Kansas State Football: Position Group Preview – Safety

ATHENS, GEORGIA - AUGUST 30: Adrian Maddox #14 of the Georgia Bulldogs lines up during the second half against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Sanford Stadium on August 30, 2025 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images NoteI’m using the same introduction for all of these articles. If you read any of the articles below, you’ve already read it. I’d recommend skipping ahead to the table.Offense

class="wp-block-paragraph">Quarterback

class="wp-block-paragraph">Wide Receiver

class="wp-block-paragraph">Running Back

class="wp-block-paragraph">Tight End

class="wp-block-paragraph">Interior Offensive Line

class="wp-block-paragraph">Offensive Tackle

class="wp-block-paragraph">Defense

class="wp-block-paragraph">Defensive End

class="wp-block-paragraph">Interior Defensive Line

class="wp-block-paragraph">Linebacker

class="wp-block-paragraph">Cornerback

class="wp-block-paragraph">I’m going to move forward with the idea that the new “age-based” NCAA eligibility model will stick around in some form once all the legal challenges are exhausted. It makes sense, and I’m not sure the schools are interested in the constant court battles over eligibility. I get the feeling that some high-up folks went to check on the college athletics golden goose, and while it wasn’t dead, it was missing some feathers. This age-based model is an attempt to limit some long-term financial damage from disillusioned fans (mostly middle-aged and older) who were once the backbone of college athletics. It feels like this is the first bone they’ve thrown the die-hard fans who care about this sort of stuff in a long while.

class="wp-block-paragraph">I wrote an article explaining the age-based model here. The basic idea is that athletes get 5 seasons of eligibility if they enroll in school by age 19. It prevents 27-year-old Euro pros from dominating college basketball as true freshmen and does away with the archaic redshirt rules in both football and basketball. In theory, it also gets around the arbitrary NCAA eligibility “waiver” system, but I’ll believe it when I see it in action. The schools like hard-and-fast rules right up until the point when they think they should get an exception from said rules.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Anyways, this is how the new “age-based” model affects the football team moving forward. I’ll go through the roster by position group, and at the end I’ll put it all together into a coherent roster with a bunch of information beyond what you find on other sites.

class="wp-block-paragraph">So, without further ado….

Position Group#NamePosRecruiting ClassHS/JuCo/PortalHome StateHigh SchoolHS RatingJuco/PortJuCo/Port RatingSeasons at KSUEligibilityName14Jet DineenS/ST22HSKSFree StateNRNANA41Jet Dineen2Adrian MaddoxS22PortalGAHeritageNRUAB/Georgia3*(87)01Adrian Maddox3Ja’Son PrevardS23PortalNJEast Coast PrepNRVirginia3*(88.2)02Ja’Son Prevard18Wesley FairS23HSKSWichita Collegiate3*(85.1)NANA32Wesley Fair36Jack FabrisS/ST23HSGANorth Oconee3*(82.8)NANA32Jack Fabris17Mikey BergeronS/ST23HSKSMill ValleyNRNANA32Mikey Bergeron0Koy BeasleyS24PortalOHLa Salle4*(93.3)Purdue/Miami (OH)3*(88)03Koy Beasley10Logan BartleyS25HSFLFirst Baptist3*(87.9)NANA14Logan Bartley22Jace AdlerS25HSKSAndoverNRNANA14Jack Adler31Dominic MitchellS25HSAZBrophy College Prep3*(84.9)NANA14Dominic Mitchell19Blake JayS26HSKSMill ValleyNRNRNR05Blake JayEligibility ChangesJa’son Prevard receives an extra season after playing as a true freshman at Morgan State.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Logan Bartley receives an extra season after playing as a true freshman last season.

