Kansas State spring football practice has the team already making major adjustments. The biggest issue is at quarterback.
Six months ago, quarterback Jesse Ertz earned MVP honors in the Wildcat’s Texas Bowl win.
Ertz connected on 14 of 20 passes for 195 yards and ran for 67 more against a tough Texas A&M defense.
That success coming off a season ending knee injury that sidelined him in 2015.
Now he is recuperating from shoulder surgery and will skip the purple and white game later this month.
It may or may not be a blessing for Kansas State. It does allow sophomore Alex Delton to get some time running the offense.
Delton is a speedster from western Kansas who battled back from a knee injury in 2015 too.
He only played in 4 games last season. It can’t hurt to have him working with the first team.
In a media release from Kansas State Delton said, “The main thing, different than last year, is that I have a little pressure on myself, but I feel like I have handled it well.”
Yes, Delton sees the big picture and understands how much he needs to accomplish this spring.
Coach Snyder downplayed not having his starting quarterback this spring.
"“To a certain degree it has factored in if you look at the broad picture and how well your offensive is doing. But that is the same for any position where someone is missing, or a probable starter is not of the field.”"
Yes, any position but Snyder knows that the team’s star quarterback is not just any position.
We saw the impact injuries had on the Wildcats in 2015. I’m not worried about Ertz ability to return.
However, only time will determine the impact will have on the rest of the team.