Washington State 2026 Spring Opponent Outlook: Kansas State Wildcats

The Cougars begin their 2026 season with a two-game road swing, the second of which pits them up against Kansas State in Manhattan. Washington State has never met the Wildcats on the gridiron before and their first get together on September 12 shapes up to be a tough one for Kirby Moore and the Cougs. With a bunch of returning starters for new head coach Collin Klein, the boys in purple look to be contenders in the Big 12 this season. What's in store for the Cougars when they pay a visit in Week 2?

Offense

Starting on offense, Kansas State will bring a whole lot of big names back from last year's squad including quarterback Avery Johnson and third-team All-Conference running back Joe Jackson. Johnson is undoubtedly the most significant returner for the Wildcats after a terrific junior season that saw him throw for 2,385 yards and a program record 18 touchdowns. Johnson also rushed for 477 yards and eight scores as well. Those numbers, too, were down from what they were in 2024 and now as a senior, Johnson seems poised for a big showing this fall.

Jackson also should see his production go up even after leading the team in rush attempts (149), yards (842) and touchdowns (eight) last year. Jackson and Johnson were a dynamic one-two punch out of the backfield a season ago and should be again this year.

Also coming back is receiver Jaron Tibbs who is tabbed to be one of Johnson's top targets. Tibbs hauled in 45 passes for 552 yards and two touchdowns last year. With Jayce Brown now gone, it seems as though Tibbs should lead a receiving corps that has added a pair of transfers in Josh Manning (Missouri) and Izaiah Williams (Texas A&M). That trio looks to help open up a passing attack that averaged under 200 yards a game last season.

Arguably the biggest loss on offense for Kansas State has been standout center Sam Hecht. Hecht was an anchor in the trenches and earned first-team All-Conference accolades from the coaches for his efforts on the line last year. The Wildcats added ex-Akron lineman Delvin Morris to help fill the void but as of now line play is one of the biggest unknowns about this KSU squad heading into spring.

Defense

Defensively, there aren't quite as many returners. In fact, seven of the 11 projected starters on this year's Kansas State defense are incoming transfers. Only tackle Travis Bates, edge rusher Jordan Allen, linebacker Asa Newsom and corner Rich Zashon are back for the first-team defense. All four of those guys, however, made significant contributions last year. Overall the revamped defense is the biggest question mark for the Wildcats going into 2026 and Spring ball should show just how well that new unit will gel.

This will make for an intriguing matchup for Washington State when it comes around. It certainly won't be one of the Cougars' easier games this fall, mainly because of all the talent returning on offense for Kansas State, but a new coach paired with an unproven defense that still might be coming together early on in the season is the same hurdle that both teams in this game will be facing. That could open the door enough for WSU to make things interesting.