Manhattan ? Josh Freeman came back for Kansas State’s preseason drills feeling fairly good about his summer workout program. He’d put on weight and gotten stronger.
Then the sophomore quarterback took his conditioning test – and flunked. On Saturday, he failed it again.
After two days of practice, Freeman and five other returning players were still waiting to take the field.
“I came in weighing quite a bit more than I usually weigh,” Freeman said during the team’s annual media day. “That’s no excuse. I felt like I was in good shape.
“But obviously, the time parameters Coach gave me, I wasn’t able to step up and do it.”
The 6-foot-6 Freeman, who threw for a freshman-record 1,780 yards and six touchdowns as the first freshman to start for Kansas State since 1976, hit a high of 265 pounds over the summer. On Saturday, he said he was within his target range of 245 to 250 pounds.
Now, all that remains is to complete the conditioning test: 300-yard shuttles in 50-yard intervals.
“I’m just working as hard as I can to be there for my teammates,” he said.
Coach Ron Prince, whose first team went 7-6 and lost 37-10 to Rutgers in the Texas bowl, is also watching.
“I’m not happy about Josh not passing the test,” he said. “Obviously, we’ve had plenty of time to train. He’s very close on it, but it’s one of those things where it’s a performance business, and we all understand that.
“I don’t have any doubt that he’s going to make it, but it’s just a matter of when.”
Freeman’s roommate, junior center Jordan Bedore, was among the others still trying to pass the test.
The list also included junior defensive lineman Vlad Faustin, junior quarterback Caleb Smith and two other offensive linemen, sophomore Brock Unruh and junior Brad Rooker. Another sophomore offensive lineman, Derek Meyer, passed his test Saturday after failing Friday.
Kansas State’s sports information office has been putting out a daily list of the returning players who still haven’t passed the conditioning test. Newcomers must also pass the test, but those who don’t aren’t singled out.
That’s less for punishment than to let reporters know why the veteran players aren’t practicing, Prince said.
And with temperatures forecast into the 90s through next week, with high humidity, Prince said the tests ensure nobody takes the practice field who isn’t ready for it.
“The players need to understand, and this is my way of doing it, how serious the climate is here,” he said. “We obviously want to take all the precautions that we can.”
Still, the six players still trying to pass the test know that they’re not living up to Prince’s expectations – or their teammates’.
“I’m in the doghouse right now,” Freeman said with a laugh. “No. They’re being really supportive about it, and they understand that I’m a bigger guy and that the time I’m running is the fastest that anybody has to run.
“They’re mad that I’m not there, but they somewhat understand, and they want me to push through it and get this thing done.”
