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David Ubben recently profiled his top ten Big 12 football players of all time, and as most fans expected it was largely a Texas/Oklahoma lovefest (big money athletic departments do, after all, get the big money recruits). I was hopeful that at least one Wildcat would land on the list, but alas K-State was completely overlooked for the list. Which begs the question – what Wildcat in the Big 12 era is the most deserving to be listed among the top ten players in conference history? Here are my candidates:

Darren Sproles

Sproles is among the most accomplished Wildcats in the NFL to-date. After serving as LaDainian Tomlinson’s backup and return man for several years in San Diego, he moved to New Orleans and became one of the most explosive weapons in the league while serving the most dangerous offense in the NFL. Sproles was an absolute star in the 2003 Big 12 Championship game, running all over an undefeated Oklahoma team which including a 60-yard reception en route to a 35-7 victory. During his time in Manhattan, Sproles accumulated just under 5,000 yards rushing. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry and punched in 45 touchdowns during his time on campus.

Josh Freeman

In a list of three stellar quarterbacks, Freeman collected the fewest accolades. However, it’s dangerous to believe this is a reflection on his abilities. Freeman came of age during the Ron Prince era when coaching was lacking, and, let’s be honest, Bill Snyder left a pretty barren cabinet in the mid-2000s. However, before he was a starting NFL quarterback for Tampa Bay, Freeman carried the team on his back at times during three seasons before leaving early for the draft. He accumulated a 125 passer rating (136 his junior year) and threw for 34 touchdowns while rushing for another 20 over 35 games. He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft.

Arthur Brown

Brown has a couple issues working against him, the first of which is he didn’t start his college career as a Wildcat, transferring from Miami to K-State and only serving two years on the team. However, he was once of the most ferocious defenders to ever fill K-State’s linebacker position (who else – Ben Leber? Mark Simoneau?). As a conference defensive player of the year, he enjoyed two incredible seasons on campus. As a junior Brown registered 95 tackles, two sacks and one interception. He followed that performance up with a senior year performance of 91 tackles, two interceptions, six tackles for loss and one sack.

Michael Bishop

Bishop provided fans with a tremendous amount of exciting talent without the decision-making abilities to succeed at the next level (and due to an incident the night before the Fiesta Bowl, demonstrated the inability to make smart team decisions as well). The Blinn Junior College transfer came to Manhattan after Bill Snyder was the only coach to offer him the opportunity to play quarterback (everyone else wanted him at defensive back). He started all 25 games during his two years in Manhattan while compiling a 22-3 record. He finished fourth all-time on the team in passing with 4,401 yards and ranked second all-time behind Lynn Dickey with 5,715 total yards of offense. He finished second in Heisman voting to Texas’s Ricky Williams.

Collin Klein

If you’re reading this blog, I’m going out on a limb and guessing you’re a fan of K-State football. Or you at least have an inkling of what happened in NCAA football this year. Which means you know the magical run he had. And if you think anyone has been more valuable to their Big 12 team save maybe Vince Young or RGIII, you’re insane. The briefest of synopses: third in Heisman voting, led team to Big 12 Championship and berth in the Cotton and Fiesta Bowls, 4,573 yards throwing, 2,455 yards rushing over his career while accounting for 85 touchdowns for K-State.

Honorable mentions

Terence Newman, Daniel Thomas, any Lockett to ever suit up

So, EMAW fanatics, whose your pick for greatest Wildcat in the Big 12? And were they robbed a spot in the list of top 10 best Big 12 players?

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The Kansas State Wildcats, having earned their first baseball championship in Big 12 conference history, will enjoy the fruits of their labors this week in assuming the top seed of the league tournament this Wednesday through Saturday. They will be paired with the #8 Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first game of the tournament.

The Wildcats (39-16, 16-8) finished well ahead of second seed Oklahoma State (13-10) while finishing first in the league and fourth in the nation in batting average. They will face a Texas Tech team they swept at home during the regular season, winning 6-5, 15-2, and 12-2 (8 innings). Also in K-State’s division of the bracket are #4 Oklahoma and #5 Baylor.

