Things don't look good for the Kansas State Wildcats

Sophomore Jesse Ertz has been named as the starting quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats. After Jake Waters excelled as a senior, Ertz has an uphill battle as the Wildcats lost a lot of skill talent on the offensive side of the ball. All-American wide receiver Tyler Lockett was drafted in the third round, Big 12 second-team wide receiver Curry Sexton has graduated and key contributors half back DeMarcus Robinson, tight end Zach Trujillo, and tight end Zach Nemechek have graduated as well.

Another hit to the core talent at K-State is the loss of first-team all-Big 12 center BJ Finney, but there is a bright side — the Wildcats return a stellar offensive line with the likes of PFF's No. 1 ranked offensive tackle Cody Whitehair and No. 1 offensive guard Boston Stiverson, along with top-20 OT Matt Kleinsorge.

KSU coaches see Ertz as a mix of the program's previous two quarterbacks — Waters and Collin Klein. Ertz, a former high school state 4 x 100 relay champ, has the speed to keep defenses honest. At 6-3 Ertz has the prototypical height for a QB, but has yet to prove his arm at the college level.

Even if Ertz proves to be an efficient passer, the Wildcats return No. 2 full back Glenn Gronkowski — the youngest brother of New England TE Rob Gronkowski — and HB Charles Jones as the only skill players to grade positively. Sexton and Lockett were electric a year ago and replacing their talent and production isn’t achievable. I never count out a Bill Snyder coached team, but on paper, the 2015 Wildcat season doesn’t look promising.