Ron Prince figured that if it worked for Bill Snyder, it could work for him. That was at least part of the Wildcat coach’s rationale for bringing in 19 junior college players for the 2008 season.

Snyder built Kansas State into a national power, often relying on juco talent to fill his needs rather than waiting for freshmen to mature. Prince hopes to follow the same blueprint to similar results, but even Snyder never brought in this many juco players.

OFFENSE

The Wildcat offense returns seven starters from a unit that scored 35.2 points per game last year, the 18th most in the nation. Leading the attack is junior Josh Freeman, whose 3,353 passing yards in ’07 set a school record and convinced his coach that there’s no one better.

“I would not trade our quarterback for any quarterback in the country,” Prince said. “There’s a lot of really good ones, but I think our quarterback’s right up there with the very best ones nationally.”

Freeman’s progress thus far has been impressive, but Kansas State lost a lot of production from last year’s squad. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who caught 11 of Freeman’s 18 touchdown passes and amassed 48 percent of his passing yards, will be playing at Lambeau Field on Sundays this fall. Despite everything he did for the team, Freeman said he won’t miss Nelson on the field.

“We won’t have to rely on a guy like Jordy,” Freeman said. “When people say ‘Jordy was your offense,’ we take that as a slap in the face.”

Insult or not, Nelson was a huge part of the offense and is not easily replaceable. Also missing is running back James Johnson, who rushed for 1,106 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Trying to fill those roles will be senior wideout Deon Murphy, whom Freeman game a ringing endorsement, and junior running back Leon Patton.

While Murphy seems to have the No. 1 wide receiver position locked down, Patton is far from a sure thing as juco transfer Daniel Thomas could step into the role.

DEFENSE

This is where a lot of Prince’s incoming juco players could see some significant playing time in a hurry.

The Wildcat defense was atrocious down the stretch last year, surrendering 30 or more points in six of the last eight games. That included a 73-31 loss to previously anemic Nebraska.

The one bright spot on defense is senior Ian Campbell, who’ll move back to defensive end after playing linebacker in ’07. Campbell’s an excellent pass rusher and his move to the defensive line will create room for a pair of talented juco linebackers.

Juniors Hansen Sekona and Ulla Pomele were very impressive in the spring game. Paired with returning starter Reggie Walker, this trio could help turn around Kansas State’s defensive misfortunes. And that’s exactly why Prince brought in so many juco transfers.

“We want to move through that stage and into a place where we can be a veteran team,” he said.

Sophomore cornerback Josh Moore missed all of ’07 with academic issues, but now he returns to aid a depleted secondary. Without Moore’s playmaking ability, teams will be able to pass at will.

SEASON OUTLOOK

Kansas State needed to win only one of its final four games to become bowl eligible last season. Instead the Wildcats dropped all four and stayed home for the holidays.

That could be a recurring theme as the Big 12 North is regaining power and leaving Kansas State behind. Their schedule won’t help the Wildcats, as games in which they could contend are on the road (at Texas A&M, at Colorado), while home games are wasted on opponents they couldn’t beat if they were spotted 21 points (Texas Tech, Oklahoma).

Prince returns a lot of talent but there’s so much unknown about this squad because of all the juco transfers. No one really knows what they’ll be able to do until they actually get out on the field and compete.

That’s a scary thought but it also gives Wildcat fans hope and excitement for what could happen.

The goal for Kansas State is to reach a bowl game, and an important step to reaching that goal comes on Sept. 17 when it plays at Louisville. This is the only decent non-conference matchup and it’s a great opportunity for Prince’s squad to pick up a solid win. The Big 12 season won’t be kind to the Wildcats and they need to enter their conference schedule at 4-0 to have a chance at a bowl.

Prediction

5-7, home for the holidays.

— — Edited by Scott Toland