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Sep 6, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Kansas State Wildcats wide receiver Jaron Tibbs (12) celebrates a touchdown catch in the second quarter against the Army Black Knights at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
Note
I’m using the same introduction for all of these articles. If you read any of the articles below, you’ve already read it. I’d recommend skipping ahead to the table.
Quarterback
Running Back
I’m going to move forward with the idea that the new “age-based” NCAA eligibility model will stick around in some form once all the legal challenges are exhausted. It makes sense, and I’m not sure the schools are interested in the constant court battles over eligibility. I get the feeling that some high-up folks went to check on the college athletics golden goose, and while it wasn’t dead, it was missing some feathers. This age-based model is an attempt to limit some long-term financial damage from disillusioned fans (mostly middle-aged and older) who were once the backbone of college athletics. It feels like this is the first bone they’ve thrown the die-hard fans who care about this sort of stuff in a long while.
I wrote an article explaining the age-based model here. The basic idea is that athletes get 5 seasons of eligibility if they enroll in school by age 19. It prevents 27-year-old Euro pros from dominating college basketball as true freshmen and does away with the archaic redshirt rules in both football and basketball. In theory, it also gets around the arbitrary NCAA eligibility “waiver” system, but I’ll believe it when I see it in action. The schools like hard-and-fast rules right up until the point when they think they should get an exception from said rules.
Anyways, this is how the new “age-based” model affects the football team moving forward. I’ll go through the roster by position group, and at the end I’ll put it all together into a coherent roster with a bunch of information beyond what you find on other sites.
So, without further ado….
Wide Receiver
| # | Name | Pos | Recruiting Class | HS/JuCo/Portal | Home State | High School | HS Rating | Juco/Port | JuCo/Port Rating | Seasons at KSU | Eligibility Remaining | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Josh Manning | WR | 2023 | Port | Missouri | Lee’s Summit | 4*(90.6) | Missouri | 3*(87.2) | 0 | 2 | Josh Manning |
| 6 | Sterling Lockett | WR | 2022 | HS | Kansas | Blue Valley | 3*(82.5) | NA | NA | 4 | 1 | Sterling Lockett |
| 8 | Brandon White | WR | 2022 | Port | Ohio | Archbishop Moeller | 3*(83.6) | Kentucky/Hawaii | 3*(86) | 0 | 1 | Brandon White |
| 12 | Jaron Tibbs | WR | 2023 | Port | Indiana | Cathedral | 3*(84.3) | Purdue | 3*(84.3) | 1 | 2 | Jaron Tibbs |
| 84 | Isaac Koch | WR | 2022 | HS | Kansas | Rockhurst | NR | NA | NA | 4 | 1 | Isaac Koch |
| 15 | Derrick Salley Jr. | WR | 2024 | JuCo | South Carolina | Ashley Ridge | NR | Hutchinson C.C. | 3*(90.2) | 0 | 2 | Derrick Salley Jr. |
| 1 | Izaiah Williams | WR | 2024 | Port | Florida | Carrollwood Day | 4*(91.4) | Texas A&M | 3*(86.5) | 0 | 3 | Izaiah Williams |
| 27 | Ben Wheeler | WR | 2024 | HS | Kansas | St. James Academy | NA | NA | NA | 2 | 3 | Ben Wheeler |
| 17 | Adonis Moise | WR | 2025 | HS | Florida | IMG | 3*(86.7) | NA | NA | 1 | 4 | Adonis Moise |
| 18 | Larry Porter IV | WR | 2025 | HS | Missouri | Raytown | 3*(87) | NA | NA | 1 | 4 | Larry Porter IV |
| 14 | Max Lovett | WR | 2026 | HS | Colorado | Cherry Creek | 3*(88) | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Maxwell Lovett |
| 13 | Kaprice Keith | WR | 2026 | HS | Nebraska | Omaha Central | 3*(86.8) | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Kaprice Keith |
| 16 | Julius Wilson | WR | 2026 | HS | Oklahoma | Owasso | 3*(85.8) | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Julius Wilson |
| 85 | Nash Morrison | WR | 2026 | HS | Kansas | Basehor-Linwood | NR | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Nash Morrison |
Thoughts
Yahtzee!
The wide receiver position group received a huge boost with the new age-based system. The following players received an extra year of eligibility:
Josh Manning
Jaron Tibbs
Adonis Moise
I’m not sure if the coaching staff anticipated this change, but getting an extra season out of Manning makes him a significantly better portal pickup, and I thought he was already a big pickup. I have no idea why Missouri burned a 4* receiver’s redshirt to bolster their kick coverage team, but that transgression has now been rectified. In a sense, Manning is being rewarded for being a team player because this was a clear case of a coach putting their needs above a player’s long-term success.
The same can be said for Jaron Tibbs, who burned his redshirt at Purdue for 5 receptions, because Ryan Walters may be one of the worst head coaches in the history of modern college football. Now he gets an extra season of eligibility for his troubles. He was a steady contributor on a shaky team last season; now the former basketball player has an extra season to hone his wide receiving chops.
Finally, Adonis gets his year back after inexplicably playing 8 games last season for the Wildcats and only hauling in 6 receptions. I know numbers were tight at wide receiver, but I think the previous staff could have found a way to get what they needed from Moise without costing him a year of eligibility. Now, interestingly enough, Moise’s freshman season may be the new model of how to utilize a 1st-year talent who isn’t quite ready for the regular rotation.
In theory, Kansas State could feature Avery Johnson at QB with Josh Manning and Jaron Tibbs as starters in 2026 and 2027. Teams pay a premium for experience, and the Wildcats could end up being stacked with veteran receivers in the next two seasons. This messes with roster management and recruiting because Manning and Tibbs were both supposed to be gone after 2026, but much like Avery Johnson’s potential extra season, this is a good problem for the new staff.
I’m sure they’ll figure things out on the back end, and as we all know, roster attrition is unpredictable in this era of college football. You can’t have too many experienced, productive players on the roster.
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