On the other side of the bracket, #2 Oklahoma State faces #7 TCU and #3 West Virginia will take on #6 Kansas. The winner of each bracket will engage in a best of three playoff, with the league champion to be crowned on Sunday, May 26. The tournament champion will win an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, although with K-State’s overall record and top 25 national ranking, the Wildcats should be assured a bid regardless of the tournament’s outcome.

The Wildcat baseball team made history for several reasons this year, not the least of which being it took home a conference crown for the first time since 1933. They also helped K-State take home a triple crown in securing the regular season football, basketball, and football championships (the only other team to do this in Big 12 history was Texas).

Following conference realignment last year the Big 12 moved to an eight team format, and the Texas Longhorns were the odd man out this year. Texas finished the season 7-17 and ninth in league play, good enough for last in the league and outside the tournament. Iowa State does not field a college baseball squad.

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The Wildcats fell to Oklahoma 7-3 to finish their regular season on Sunday afternoon, but not before downing the Sooners twice this weekend to claim the Big 12 Championship. Kansas State completed a season for the ages with a 39-16 record while finishing 16-8 in league play and securing the top seed in the Big 12 tournament.

The Sooners held the Wildcat offense in check for the entire three game series in a pattern of stranded base runners that has plagued the team all year. Although K-State is fourth in the NCAA with a .321 team batting average, they are 48th in runs per game due to the inability to capitalize on opportunities. Similarly, the Wildcats outhit the Sooners 14-7 on Sunday but managed only three runs to Oklahoma’s seven due to 13 stranded baserunners. Another theme – lack of power – was also on display as Oklahoma managed two home runs in the game to zero for K-State.

K-State took the first game on Friday 6-5 to secure a share of the Big 12 championship, and locked up sole possession on Saturday with a 5-2 victory, relying on its pitching to keep a sputtering Oklahoma offense in check. They will face #8 seed Texas Tech on Wednesday in the first round of the Big 12′s double elimination tournament.

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As of this afternoon, Bruce Weber’s four departing seniors will leave K-State’s campus with a diploma in hand: Jordan Henriquez, Martavious Irving, Omari Lawrence, and Rodney McGruder. That’s four diplomas out of four players (including one academic All-American in McGruder) and is something the athletics department – and the school at large – should be proud.

This blog is not being condescending or sarcastic when it says that all four outgoing players are graduating this year – not towards the program and not towards college basketball at large. The Kansas State four year graduation rate is 23 percent, while the six year graduation rate is 56 percent. The NCAA’s basketball graduation doesn’t have much of a hook to hang its hat on either – less than of players in the incoming class of 2005 had a diploma by 2011. Two of this year’s final four teams – Louisville and Wichita State – graduate about a third of their seniors on an annual basis.

So yeah, it’s a big deal that K-State agreed to take on these athletes and help ensure they left Manhattan with an education. According to John Edwards of The Collegian, “K-State leads the Big 12 in student athlete graduation rates and has for the past four years” in all sports. So here’s a quick toast to the four outgoing seniors that juggled the pressures of big time college athletics, classes, practice, and travel to bring the school a share of the Big 12 title this year:

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Jordan Henriquez

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Omari Lawrence

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Rodney McGruder

Martavious Irving

Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

With three seniors exhausting their eligibility and three more students deciding to transfer this spring, Bruce Weber has been presented with several holes to fill. On Friday he landed his biggest plug yet. 6’10″ Georgetown center Brandon Bolden has announced he will transfer to Kansas State this fall. With the addition he has completed his first recruiting class.

Bolden received limited playing time the past year, seeing action in only four games for five cumulative minutes as a freshman. However, he was forced to fight for playing time on a roster with four centers and four additional forwards that stood at least 6’8″. The Sumter, SC native announced his intention to transition elsewhere on April 30, and announced his decision on May 17. He will be forced to sit out one year, and still has his redshirt eligibility.

