From The Couch – Wildcats At Big 12 Media Days
Big 12 media days was this week and the Wildcats spoke to the media on Wednesday. Head coach Chris Klieman, quarterback Adrian Martinez, running back Deuce Vaughn, defensive lineman Eli Huggins, and linebacker Daniel Green made the trip. There were a few great quotes and moments that I tried to capture here. Enjoy…
“Well, the thing that drew us to him (Adrian Martinez) was the amount of games he has played at Nebraska. If you get around Adrian or you visit with Adrian, the first thing that jumps out at me is his maturity and what a grounded individual he is.”…Chris Klieman, July 13, 2022
JM: Klieman was asked what drew him to Adrian Martinez when he entered the transfer portal. I found the answer curious. The first thing out of his mouth was the “amount of games he has played?” Not “his arm strength,” “how he can fit into our offense,” “his dual-threat ability?” I found the answer curious. It’s probably not a big deal and I may be nitpicking, but that’s what I do.
“And I think if you could ask him (Felix Aniduke-Uzomah), I think he can be better, and he thinks he can be better, as well, especially when you put the surrounding pieces around him, because we have most of our defensive line back that it’s hard to just double somebody.”…Chris Klieman, July 13, 2022
JM: Could Felix put together an even better season than he did last year? Expectations for the preseason Big 12 defensive player of the year are high, but it sounds like he is up to the challenge.
“I tell the story, we had a youth camp in late April, early May before the guys left for May break, and we had a session that ended at 11:30 and the autographs were 11:30 to 12:00 and then there was a break for the players. As you can imagine, Deuce’s line was really, really long, and he stayed out there for an extra hour signing autographs for every kid that was there and taking pictures. He knows the gig. But that’s a credit to him, a credit to his parents, because of the way they raised him. He’s appreciative of what Kansas State has provided him, and we appreciate him sticking with K-State because it’s a great fit.”…Chris Klieman, July 13, 2022
JM: Vaughn is a fantastic ambassador for K-State. If there was any room to love him even more, I think I just found it.
“We love being the underdog. We take pride in coming out every Saturday with a chip on our shoulder to prove everybody wrong. As a defense, we call ourselves the Mob, and we have the mentality that we’re going against everybody. We have a chip on our shoulder, and it makes us play harder because we know everybody doubts us.”…Daniel Green, July 13, 2022
JM: Some things never change!
“When Adrian Martinez and Deuce are back there together, it’s like, ‘Sheesh, good luck to these defenses when the fall comes. I’m excited to see them play. We go against them all the time, but we’re just excited to see them play when we’re on the sideline. We’ll be rooting for them just like fans. I’m really excited to see what they bring this fall.”…Daniel Green, July 13, 2022
JM: That’s high praise from Daniel Green. I remain skeptical of the offense until I see it with my own eyes, but let the hype train begin!
“We’re stacked up front right now.”…Eli Huggins, interviewed by Daniel Green, July 13, 2022
JM: I think it’s safe to say that Eli Huggins is excited about this group of guys. Daniel Green grabbed the microphone of Glenn Kinley of KSNT News while on the field at AT&T Stadium for an impromptu interview of Huggins. View a clip below…
JM: I love these guys. If you’re still looking for some preseason motivation, take a look at the video below that K-State Football put together. Whoever puts these videos together does a great job.
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