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Elijah Lee prepares to step into bigger role in sophomore season
Kansas State linebacker Elijah Lee pleasantly surprised the Wildcats last year with a productive season as a true freshman. In fact, it even surprised him.
“To be honest, I didn’t really think I would be able to contribute that much,” Lee told The Wichita Eagle. “But once I started to get the feel of how to play in the game, I felt confident. That’s how I played each game.”
Flashing so much potential in his true freshman season has only upped the expectations for what he'll do in his sophomore season, when he'll take on more responsibility as an every-down outside linebacker.
"The main thing that stood out is just the adjustment of playing linebacker and getting into a bigger role than last year,” Lee said. “You know, last year I was part of a package, and now, this year, I am more involved with the defense. I am learning how to pressure my gap and be more physical. The biggest difference is you have to be in the trenches more.”
K-State head coach Bill Snyder admits that there is still a learning curve for Lee, but speaks highly of KSU's potential breakout defensive star.
“Elijah has good quickness to him and pretty good range,” he said. “He has that characteristic about him. He runs around pretty well and has the experience of last year. That has been beneficial for him.
“Like everybody else, he is still trying to get himself better and he works at it. I see his confidence building and that is always a positive thing, as long as it is an accurate assessment, which in his case it is. He still has a lot of growth to make, but for the most part is playing well.”
(h/t Wichita Eagle)