Bolden was recruited by several big name programs coming out of high school, with offers from Baylor, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, VCU, and Virginia Tech. The three star center should be a welcome addition to the Wildcats, who remain in desperate need of big men following the graduation of starter Jordan Henriquez and transfer of Adrian Diaz. The raw report on Bolden is that he’s, well, really raw. He’s failed to demonstrate the basketball specific skills that make great offensive players but has incredible athleticism and should be able to make plays based on his pure strength and leaping ability. This is the key characteristic that K-State asks of almost all its big men, and hopefully he adds another layer of toughness to Bruce Weber’s squad.

Helping to propel K-State (37-15, 14-7) to first place in the Big 12 and the team’s first national ranking in four years, K-State catcher Blair DeBord has been named one of 15 players across the nation a Johnny Bench semifinalist. The award, given annually to the nation’s best catcher, is named after Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Lee Bench.

DeBord is the first Wildcat to ever be named a semifinalist for the award, and is one of two Big 12 players to make the cut. The junior from Manhattan High School is hitting .319 on the season with 29 runs, 51 hits, 10 doubles, and 30 RBIs. He has started 48 of the team’s 52 games, including every league contest this year. Additionally, he has only committed three errors in those 48 games with a .991 fielding percentage. He has been charged with nine passed balls (essentially failing to properly field a pitch that results in an advancement by a runner).

DeBord was selected to the semifinalist list by a committee of 20 voters. Three finalists will be announced on June 4th and the winner will be announced June 27th. The finalists and overall winner will be determined by two rounds of voting by current Division I head coaches. The award was first instituted in 2000 and two Big 12 players have received the award over the past 12 years – Kelly Shoppach (Baylor, 2001) and J.T. Wise (Oklahoma, 2009). Bryan Holaday of TCU won the award in 2010, before Texas Christian was a member of the league. K-State will wrap up its regular season with a three game homestand against Oklahoma starting this Friday evening (preview here).

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Although he continues to receive attention from schools around the area and all the way to California, 2014 DE recruit C.J. Reese reaffirmed his commitment to K-State earlier this week. Reese has recently picked up an offer from the University of Houston and has received attention from Baylor, California, Memphis, and Texas Tech since his announcement (in addition to previous offers from Colorado, Nevada, and SMU). However, speaking on Wednesday in reference to KSU coach Dana Dimel, Reese stated that “Coach Dimel and I have built a strong relationship together and with my family I feel like I made a really good choice and it isn’t going to get any better than this.”

Reese also mentioned a promise to see the field his freshman year, which could play a major factor in retaining his commitment (K-State could be the best program able to provide this offer). And the proposition of Reese seeing at least some playing time as a true freshman is a real possibility. Recently rated the #47 DE in his class by 247 Sports, he promises to bring the physical tools necessary to contribute on the next level. Additionally, K-State’s lack of depth at the position will also assist in getting Reese on the field.

K-State lists seven defensive ends on its 2013 current roster. And while only one is set to exhaust his eligibility this year, it will represent an important loss. Alauna Finau is a former junior college player expected to anchor one half of the defensive end spots after playing in nine games last year while backing up Meshak Williams and Adam Davis. On the other end of the line, soon-to-be junior Ryan Mueller from Leawood, KS is currently at the top of the depth chart.

Reese will not be taking much playing time from Ryan Mueller in 2014, as Mueller has played in 13 games each of the past two years. In 2012 he had three tackles-for-loss while breaking up six passes and recovering two fumbles. However, the other side should be a wide open battle and Reese could easily be part of a rotation assuming he continues to develop over the next year. Hopefully he can be an immediate star, but even if his role is merely to let the first string catch its breath, it’s encouraging to see a steadfast commitment in the face of additional offers – regardless of how early in the process it is for the 2014 recruiting class.

Click here to read Jug of Snyder’s initial reaction to Reese’s commitment announcement.

