MANHATTAN — With the season opener less than a month away, Kansas State football faces a major rebuilding job in its defensive secondary, and especially at cornerback, where the Wildcats must replace both starters in 2025.
But neither head coach Chris Klieman nor assistant head coach Van Malone, who is in charge of the corners, seems overly concerned. While two-year starter Jacob Parrish was drafted by the NFL and Keenan Garber exhausted his eligibility, the Wildcats have a nice balance of youth and experience ready to step in.
Advertisement
“Zashon Rich (and) Donovan McIntosh started the Rate Bowl and didn’t play a lot prior to that, but that experience helped them,” Klieman said of the two sophomores, who improved throughout their freshman seasons, while primarily playing on special teams. “Justice (Clemons, formerly James) has played for two years at a high level, so it’s not like we’ve got a bunch of guys that have never played this game before.”
Along with Rich and McIntosh, the Wildcats brought in junior transfer Jayden Rowe from Oklahoma and sophomore Amarion Fortenberry from South Alabama. Sophomore Kanijal Thomas is also finally healthy, though he could see action at the nickel spot as well.
Related: Kansas State football preview 2025: Dylan Edwards and Joe Jackson next up at running back
Related: Three takeaways early into Kansas State football fall camp, including a health update
Kansas State cornerback Zashon Rich played in all 13 games last year as a true freshman and is expected to challenge for a starting spot in 2025.
Zashon Rich and Donovan McIntosh are the future at corner
Rich and McIntosh got their feet wet last year, splitting time between cornerback and special teams, and Malone is high on both of them. Rich played in all 13 games as a true freshman, recording 12 tackles with three passes defended, while logging 112 snaps on defense and another 159 on special teams.
Advertisement
“Zashon didn’t get a whole lot of opportunities. He just wasn’t ready for what he’ll be ready for coming into this season,” Malone said. “Everybody saw what he did in the (Rate Bowl). He had a really good game, and if given the opportunity, he probably would have done just as well.”
McIntosh, a redshirt freshman last year, is one of the fastest players on the team, one of four clocked at 23 miles per hour. He had fewer chances than Rich, with only 55 defensive snaps.
Justice Clemons adds a veteran presence
James came to K-State after two years at Tyler Junior College in Texas and redshirted in 2022. But he has totaled 24 tackles over the past two seasons and is back as a super-senior after receiving a waiver for his junior college year.
Advertisement
“We’re excited to have him back. He’s always been a guy who worked hard,” Malone said of Clemons. “A lot of young players come to our program and might struggle with the way we do things, with the discipline that it takes to be successful.
“But now I would look at Justice as a guy who is in a leadership role, who’s been around here, who’s had some ups and downs, and had some challenges. He’s excited about having an opportunity to continue to play on this level, and we’re excited for him because he’s played a lot of meaningful snaps.”
Jayden Rowe not your prototypical corner
Rowe spent three years at Oklahoma, including a redshirt season, but did not get much playing time with the Sooners. At 6-foot-1, 227 pounds, he is built like a linebacker, but Malone is not about to let him get out of the cornerback room.
Advertisement
“He can only play corner, and I can’t even go to sleep and dream of him playing anything else,” Malone said with a smile. “Left corner, as a matter of fact.
“He’s definitely one of the bigger guys that we’ve played with, but he also has incredible athleticism. He’s athletic, he’s physical, he can run, and he’s fitting well into our system.”
A look at K-State’s cornerbacks
-
Justice Clemons, 5-10, 200, super senior, West Columbia, Texas (Tyler JC)
-
Donovan McIntosh, 6-3, 194, sophomore, St. Louis, Mo. (St. Mary’s HS)
-
Zashon Rich, 6-1, 209, sophomore, Minneapolis, Minn. (North Community HS)
-
Jayden Rowe, 6-1, 227, junior, Tulsa, Okla. (Oklahoma)
-
Kanijal Thomas, 5-11, 186, sophomore, Del City, Okla. (Del City HS)
-
Amarion Fortenberry, 5-10, 178, sophomore, Columbia, Miss. (South Alabama)
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas State football must replace both starters at cornerback in 2025
