Kansas State Football Spring Practice Starts Wednesday, April 3

Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Returning reserve quarterback Daniel Sams will compete for the starting job over the next two weeks for the Wildcats.

Bill Snyder has taken on rebuilding efforts before, but this season will require all of the Silver Fox’s magic to rebuild one of (if not the) Big 12’s best defenses after graduating 10 starters. The team will rally around stellar safety Ty Zimmerman and returning back up linebacker Tre Walker, who was lost halfway through last season with a knee injury. Safety should the defensive unit’s strength, with Dante Barnett being the name to get familiar with after he filled in for Zimmerman when he missed time at the end of the season. So what else should fans look for?

The offensive line is the easiest piece to figure out. All five starters return, including the conference’s best tackle in Cornelius Lucas. Leading rusher John Hubert is back too – the question is whether the anointed quarterback and another running back can help shoulder the load for the strong but diminutive player. With back up Angelo Pease exhausting his eligibility, the most experienced running back is DeMarcus Robinson who recorded six carries in three games in 2012.

The big story will of course be the battle between Daniel Sams, who has been with the program two years and was highly recruited as a dual-threat quarterback out of high school, and transfer Jake Waters who was crowned the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year last year. There are lots of questions to unpack regarding this competition in the coming days.