Wendell Gregory made news in the off-season when he announced he was leaving Oklahoma State and entering the transfer portal. K-State coach Collin Klein and his staff pursued Wendell Gregory aggressively and ultimately brought the reigning Big 12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year to Manhattan.
Gregory enters the season with a ton of hype, having showcased the potential to be an All-Big 12 player. Much of the hype was based on his athleticism and ability to get pressure on the quarterback. However, it is his consistency and effort that have K-State defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson extremely excited about Gregory this year.
"I think he is one of those guys who can be a natural leader because of what he puts on tape and what he does every day. I could have pulled 15 or 20 plays from the last four or five days of practice of a level of strain that is the standard for our defense. So, he's continued to grow, continued to do the things that we're asking him to do, -and to be honest- and then some."
Hailing from Georgia, Gregory was one of the better prospects in the 2024 class. He chose South Carolina , but transferred after finishing the season with only one tackle. Last season at Oklahoma State, he became a star after ending the year with 27 tackles and 4.5 sacks. The Cowboys had a ton of issues last season, but Gregory was one of the standouts.
While people saw the type of talent he was last year, it can be hard during a game to truly understand what a player like Gregory can mean to a defense. The tape doesn't show how good a teammate a player is, and whether they're setting the standard in practice. For Peterson to come out and say those types of things about Gregory should have Klein and the rest of Wildcat Nation extremely excited.
Competition has been a talking point throughout the off-season for the Wildcats, and it is becoming clear that Gregory is as competitive a player as K-State has. For a defense that lost a lot of talent on the defensive line, Gregory was brought in to come in and make his presence felt on Saturdays. However, for the Wildcats, the fact that he is impacting the team so much in practice could be a preview of the type of season he is about to have.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kstate as Wendell Gregory Setting the Standard in Practice for K-State .
