HuskerfaninOkieland
Heisman Trophy Winner
Pretty interesting article. You really have to start wondering what the hell Princess is doing.
Former Central star Prater leaving K-State
BY STEVEN PIVOVAR
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A second player from the Omaha area said he intends to leave the Kansas State football program.
Nate Prater, a redshirt freshman tight end from Omaha Central, said Monday he is trying to get his release from Kansas State in order to transfer. Allan Evridge, the Papillion-La Vista quarterback who started for the Wildcats last season, received his release from Kansas State coach Ron Prince last week.
Prater, rated the No. 22 tight end nationally when he signed with Kansas State, said dissatisfaction with Prince combined with family concerns were reasons behind his decision. Prince is in his first season as Kansas State's coach, taking over for Bill Snyder.
"There's some funny stuff going on down there," Prater said. "I just felt like getting out of there was going to be the best thing for my family and me."
The 6-foot-4, 257-pound Prater wasn't listed on Kansas State's two-deep depth chart after spring practice, although he was expected to challenge for one of the top two spots in preseason camp. That changed when he wasn't among the 105 players invited to preseason practice. Prince didn't specify why Prater wasn't invited to camp, but the player said it was because he didn't pass all phases of the team's conditioning test.
"I went to all the summer workouts, and I thought everything was good," Prater said. "We had this conditioning test, and we were told if we couldn't pass it, we would not be allowed to come to camp. We ran three shuttle runs, and I made my time in two of the three so I couldn't come to camp."
Prater said several Kansas State players told him that other players, including two incoming tight ends, were allowed to come to camp even though they hadn't passed the test.
"That's what I mean by funny stuff," Prater said. "I've tried to find out why I wasn't allowed to practice. I don't know if he wants to play his recruits. I don't know if he felt I didn't think fit into his offense. Under coach Snyder's system, you had to be around 250 (pounds) to play. Maybe he (Prince) thinks I'm too big for his system, that he wants tight ends around 230 or so.
"I don't know. All I know is that I didn't feel the opportunity was there for me to play for Kansas State."
Prater declined to talk about the family issues that also contributed to his decision, other than saying he needs to find a school "a little closer to home."
"The family issues played a big part in my decision," he said. "Right now, it's just not good for me to be too far away from home."
Prater said he couldn't comment on his future plans because he has not officially been released from his scholarship. Iowa State, Michigan and Kansas were among schools he considered coming out of high school.
"Right now, I just want everything to be handled in a professional way so I can get on with things," Prater said. "I've been trying to get in touch with coach Prince and get this taken care of. It just comes down to I wasn't happy where I was at. I want to be happy, and I'm ready to play some ball."
Former Central star Prater leaving K-State
BY STEVEN PIVOVAR
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
A second player from the Omaha area said he intends to leave the Kansas State football program.
Nate Prater, a redshirt freshman tight end from Omaha Central, said Monday he is trying to get his release from Kansas State in order to transfer. Allan Evridge, the Papillion-La Vista quarterback who started for the Wildcats last season, received his release from Kansas State coach Ron Prince last week.
Prater, rated the No. 22 tight end nationally when he signed with Kansas State, said dissatisfaction with Prince combined with family concerns were reasons behind his decision. Prince is in his first season as Kansas State's coach, taking over for Bill Snyder.
"There's some funny stuff going on down there," Prater said. "I just felt like getting out of there was going to be the best thing for my family and me."
The 6-foot-4, 257-pound Prater wasn't listed on Kansas State's two-deep depth chart after spring practice, although he was expected to challenge for one of the top two spots in preseason camp. That changed when he wasn't among the 105 players invited to preseason practice. Prince didn't specify why Prater wasn't invited to camp, but the player said it was because he didn't pass all phases of the team's conditioning test.
"I went to all the summer workouts, and I thought everything was good," Prater said. "We had this conditioning test, and we were told if we couldn't pass it, we would not be allowed to come to camp. We ran three shuttle runs, and I made my time in two of the three so I couldn't come to camp."
Prater said several Kansas State players told him that other players, including two incoming tight ends, were allowed to come to camp even though they hadn't passed the test.
"That's what I mean by funny stuff," Prater said. "I've tried to find out why I wasn't allowed to practice. I don't know if he wants to play his recruits. I don't know if he felt I didn't think fit into his offense. Under coach Snyder's system, you had to be around 250 (pounds) to play. Maybe he (Prince) thinks I'm too big for his system, that he wants tight ends around 230 or so.
"I don't know. All I know is that I didn't feel the opportunity was there for me to play for Kansas State."
Prater declined to talk about the family issues that also contributed to his decision, other than saying he needs to find a school "a little closer to home."
"The family issues played a big part in my decision," he said. "Right now, it's just not good for me to be too far away from home."
Prater said he couldn't comment on his future plans because he has not officially been released from his scholarship. Iowa State, Michigan and Kansas were among schools he considered coming out of high school.
"Right now, I just want everything to be handled in a professional way so I can get on with things," Prater said. "I've been trying to get in touch with coach Prince and get this taken care of. It just comes down to I wasn't happy where I was at. I want to be happy, and I'm ready to play some ball."
