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.
Offense
Defense
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….
Cornerback
| # | Name | Pos | Recruiting Class | HS/JuCo/Portal | Home State | High School | HS Rating | Juco/Port | JuCo/Port Rating | Seasons at KSU | Eligibility | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Kaleb Patterson | CB | 22 | Portal | MS | Terry | 3*(88.9) | Illinois | 3*(86.5) | 0 | 1 | Kaleb Patterson |
| 9 | Donovan McIntosh | CB | 23 | HS | MO | St. Mary’s | 3*(88.6) | NA | NA | 3 | 2 | Donovan McIntosh |
| 5 | Micheal Graham Jr. | CB | 24 | JuCo | OK | Westmore | NR | Hutchinson C.C. | 3*(89.1) | 0 | 3 | Micheal Graham Jr. |
| 25 | Zashon Rich | CB | 24 | HS | MN | Minneapolis North | 3*(84.6) | NA | NA | 2 | 3 | Zashon Rich |
| 12 | Serious Stinyard | CB | 25 | HS | FL | Gaither | 3*(86.4) | NA | NA | 1 | 4 | Serious Stinyard |
| 13 | RJ Collins | CB | 25 | HS | MO | Staley | 3*(86.3) | NA | NA | 1 | 4 | RJ Collins |
| 21 | JoJo Scott | CB | 25 | HS | FL | Victory Christian | 3*(86.1) | NA | NA | 1 | 4 | JoJo Scott |
| 24 | Martel Jackson | CB | 25 | HS | KS | Derby | 3*(85.6) | NA | NA | 1 | 4 | Martel Jackson |
| 27 | Damion Miller | CB | 24 | JuCo | MS | Port Gibson | 3*(82.6) | NA | NA | 0 | 3 | Damion Miller |
| 29 | Josiah Vilmael | CB | 26 | HS | TX | Fort Bend | 3*(88.6) | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Josiah Vilmael |
| 32 | Garrick Dixon | CB | 26 | HS | MO | Ft. Zumwalt West | 3*(86.1) | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Garrick Dixon |
| 34 | Nick McClellan | CB | 26 | HS | MO | Christian Brothers | 3*(86.8) | NA | NA | 0 | 5 | Nick McClellan |
Eligibility Changes
Michael Graham Jr. receives an additional season as a junior college transfer.
Zashon Rich receives an additional season after playing as a true freshman.
Thoughts
Rich is the clear headliner of this group. He started every game in 2025 and took home All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors from the coaches. He’s looking to move up in the All-Big 12 pecking order this season while positioning himself for the NFL draft. He technically received an additional season of eligibility, but he’s only going to use it if something goes wrong. He’s an experienced 6’1”, 205-pound corner with solid coverage and tackling ability. He’s everything NFL defensive coordinators look for in a boundary corner, and he’ll be one of the cornerstones of Kansas State’s defense this season. He’ll be matched up with the opponent’s best outside receiver.
While you can carve Rich’s name in stone at the top of the depth chart, the second corner spot is up for grabs heading into fall camp. Donovan McIntosh is the experienced veteran in the room. He’s another corner with exceptional size at 6’3”, 190. He’s played in every game over the last two seasons and started 7 games last season. He’s not the same level prospect as Rich, but he’s more than capable of holding his own on the outside.
McIntosh is going to play, but Illinois transfer Kaleb Patterson could challenge him for the starting role. Patterson, like McIntosh, has plenty of experience, playing in 22 games over the last two seasons with 15 starts. The issue with Patterson is that 12 of those starts came in 2024, while he only started 3 games in 2025. My guess is that Patterson would still be at Illinois if he started 12 games in 2025. He has good size at 6’1”, 192 pounds, and experience, but needs to prove that Illinois made a mistake in demoting him last season. Even if he doesn’t start, Patterson should be heavily involved in the corner rotation.
Junior college transfer Micheal Graham Jr., at 5’11”, 189, could help with quicker receivers either outside or in the slot. Having 6’3” corners is great when they are matched up against 6’3” receivers…you don’t want a 6’3” corner matched up with a 5’10” slot receiver. Graham Jr. was a JuCo First Team All-American at Huchinson C.C. and was brought in to play sooner rather than later. He’s joined by fellow JuCo transfer Damion Miller, who, stop me if you’ve heard this before, is a massive corner at 6’3”, 195 pounds and will be competing for the fifth spot in the corner rotation.
Rich, McIntosh, Patterson, and Graham Jr. make up what should be the best cornerback rotation in the Big 12. Damion Miller could grab the 5th spot in the rotation, but he’ll have plenty of competition from four members of the class of 2025 looking to make a move up the depth chart. RJ Collins, Serious Stinyard, JoJo Scott and Martel Jackson are all coming off redshirt seasons and should provide solid competition in camp and depth during the season. You want upward pressure on the starters from the young guys, and Kansas State has that at corner. If one of the experienced players falters, there are four young bucks ready to take their snaps.
Moving Forward
I didn’t mention the true freshman class because I’m not sure how many of them you’ll see in 2026. Josiah Vilmael was the highest-rated of the three freshmen and could make an early impact, but more than likely, he’ll get in on some of the special teams and look to make his move in 2027 once the depth chart opens up. The same is true for Nick McClellan and Garrick Dixon, both highly regarded recruits in their own right.
The Wildcats are stocked at corner for the foreseeable future. My only slight concern is Rich leaving early for the NFL. If he leaves after this season, Kansas State still has plenty of depth, but who out of that group can step up and be “the man”? I’m sure someone will; Kansas State has had a nice run of corners recently, but who that may be is still pending.
