Kansas State football is losing a special-teams standout from last season

Sophomore wide receiver and kick returner Bryce Noernberg is no longer with the team, according to a social media post from his father, Scott, on Facebook.

In a post from Tuesday night, Noernberg’s father claimed that after first-year head coach Collin Klein and his staff took over the program, the sophomore from Olathe North found himself at the bottom of the heap in his position groups and is going to try to find playing time elsewhere.

“It was an amazing couple (of) years in Manhattan, but then D1 College Football did what it does. New HC Collin Klein brought in all new coaches and players … paid them accordingly, and (Bryce Noernberg) found himself at the bottom of the depth chart. Not wanting to start over again as a true walk-on freshman, he basically told them to kiss his ass!!

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Whether Jerome Tang will sue K-State over an $18.7 million buyout clause remains up in the air.

Attorneys for Tang, the four-year former men’s basketball coach who was fired in February, sent a draft of a lawsuit that claimed he was owed that amount, athletics director Gene Taylor told The Mercury recently.

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A second 7-footer is headed to Manhattan.

Kansas State men’s basketball and head coach Casey Alexander have signed Xavier forward Pape N’Diaye from the transfer portal, the team announced on Saturday.

The 7-foot sophomore appeared in 29 games for the Musketeers during the 2025-26 season, averaging 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in limited minutes. New Mexico transfer JT Rock is the Wildcats’ other 7-footer, standing at 7-foot-1.

Despite the low usage, N’Diaye ranked second on the team and seventh in the Big East with 1.0 blocks per game. He also went 9-of-21 on 3-point attempts for the Musketeers.

N’Diaye showed flashes throughout the season, including a pair of 10-point performances against Creighton and Seton Hall. He also posted a career-high four blocks against Missouri State and recorded multiple games with strong defensive impact off the bench.

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Former Wildcat senior safety VJ Payne was picked with the 12th pick of the seventh round (228th overall) by the New York Jets.

It’s the fifth-straight year and the 37th draft overall that the Wildcats have had at least two players picked.

A four-year starter for the Wildcats, Payne played in 52 career games, which is tied for 11th in school history. He started 42 career games including 41-consecutive games to end his career, which stood as the longest streak on the team at the time of his graduation.

A two-time All-Big 12 honorable mention pick, Payne ended the 2025 season with 59 tackles, three tackles for loss, an interception, four passes defended and two forced fumbles.

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It took until Day 3, but Kansas State football is sending another player to the next level.

Wildcat senior center Sam Hecht was picked with the fourth pick of the fifth round (144th overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers Saturday afternoon.

A former walk-on, the 6-foot-4, 303-pound offensive lineman was a first-time All-Big 12 selection by the leagues coaches and earned honorable mention for the league’s offensive lineman of the year award.

He played in 42 games as a Wildcat, and started in the last 25 of them.

During the 2025 season, Hecht played 759 offensive snaps and did not commit an accepted penalty. He anchored an offensive line that helped guide the Wildcats to a No. 10 ranking in sacks allowed (1.08 per game) and helped K-State finish fifth in school history in rushing yards per carry (5.09).

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After a couple of quiet days in the transfer portal for Kansas State and head coach Casey Alexander, another new Wildcat is headed to Manhattan.

Miami forward Timotej Malovec, originally from Slovakia, committed to the Wildcats after a season in South Beach, according to reports Tuesday afternoon.

Malovec appeared in 33 games with the Hurricanes, averaging 4.2 points and 1.3 rebounds. The 6-foot-8, 214-pound sophomore shot 35% from the floor and 33.3% from 3, hitting 37-of-111 attempts, including six games with three or more 3s made.

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The first morning of the 2026 women’s basketball transfer portal season brought bad news for Kansas State fans.

Star freshman sharpshooter Jordan Speiser is hitting the portal, according to a report from On3 Monday morning. She will enter the portal with a “Do Not Contact” tag, a designation preventing college coaches from initiating communication with a player, allowing athletes to manage their recruitment by having schools reach out only after the player makes initial contact. It’s often used by players who already have a destination school in mind.

A former five-star from Warrentown, Mo., Speiser came on strong late in the season, ending the Big 12 Tournament with an appearance on the All-Tournament team after tying the national mark by a freshman in the last 15 years for 3-point field goals made in any conference tournament in NCAA Division I.

Speiser ended the year averaging 10.2 points per game, shooting 38% from the field, including 34.9% from 3.

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Kansas State has suspended women’s soccer head coach Colleen Corbin for two weeks following the use of a racial slur — even though her use of the term was objecting to its use — The Mercury confirmed Tuesday.

According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Corbin had asked players not to play pregame music that included some swear words, including the N-word, before K-State’s exhibition versus Arkansas on March 7, in Kansas City. In a conversation about the music, she reportedly said the N-word, and players complained to the university.

Corbin later used the word again when relaying the situation during a staff meeting, which led assistant coach and goalkeepers coach Maddie Dobyns, who was hired by Corbin this past offseason, to resign from the team.

Following that incident, Corbin was suspended from the team for two weeks after a meeting with athletics director Gene Taylor on March 23.

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Collin Klein has had almost the full head-coaching experience over the last several months. He’s accepted a job at his alma mater to rapturous acclaim, built a staff, and filled a roster.

But on Thursday, the former Wildcat Heisman finalist and Ring of Honor inductee will run his first practice as a head coach when K-State opens 2026 spring practice.

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A top-10 salary in the Big 12 and over $1 million in potential bonuses highlight new Kansas State men’s basketball head coach Casey Alexander’s contract, which The Mercury obtained Monday afternoon.

K-State announced last week that Alexander signed a five-year deal worth $17 million before any bonuses. He will make $3.3 million in the first year, and that will increase by $50,000 every year through the 2030-31 season.

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