The Kansas State Wildcats are locked within the top 15 or 20 college football teams in the nation no matter which rankings you want to use. The same was true last season under head coach Bill Snyder as well. So it's not surprising to see some of their players gaining recognition with more and more time in the spotlight as a recognized program. Collin Klein is taking advantage as the Wildcats' quarterback and is earning some rave reviews for his position -- including some potential Heisman Trophy consideration.
The Heisman celebrates the top player in college football, so it's an honor to even be considered for the award. Klein is finding his name on early Heisman candidate rankings this season, and the latest is found at CBS Sports where Chris Huston has him at No. 6 overall despite a subpar week against North Texas:
There's something about Klein that makes him an appealing candidate. A friend of mine commented on the oddity of his throwing motion during Saturday's 35-21 K-State win over North Texas, but he was forced to admit that he still gets the job done. No other player in college football seems to succeed by the same kind of sheer will that Klein does.
On the season he is completing 73% of his passes--a huge improvement over last year--with 609 yards and five touchdowns, to go with 210 rushing yards and four scores. He's on pace to have 2,436 passing yards, 840 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns. He'll have to improve those numbers quite a bit, but I think he's likely to do so as he gets into a groove against more able competition.
A hard-nosed leader on an underdog team, Klein has a chance to become the sentimental favorite for the award as the season wears on.
For more on Kansas State, check out Bring On The Cats for analysis and discussion.