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Kansas State safety Ty Zimmerman – the team’s most important returning defender – is one of seven Big 12 players named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list for the 2013 season. The IMPACT trophy attempts to encapsulate the player that makes the biggest impacts both on and off the field. The letters stand for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

42 players have been announced to the watch list for a trophy that ultimately went to Manti Te’o of Notre Dame last year. The team will need Zimmerman to do everything expected of a finalist for this award as he is one of the only defenders with playing experience returning this year. Zimmerman was also one of K-State’s best last year as the Junction City native recorded five interceptions and 50 tackles. He has 10 interceptions in his career in Manhattan.

Zimmerman will look to further build on the season that landed him on the All American third team last year and skyrocketed his potential NFL stock when he finishes his senior campaign. Zimmerman was a team captain last year and has been awarded the same honor for 2013. He is the second Wildcat to be placed on the Lott watch list, with linebacker Arthur Brown being placed on the same monitor last year.

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With a share of both the football and basketball regular season championships in its back pocket, the Kansas State Wildcats look for a triple crown this weekend in attempting to take home the league’s baseball championship as well. The Wildcats (37-15, 14-7) have won four straight following a three game sweep of KU (31-21, 12-12) last weekend and are enjoying their first national ranking since 2009.

Standing in K-State’s way are the West Virginia Mountaineers (30-23, 12-9) and Oklahoma Sooners (35-17, 12-9) – although K-State already took its series against West Virginia 2-1 earlier this year and cannot do any more to impede the team’s advancement. However, as long as the team can secure two victories against Oklahoma this weekend, it will not matter.

#18 Oklahoma is looking to bounce back after dropping a nonconference game against Dallas Baptist on Tuesday 6-4 which caused the Sooners to drop seven of its last nine games. They were ranked 10th in the nation at one point after defeating New Mexico to win the Kleberg College Classic Championship followed by a winning against #29 Pepperdine. However, they have struggled since and are only 4-5 in conference road games and 7-8 overall on the road.

Hosting Oklahoma is a Wildcat team with a 7-2 conference home record and 22-6 at home overall. The squad is batting .321 on the season while holding opponents to .262 for a gaudy hitting discrepancy  The ability to get on base is translating into runs, as the Wildcats have outscored opponents 331-221 on the season. One area the team has not excelled at is the power game – despite scoring over 100 more runs, the team has only hit 26 home runs while giving up 23. They have thrown two shut outs while being blanked once.

Although West Virginia is still in the conference race, the Mountaineers will have a tough time banging out three wins against Oklahoma State (37-13, 11-9). The Cowboys are 1/2 game behind WVU and OU after having a conference game canceled earlier this year but have the highest overall winning percentage at .740 (K-State is the only other school above 70 percents at .712). However, OSU is not in the running for the Big 12 championship, which K-State needs one win this weekend to secure a share of and two wins to win outright. Friday and Saturday night games against Oklahoma start at 6:30 while Sunday’s final installment will get underway at 1:00 pm.

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With the announcement on Tuesday that Andrew Wiggins will attend KU dramatically shifting Vegas betting lines on the favorites to win the 2013-14 national championship, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi took to the internet to update his rankings released in April after the national championship. Holding down a #9 seed in his Bracketology predictions are the Kansas State Wildcats.

It’s interesting that K-State has not moved much since the April 17th standings, staying in the Midwest Region while dropping from eight to nine and garnering a matchup with New Mexico rather than Wichita State. It’s interesting due to the defections that have occurred this spring. While Adrian Diaz and Michael Orris had already announced their intentions to transfer before April 17, point guard and main cog Angel Rodriguez was still anticipated to be with the Wildcats (he has since stated he will finish his college career with the Miami Hurricane).

It’s difficult to tell whether Lunardi doesn’t believe the Rodriguez defection is that important or if he’s simply not paying attention (both are plausible). The loss of Rodriguez has been lamented several times over by both media following K-State and the rest of the league in that his departure significantly lowers the upper echelon talent in the Big 12. And, of course, a ranking in May means absolutely nothing. All the same there appears to be a belief that K-State will fall a bit with the departures of seniors like Rodney McGruder and Jordan Henriquez, but Bruce Weber’s ability to respond with another strong season remains among the experts.