Kansas State football’s running back room took some extra time to come around last season, but once it did, there was no looking back. Now that Spring camp is underway in Manhattan, the group is showing encouraging signs and plenty to get excited about.
Kansas State RB Room Making Progress Ahead of 2026 Season
Things didn’t exactly shape up at the beginning of the 2025 campaign. For starters, the Wildcats kicked off the season abroad in Week 0, taking on the Iowa State Cyclones in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. And well… it didn’t exactly go their way.
Not only were the conditions wet, but K-State suffered its first 24-21 loss and another big blow when former running back Dylan Edwards exited the game early in the first quarter due to injury. For the remainder of the season, he just wasn’t the same.
Edwards would only appear in three more games for the Wildcats in 2025. His ultimate return came three weeks later against Arizona, logging just four carries for 13 yards, and no receptions, no consistency, and most importantly, zero touchdowns.
It wasn’t until Week 5 against Central Florida that fans finally got what they were looking for. Edwards rushed for over 100 yards and played a complete game. In the 34-20 victory, he carried the ball 20 times for 166 yards and a touchdown.
His longest rush of the game went for 75 yards, and for the moment, all was well behind the line of scrimmage. In November, however, that all changed. Edwards announced plans to enter the transfer portal early that month, a move that in retrospect might have been the right one. He saw just six starts in 2024, and after battling injury, decided to jump ship.
He’s now getting reps in Spring camp across the way in Lawrence, Kansas, with the Wildcats’ in-state rivals, the Kansas Jayhawks. Definitely a plot twist, especially in the transfer portal era. But with Edwards out of the equation, the spotlight is on second-year sophomore Joe Jackson.
Joe Jackson Emerging as the Top Candidate in Kansas State’s Backfield
In his freshman season, Jackson didn’t just occupy the starting role after Edwards’ injury – he took control. Against the TCU Horned Frogs, the Haines City, Florida native logged 27 carries for 110 yards, marking the first 100-yard game of his career. It wouldn’t take long for that performance to be outdone, either.
Against Utah, he set a program record for rushing yards in a single game with a career-high 293 yards. Jackson’s longest run of the game totaled 80 yards, and he finished the day with three touchdowns. Everything Edwards was touted to do, the freshman made look easy from then on.
Skip ahead to camp, and Jackson is one of six names at the running back position fighting for the starting role. If there’s any case for him to fill the same role next season, he’s got some fierce competition.
Oregon transfer Jay Harris, Oklahoma State transfer Rodney Fields Jr., and former Memphis Tiger Makari Bodiford are also in the mix. Of the three, Fields’ stats are closest to Jackson’s, finishing the 2025 season with 614 rushing yards and a touchdown – a 20-yard score in a 49-17 loss to Cincinnati.
Two freshmen, Tanner West and Monterrio Elston Jr., round out the list as the only newcomers eyeing the backfield pending any other roster moves.
Why Jackson’s frontrunner status could mean more shattered records
During the conference schedule of the 2026 season, Jackson was one of two Big 12 players to set NCAA rushing records. The other – Arizona State backup quarterback Jeff Sims, who set the single-game rushing record against the Cyclones in Week 10.
Both players found themselves in backup roles, but that’s where the similarities begin to fade. Sims wasn’t a true rusher; more than 80% of his yardage came through the air before his breakout. Jackson’s rise looked different – he not only emerged last season, but delivered steady production in the role he was built for.
When production like that happens at any position, coaches don’t turn a cold shoulder. If anything, it makes challenging the starting spot harder for the current backups.
In the modern era, however, the transfer portal is chaotic. It brings opportunities to players who might otherwise fly under the radar. Even so, few athletes shine brighter than the consistency and impact that Jackson has shown.
Main Photo: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
