MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the first time in two years, Kansas State conducted a spring football practice as the Wildcats began on-field preparations for the 2021 football season on Wednesday morning inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Wednesday’s practice represented the first of 15 on-field workouts this spring for K-State, which culminates with a final practice on Saturday, April 3.
Kansas State returns 57 letterwinners from last year’s squad – the most by the Wildcats since at least 2002 – which includes 29 players on offense, 25 on defense and three specialists. Of the 57 returning letterwinners, 20 started at least four games last season, a list that does not include senior quarterback Skylar Thompson, who has made 30 career starts but was injured in the third game of 2020 and was out for the remainder of the season.
The Wildcats are entering their third season under head coach Chris Klieman, who holds an 84-23 career record with a 12-11 mark at K-State. The Wildcats return all 10 assistant coaches from the year prior, including third-year offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham and second-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman.
Season tickets for the 2021 season are on sale now as Kansas State anticipates a return to a more normal football season. Following strict attendance guidelines during 2020 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, K-State looks forward to welcoming back its full fanbase in 2021 and reintroducing several gameday traditions and policies, including tailgating beginning five hours prior to kickoff and standard exiting and re-entry to the stadium. Full season ticket options starting at just over $20 per game can be found at www.kstatesports.com/tickets.
The Wildcats open the 2021 campaign by taking on Stanford in the Allstate Kickoff Classic on September 4 inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The game is one of just eight non-conference games during the opening week that features two Power 5 teams and one of four that will be held at a neutral site. Fans interested in requesting tickets for the game are encouraged to log into their online ticket account.
K-State’s first home game of 2021 comes on September 11 as the Wildcats host Southern Illinois, while they face Nevada a week later. The Big 12 home schedule in 2021 includes games against Oklahoma, Iowa State, TCU, West Virginia and Baylor.
