Joe Jackson setting high expectations for Kansas State’s backfield

MANHATTAN, Kan. — After finishing seventh in the Big 12 in rushing offense last season, the Wildcats’ leading returning rusher believes they now have the pieces in place to improve that production.

Joe Jackson is eager to build off his promising sophomore campaign, after rushing for 435 yards and six touchdowns over Kansas State’s final two games. The Florida native even broke the school’s single-game record for yards on the ground when he generated 293 against Utah, and capped off the year with third-team, All-Big 12 honors.

However, Jackson’s success on the ground couldn’t stop the Wildcats from suffering their first six-loss season since 2020. He could’ve hit the transfer portal afterwards, but decided to stay at the program after Coach Collin Klein replaced Chris Klieman.

Klein established himself as one of the country’s best play-callers over the past two years as Texas A&M’s Offensive Coordinator, and Jackson feels he has provided an immediate spark for the running back room as Kansas State navigates through spring ball.

“I love his competitive edge, his aggressiveness, and how versatile he (Klein) is,” Jackson said. “I feel like he’s one of the best play-callers in the country, and I love every bit of him, so that’s my guy.”

After all, Klein recruited Jackson to Kansas State when he had the same role in 2023, so the familiarity is there to help with the transition. Not to mention he added two quality rushers to the Wildcats’ backfield to help out Jackson. Rodney Fields, and Jay Harris are looking to make an immediate impact, and they’re proving their value to the offense.

Fields led Oklahoma State in carries and rushing yards, to go along with 28 receptions in 2025. Jay Harris spent the past two seasons at Oregon as a backup, but has tremendous upside. He’s a big bruiser too, standing 6-foot-1, and weighing 215 pounds. Fields and Harris continue to push Jackson in practice, and in return it’s making him step his game up.

“We brought in some guys that are going to come, and bring it every single day, and we’re going to benefit off each other once the season comes around,” he said. “The biggest thing for me is that it’s going to be a good rotation, and we have different packages that we can put in.”

Quarterback Avery Johnson has breathtaking mobility, and will also be a key contributor in Kansas State’s rushing production. When Klein was the Wildcats’ Offensive Coordinator in 2023 they averaged 204.1 rush yards per game, and scored 32 touchdowns on the ground.

Jackson is confident that Kansas State could have that kind of success this fall, so he’s trying to improve certain aspects of his game to accomplish that feat. From blocking, to exploding through the holes and catching passes out of the backfield, Jackson is doing everything to be an every down back.

“Second and third level are the things I’ve been working on to improve,” the 21-year old said. “Yards after contact, and making safeties miss, that kind of stuff.”

It has yet to be determined if Klein is going to use a running back-by-committee approach, or let one rusher get the boatload of the carries. Regardless of the matter, Jackson has shown he can be a workhorse, and even had 27 carries in the season-finale victory over Colorado.

Everything appears to be coming full circle for Jackson, and he knows the Wildcats are capable of more, especially with Klein back at his alma mater. Spring ball is all about ironing out the wrinkles, installing new packages, and establishing depth. Which is why he feels running the ball will be a team strength.

There’s clearly some unfinished business in his mind. Now Jackson is focusing on carrying out the goals he set for himself as a freshman, and the rest of the running back room is ready to make some noise in the Big 12.

“We push each other every single day, and the biggest thing I love about it is everybody listens to each other, but nobody feels like they’re bigger than one another.”