ThoughtsSafety

class="wp-block-paragraph">The back end of the defense suffered the most attrition from the 2025 roster. VJ Payne and Gunner Maldonado are both out of eligibility, and Daniel Cobbs defected to Baylor. Wesley Fair was in the rotation last season, but it was clear safety needed to be a priority in the transfer portal.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Adrian Maddox was brought in from Georgia to fill one of the starting safety spots. I do want to clarify one thing about Maddox: while you’ll hear him referred to as a Georgia transfer, in reality, he’s more of a UAB transfer who spent last season in Athens. He only appeared in 4 games for the Bulldogs, which, strangely enough, included the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal against Ole Miss. If Georgia wins that game, Maddox most likely plays in the semifinal, burns his redshirt, and is out of eligibility. Georgia’s loss is literally Kansas State’s gain. Regardless of his lineage, it sounds like he hit the ground running in Manhattan and was a standout in spring camp. He’ll start and bring a physical presence to the back end of the defense to help replace VJ Payne.

class="wp-block-paragraph">The second safety spot is still up for grabs heading into fall camp. Wesley Fair is back. He started the first six games of 2025 before being moved down the depth chart. He still appeared in every game but will need to be markedly better to grab the starting job in 2026. Fair will be part of the rotation, but he’ll need to prove the blown coverages from last season are left in last season if he wants to start.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Koy Beasley is a name I’m familiar with from my Purdue writing gig. The consensus 4* recruit was the headliner of Ryan Walters’s 2024 recruiting class. Like most things involving Walters, Beasley had lots of hype but didn’t pan out. He played 12 snaps for the Boilermakers in 2024 and then transferred back to his home state to play for Miami (Ohio). I spent way too much time writing about a dude that barely played and then transferred, but now it’s going to come in handy. Beasley is a speed merchant. He’ll be the fastest player on Kansas State this season, and it won’t be that close. He consistently ran under 10.6 in the 100 meters as a junior in high school, and you can see that speed, on occasion, from this Miami (Ohio) film. It doesn’t show up consistently enough, though. Keep in mind, Beasley was a 2-way player in high school. Last season was his first season as a full-time defensive back. He’s fine when he can hang back and play coverage, but he struggled to make an impact in the run game. He’s listed at 5’10”, 187, and isn’t super physical at the point of attack. I saw a few too many drag-down tackles where he’s trying to tangle up the ball carrier’s feet instead of getting him on the ground. That said, nothing is getting over his head if he’s playing deep safety, and he should have good ball skills from his time playing wide receiver. Maddox can play the role of thumper, and Beasley can make sure teams don’t take the top off the K-State defense as they did on several occasions last season. Maddox can be an eraser in the run game, and Beasley can be the deep ball eraser.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Fair and Beasley are both perfectly fine starting options, but Logan Bartley may be the most interesting. He was a regular part of Kansas State’s rotation as a true freshman and brings a physical presence to the back end of the defense at 6’2”, 215. He doesn’t have the same speed as Beasley- not many do- but he’s the more physical player and isn’t exactly slow in his own right. If he paired with Maddox, I’m not sure which of the two would play the deep safety; my guess is Maddox, but it could also give the coaching staff the ability to flip the safeties on any given possession to keep the offense guessing. If there’s an NFL-level talent in the safety room, it’s Bartley.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Outside of those four, Jack Fabris and Mikey Bergeron are standout special team performers, with Fabris most likely slotting into the 5th safety role if it comes to that.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Nickelback

class="wp-block-paragraph">The coaching staff brought in two experienced options at nickelback. M.J. Graham was a JuCo All-American at Hutchinson C.C. last season, while Ja’Son Prevard was an All-ACC honorable mention at UVA. Graham is the smaller, quick nickelback who can cover slot receiver, and Prevard is the 6’2”, 200-pound nickel who can come in and help out against bigger tight ends and in the run as a de facto third linebacker. My guess is that Prevard starts, but Graham is going to play a good bit. I’m curious to see if Prevard is also in the mix at the other safety spot opposite Maddox, but there are more options at safety than there are at nickel on the roster. Expect to see both Graham and Prevard on the field a good bit this fall.

Moving ForwardSomeone will need to step in for Maddox next season, and my money is on Bartley. Beasley and Fair will also return, along with 2025 recruit Jace Addler, but depending on how Beasley and Fair play this season, the staff could be looking for a plug-and-play starter in 2027. Kansas State didn’t bring in a high school safety in the 2026 recruiting class but has 2 (possibly 3) locked up for 2027 class.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Bottom Line: If Bartley plays up to his potential, Kansas State should be set for the next two seasons regardless of who plays next to him. He could find his way into the starting lineup this season but should be a building block for future defenses.