This Kansas State linebacker unit might be college football’s best kept secret

Kansas State’s linebacker unit is earning national attention heading into the 2025 season.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Wildcats’ linebackers No. 10 in the country, placing them just behind perennial powers like Texas (No. 1), LSU (No. 2), Pitt (No. 3), Georgia (No. 4), and Notre Dame (No. 5). Rounding out the top 10 ahead of K-State are Texas A&M, Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson.

Leading the group is junior Austin Romaine, who emerged as one of the most productive linebackers in college football last season.

“The Wildcats return the highest-graded linebacker in the Power Four from last season in junior Austin Romaine, who posted a 91.0 PFF grade as a true sophomore,” the article states. “His 90.7 run-defense grade (third best) powered that mark, and his 43 run-defense stops were the fourth most among Power Four linebackers. He’s my No. 4 linebacker returning to the sport.”

Romaine finished the year with 96 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, and two pass breakups over 621 defensive snaps. His performance earned him All-Big 12 Second Team honors from both the league’s coaches and the Associated Press.

Also returning is Desmond Purnell, a redshirt senior who finished fifth among FBS linebackers with 30 total pressures. The Wildcats’ two-deep rotation includes Ohio State transfer Gabe Powers, junior Rex Van Wyhe, senior Beau Palmer, and sophomore Asa Newsom, a breakout candidate returning from injury.

Four-star freshman Darien Whitaker Jr. adds even more upside to one of the Big 12’s deepest defensive units.

Expectations are rising in Manhattan. Kansas State is ranked No. 12 in USA Today’s Top 25, No. 16 in Joel Klatt’s post-spring poll, and sits as the highest-ranked Big 12 team in ESPN’s FPI, at No. 21 overall.

If Kansas State’s linebacker play holds steady, the Wildcats could emerge as one of college football’s most formidable defenses next season.