Chris Klieman is expecting big things from these unsung Kansas State football players

There is a reason why Chris Klieman decided to list 66 names on Kansas State’s depth chart this week.

He thinks this might be the deepest football roster he has coached during his time with the Wildcats, which means more players than ever before could end up making an impact this season.

Fans will likely see many reserves and other unsung K-State football players catching passes and making tackles against Tennesee-Martin at 6 p.m. on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. If the game goes according to plan the Wildcats, who are favored by 37.5 points, will have plenty of opportunities to experiment with lineup combinations.

Klieman has already made it clear that he is excited to see a few new names get on the field.

He sounds most excited about Brayden Loftin, a 6-foot-5 and 237-pound tight end, who is listed behind starter Garrett Oakley on the two-deep.

The sophomore from Omaha saw in action in nine games last season but didn’t record a stat while mostly playing on special teams. But bigger things appear to be in his future.

“The guy that has jumped at us this year is Brayden Loftin,” Klieman said. “He’s made play after play, not only in the pass game but in the run game. He’s really done a nice job of getting that extra weight, that extra strength so he can be a point-of-attack guy.

“He’s made just a ton of plays in the pass game and he’s got chemistry with all of our quarterbacks. He knows how to get open, knows how to find those seams. He hasn’t played much for us. He is one of those guys we have been talking about that we’re counting on. He hasn’t played very much, but he has shown us great things.”

The Wildcats have lots of competition at tight end with Will Swanson and Oakley also at the position. But they will be asking Loftin to help fill the void left by Ben Sinnott.

On the other side of the ball, Klieman is high on a junior defensive tackle.

Damian Ilalio, a 6-foot-2 and 300-pound defender who grew up in Manhattan, surprisingly won a starting job in the middle of K-State’s defensive line. Most expected incumbent Uso Seumalo to hog most of the snaps at defensive tackle this season, but Ilalio was the star of training camp.

“He is one of our top leaders,” Klieman said. “He wasn’t elected as a captain, but he received a lot of votes. He has been a really good leader on that side of the ball and he has been a consistent player at the nose position.”

Ilalio saw action in 11 games last season and finished with nine tackles.

Despite those modest statistics, he is now a player to watch heading into season.