Kansas State announces team captains

As they do every year at this time, Chris Klieman and the Kansas State football program have announced the team captains for the season. For the 2024 season it was Avery Johnson, Hadley Panzer, Austin Moore, Cody Stufflebean, Marques Sigle and Brendan Mott.

It is voted on by their K-State teammates but also the coaches, a joint venture. Sigle, Mott, Moore and Panzer are no longer with the program, as they were all in their last season of eligibility a year ago.

Johnson and Stufflebean are captains once again are joined by four others – safety VJ Payne, defensive tackle Damian Ilalio, linebacker Austin Romaine and offensive lineman Taylor Poitier. Payne and Poitier joined Klieman, Johnson and Stufflebean at The Star in Frisco for Big 12 Media Days in July.

Johnson enters his second year as the starting quarterback for Kansas State and was a former national recruit from Maize High School. He ran for over 600 yards last season and broke the school record last season by throwing for 25 touchdowns.

Stufflebean and Ilalio were both three-star prospects out of McPherson High School and Manhattan High School, respectively, that started all 13 games for the Wildcats a year ago along the defensive line. Payne is from Georgia and has played in all of the last 40 games for K-State and started 30 of them.

Poitier has been in Manhattan as long as head coach Chris Klieman, actually. We’re not kidding. He’s in his seventh year, joining the program as part of the first (partial) signing class after the coaching change.

Romaine is a native of Missouri and will enter his second season as a starter for Kansas State. He was named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team and is seen as a potential All-American and 2026 NFL Draft pick.