Joe Klanderman vying to keep KSU’s defense among Big 12’s elite
Kansas State Defensive Coordinator Joe Klanderman glances at the crowd during a timeout against Arizona State Saturday November 6, 2024 at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. (Lynn Harrington/stayaliveinpower5)
MANHATTAN, Kan. — With spring practice coming to a close in a few days, Kansas State’s fifth-year Defensive Coordinator believes his unit is looking promising for many reasons.
After finishing second in the Big 12 against the run and sacks per game last season, the Wildcats return enough pieces on defense to improve those numbers in Joe Klanderman’s eyes. He’s the source behind bringing in every every defender that’s currently on Kansas State’s roster, and could be potentially fielding his best group yet.
Klanderman has an All-Big 12 caliber player at every level of his defense, and feels the overall size and strength of his group is further along this spring.
“I think you see a little bit more confidence in how they carry themselves, you definitely see a difference in body types,” Klanderman said. “I’m sure you guys have seen some of the speed numbers, I mean we’re putting on some crazy things that way, there’s been more improvement in our team’s athleticism.”
The secondary was a liability in 2024, in which Kansas State ranked 77th nationally in pass defense. To make matters worse, is the fact that Jacob Parrish and Marques Sigle are off to the NFL. Klanderman is a natural at filling holes though, and works closely with the safeties. He’s very high on VJ Payne to carry the torch at strong safety, and plans on building the secondary around him.
After all, Payne was Kansas State’s second-leading tackler last year, picked off two passes and has the leadership that Klanderman admires. Colby McCallister also returns, after making 24 stops during his sophomore campaign. Not to mention Arizona transfer Gunner Maldonado brings spice and swagger to the bunch. Klanderman is demanding consistency from his safeties, and refuses to let them stay complacent or be comfortable with being backups.
“We got a competitive room right now, I think we got some guys in that room that are ready to make that jump to the next phase,” he said. “I challenged a couple of them here since we’ve been done on how their expectations of themselves need to change.”
The Wildcats had so much success against the run that Klanderman tweaked his system. Injuries at linebacker forced Klanderman to play with a four-man front at times. However, now the linebackers are healthy, and there’s depth, which should shore up the loss of Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year Brendan Mott.
Klanderman expects his linebackers to thrive against the run, considering the way they’re performing in spring ball. Austin Romaine is the headliner, after leading the Wildcats with 96 tackles last season. Klanderman respects how Romaine commands the locker room, despite being somewhat limited this spring.
“He (Romaine) is really special, I think he’s a gifted leader, and he’s got the ear of everybody on defense,” the Wisconsin native said. “He was dealing with a few things this spring from an injury-standpoint.”
Desmond Purnell is also a projected starter after he made 46 stops, including 10 for loss and four sacks as a sophomore. Even Rex Van Wyhe, and Ohio State transfer Gabe Powers have left positive impressions on Klanderman this spring, so the linebackers should definitely be a team strength.
Everything starts up front, and Kansas State has a pair of stud edge rushers to anchor the defensive line. Cody Stufflebean and Tobi Osunsanmi combined for 35 tackles, including nine for loss and 5.5 sacks over the last 13 games. Wesley Fair is also turning heads with his versatility. So much so, that Klanderman now has the luxury to rotate bodies along the interior.
Having all of that experience, leadership and production on defense is why Klanderman believes everything is trending up. Being one of the Big 12’s longest-tenured assistants, and Coach Chris Klieman’s right-hand man, Klanderman understands the effort it’s going to take for his defense to be successful on the gridiron. Now that he finally has most of the pieces in the right places, Klanderman is confident the best is yet to come for the his defense this fall.
“It’s our guys that have bought in, it’s our guys that are carrying the values, our guys who are pushing it onto the next generation, so I’m happy that it’s beginning to perpetuate a little bit with the guys we have in the program.”
