June 5

Despite the loss of eight offensive starters, you can rest assured that Bill Snyder's Kansas State Wildcats will once again be a prime contender in the Big 12 North.

	Quarterback Ell Roberson rushed for 643 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

Among the losses were team captain and 1,263-yard rusher Josh Scobey, devastating lead blocker Rock Cartwright and speedy wideout and return man Aaron Lockett. In order to contend, however, Snyder's revamped offense, which still lacks an established starting quarterback, will have to positively answer several questions. While Marc Dunn provides the necessary passing skills and Ell Roberson ranks as one of the most dangerous running quarterbacks in the country, neither was able to seize control of the Wildcat offense during spring practice.

Compounding matters is the unproven situation at wide receiver. The Wildcats will be relying on three highly regarded but unproven JUCO recruits -- John Cooper, Tony Madison and James Terry. Also in the mix is redshirt freshman Davin Dennis, who turned some heads in the spring, as well as senior Taco Wallace, sophomore Antoine Polite, and junior Derrick Evans. At tight end, there is a great deal to get excited about. Travon Magee, a 6-7, 265-pound junior, enjoyed an excellent spring, showcasing decent speed and above-average, natural pass-receiving skills.

In the backfield, it will be up to 5-7, 170-pound sophomore Darren Sproles to effectively utilize his shifty style and change-of-direction ability to carry the ground assault. Unlike Scobey, who was more of a north-south runner, Sproles brings a completely different style to the KSU running game. Keep in mind, he averaged an impressive 7.0 yards per carry last season.

Replacing Cartwright won't be easy. In my opinion, he was one of the more underrated players in the country. Stepping in at fullback will be Michigan State transfer Travis Wilson, who impressed his teammates enough in the spring to be voted one of the Wildcats' team captains.

Along the offense line, a major plus has been the return from the injury (foot) list of left tackle Thomas Barnett. The 6-4, 290-pound senior sat out all of the 2001 season due to the injury, but he has previously started 30 games in his KSU career. Other quality performers up front include senior center Steve Washington and junior left guard Nick Leckey.

While there are justifiable concerns on offense heading into the 2002 season, the KSU stop troop figures to be improved over last year, even with the loss of defensive tackle Jerry Togiai, linebacker Ben Leber, cornerback DeMarcus Faggins and free safety Jon McGraw to graduation. The optimism is due to the presence of big-time standouts such as defensive tackle Tank Reese, defensive end Andrew Shull, middle linebacker Terry Pierce and cornerback Terence Newman.

In particular, watch out for Pierce and Newman. In the spring, the 6-3, 250-pound Pierce was all over the field, figuring to rank as one of the elite defensive players in the entire nation. Newman, who won the Big 12 100-meter title in May for the second straight year, is among the top cover men available in the 2003 NFL Draft next April.

A key performer in the deep patrol will be junior safety Rashad Washington, a former running back who checks in at an impressive 6-2½, 210 pounds and also brings with him excellent range. James Dunnigan, a former transfer from Purdue, checks in at just 5-8, 180 pounds and will be tested on a regular basis as opposing quarterbacks try to avoid Newman's side of the field. In the mix with Dunnigan will be highly regarded JUCO transfer Randy Jordan.