K-State has the potential to be one of the most explosive offenses in the Big 12. Quarterback Avery Johnson is in his third year as the starter, and he has as high a ceiling as any quarterback in the conference. Running back Joe Jackson finished the 2025 season playing as well as any Wildcats player in the final few weeks.
With opponents loading up to stop the run, there will be opportunities for the tight ends to make plays in the passing game. Luckily for the Wildcats, they have two potential NFL players there in Garrett Oakley and Linkon Cure. Oakley was the main guy last season, as Cure dealt with injuries and finished with only six catches. Having them healthy makes K-State much tougher to stop, and Collin Klein has high expectations for this duo.
"I'm very excited about how those different components are looking. Linkon (Cure) is a special athlete. Garrett Oakley is a special athlete," Klein told reporters on Monday. "There's a lot of NFL personnel that have been through our building the last week just already at the start of things that he pops with how he's moving around, and that's a really good thing. Their buy-in to doing and mastering their job and their craft and how that all comes together, I'm really excited to see."
While Cure dealt with injuries last season, there are still many reasons to believe he could be in store for a monster sophomore season. At 6-foot-5, 242 pounds, he is a matchup nightmare. If teams put a linebacker on him, he is too fast. If they try to put a defensive back on him, he is too big and strong. The athleticism jumps off the page, but he is also an underrated route who can get in-and-out of breaks very well.
Heading into the season, Cure is healthy and ready to go. For Cure to become a complete tight end, he needs to make strides as a blocker. Much of his success blocking in high school came from just being bigger and stronger. He needs to continue to work on his technique, as he simply can't overwhelm defenders like he did at Goodland.
With Cure out for much of last year, Oakley became even more important to the Wildcats' success. He had a solid year, finishing with 38 catches for 389 yards and six touchdowns. He developed a good rapport with Johnson , becoming the quarterback's security blanket. He has the size to win 50/50 balls and the physical toughness to catch one over the middle.
One area he will look to improve in his drops, as he has 12 in his career. A lot of those passes are in tight windows where he is getting hit, but those plays are often the difference in a game. If he is able to clean up in that area, then he could be in store for an even bigger season.
That phrase is often said in sports, but the sky really is the limit for Cure and Oakley. Their talents complement each other perfectly. When they are on the field together, opposing defenses have a lot to think about. Do they try to go big to match their physicality, or do they put more defensive backs out there to stop the pass?
There are many reasons to be excited about this K-State team, and the tight end duo is at the top of that list.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kstate as NFL Talent at Tight End Gives K-State Offense Huge Advantage .
