breakups while playing a team-high 837 snaps last season. His 12 passes defended tied for third-most in the Big 12 Conference and top 30 nationally, helping him earn Honorable Mention All-Big 12.

Rich possesses the talent to be a lockdown corner. He will be counted on to be the anchor of what is expected to be a strong secondary. If he can become a more consistent player in 2026, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rich’s name on the First-Team All-Big 12 defense come December.

No. 3) John Pastore, fifth-year offensive tackle

Talent has never been a question when it comes to John Pastore. Health has. The 6-foot-7 offensive tackle’s upside had been mentioned repeatedly early in his career, but injuries limited his ability to get on the field.

Pastore was able to show K-State fans just how good he can be in his first full season as a starter in 2025, earning Second-Team All-Big 12 honors while starting all 12 games at left tackle.

The Colorado native is the lone returning starter on the Wildcats’ offensive line. The preseason All-Big-12 First-Team selection will be counted on to be a mainstay protecting Avery Johnson’s blindside.

No. 2) Wendell Gregory, third-year defensive end:

Gregory was one of the most coveted defensive players in the transfer portal this offseason, choosing K-State over Texas Tech, Texas, Missouri along with many other power-four programs.

The 6-foot-3, 265-pound third-year defensive end recorded 12 tackles for loss, ranking second nationally among all freshman and fifth-most among all defenders in the Big 12. Gregory only had four sacks at Oklahoma State in 2025, but his 32 pressures and 17.6% pressure rate were among the highest in the conference, leading to him being named the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.

Gregory was a critical addition given what the Wildcats lost on the defensive line. Tobi Osunsamni, K-State’s best pass rusher, transferred to Indiana after the 2025 season. He was joined on the Hoosiers’ roster by Chiddi Obiazor, who played both defensive end and defensive tackle for the Wildcats.

It’s worth calling out Gregory’s pressure rate of over 17% was far higher than Osunsamni or Obiazor, who had an 11.1% and 10.7% pressure rate last season, respectively. Gregory’s 77.2 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) was also far higher compared to the pair of former Wildcats who left for Indiana.

Additionally, Gregory’s 17.6% pressure rate compared favorably to some of the country’s best pass rushers during the 2025 season. Texas Tech’s David Bailey, who became the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, was in a class of his own, recording a 21.3% pressure rate. Here’s how Gregory stacked up to some of the country’s best edge guys in pressure rate from last season:

David Bailey (Texas Tech): 21.3%
Colin Simmons (Texas): 18.3%
John Henry Daley (Utah): 18.2%
Wendell Gregory (Oklahoma State): 17.6%
Romello Height (Texas Tech): 17.5%
Damon Wilson (Missouri): 17.2%
Reuben Bain Jr. (Miami): 15.3%

Critics of Gregory will point to three of his four sacks occurring in the season opener vs. FCS opponent UT Martin. However, given the terrific pressure numbers, it’s fair to assume he will get the quarterback to the ground at a higher rate in 2026. It’s also important to note that he played on a dreadful Oklahoma State defense, and was likely the focal point of opposing offensive lines.

Gregory, who was a four-star recruit out of high school and began his career at South Carolina, is the Wildcats’ lone defensive selection to the preseason All-Big 12 First Team. By all accounts, he has been a standout on the K-State defense in both spring ball and in August. He’ll need to continue that from September through December if the Wildcats are going to be successful.

No. 1) Avery Johnson, fourth-year quarterback:

This one feels obvious. At least to me. Though one of my co-hosts on 3MAW on KC Sports Network (KCSN) surprised me when he ranked Johnson fifth on his list of top 12 most important players heading into the 2026 season.

Johnson arrived at K-State as the highest-ranked recruit in school history and signed with the Wildcats as an in-state kid. With that comes pressure and high expectations.

While Johnson has been solid during his time in Manhattan, it’s fair to assume he hasn’t delivered just yet on what many K-State fans hoped. Yes, he set the single-season school record for passing touchdowns in 2024 while throwing for over 2,700 yards and rushing for over 600 yards. The hope was he could build on that heading into year three. Instead his progression was stagnant during his junior season.

Johnson ranked 41st nationally with a 68.2 Quarterback Rating (QBR) last season, a mark that ranked No. 9 in the Big 12 and below the national average of 68.8 for power-four quarterbacks. His Expected Points Added (EPA) was 51.5, ranking seventh in the league among quarterbacks. Johnson’s QBR in 2024 was 69.7, which also ranked 41st nationally and No. 7 in the conference, while his EPA of 55.7 ranked No. 32 nationally and No. 7 in the Big 12 among quarterbacks.

Johnson is the only Big 12 quarterback in the playoff era with a minimum of 300 dropbacks to complete under 60% of his passes in consecutive seasons, according to David Hale of ESPN.

Johnson is now heading into year four with the program. This will be his third season as the full-time starter. To his credit, staying four years at the same program in the transfer portal era is rare. And to his defense, he has had a different offensive coordinator every season while also being plagued by drops from his surrounding skill position talent.

However, he’s now reunited with Collin Klein, who recruited Johnson to K-State and was his first offensive coordinator in 2023 before leaving for the same position at Texas A&M.

One of the criticisms of Johnson last season was regarding his running style. Fans often became frustrated when he wouldn’t lower his shoulder to get an extra yard or two, particularly in key situations with a needed first down on the line. With Klein as the offensive coordinator in 2023, Johnson flashed his talents when running the ball, averaging a career-best 5.7 yards per carry on 52 attempts. Granted, that was with Johnson playing in a different role as a backup who entered games as a spark plug at times and to give defenses a different look.

Can Johnson become the special dual-threat quarterback many hoped he would when he signed with the Wildcats out of high school? If it’s going to happen, it has to this season. And if he does, it could be a fun year in Manhattan.

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