Poitier Can See Himself ‘Being Even Better’
May 31, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Taylor Poitier never envisioned it this way. Here he was, primed to be a full-time starter at right guard last fall. It was the fourth day of practice and first day of full pads. The 6-foot-3, 281-pound Poitier pulled around when somebody hit his left knee.
He tore his anterior-cruciate ligament. He tore his lateral collateral ligament. He tore a little bit of his hamstring. He hyper-extended his knee.
Poitier, now a junior, remembers it like it was yesterday, standing inside Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City at a Catbacker function, and as reporters' questions move along, the arduous past 10 months spin in his head.
Here was a four-game starter during the COVID-riddled 2020 season, eager for his chance to shine, only to have it swallowed by a dark cloud that tested the mental and physical limits of the standout from Bishop Miege High School.
"Honestly," he begins, "I wondered if I was ever going to play this game again. I thought about the worst scenarios. I wondered if I'd ever be as good as I was. But as I started to get better, I kept getting more confident.
"Now I can see myself being even better."
That's the goal. That's been the goal all along. And here's the thing: We haven't really seen him yet. But K-State head coach Chris Klieman, so impressed with Poitier's potential a year ago, offers no hesitation on the Catbacker tour of stating an eye-opening comment.
Klieman says that Poitier "might've been our best offensive lineman last year" before his season-ending injury.
And that's huge given the fact that the Wildcats possess All-Big 12 Conference offensive lineman Cooper Beebe, a dominant left tackle with a motor who also will be a junior this season.
"(Klieman's comments) make me feel good and also a bit nervous because I have a reputation to live up to," Poitier says, "but I'm prepared and ready for it. Coach Klieman, he's always there. I'm never going to quit on him. I'll be there for him."
Offensive line coach Conor Riley should have a spirited fall camp with upwards of eight or nine potential contributors across the line. Along with Poitier and Beebe, the Wildcats bring back starting senior right tackle Christian Duffie and versatile senior KT Leveston, who can play either inside or at tackle. While senior Hayden Gillum appears poised to lead the competition at the center position, Klieman also appears high on redshirt freshman Andrew Leingang and Hadley Panzer. Senior backup Dawson Delforge is back for his sixth year and eyes will also follow Kingsley Ugwu, who redshirted the 2021 season after transferring from Hutchinson Community College.
"I'm really excited," Poitier says. "We have a lot of young guys who are stepping up and new faces you'll see along the offensive line. We're going to be really good this year."
But there's just something about Poitier that sets him apart.
"(Poitier) is a competitive young man," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein says. "He's extremely twitchy and very strong. When he gets on a double team, it moves. He works at it. He's competitive. He's incredibly strong and has a lot of snaps. We have to keep him healthy. It's huge to have him back. He gives you a lot of flexibility in how you put the pieces together inside with the guard spot and figuring out the center spot. It'll be good."
Poitier thinks back on his path and is anxious to move forward.
"The recovery was absolutely terrible," he says. "It was every day. The first five months was definitely a grind. I don't wish it on anybody. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done physically and mentally.
"But I'm not going to quit on anybody. I'm never going to quit on my team. I'm going to always give my 100%. When times get tough, I'm going to fight back."
A small victory arrived on the final day of spring practice in April. That's when Poitier pulled on his uniform for the first time since that fateful day in August. He didn't compete in spring contact drills, but just moving around in individual workouts got his juices going for the fall.
"I was just glad to be back," he says. "I was just smiling. All my friends and teammates, they were smiling right back at me."
Next fall, Poitier hopes to have everyone smiling.
Taylor Poitier never envisioned it this way. Here he was, primed to be a full-time starter at right guard last fall. It was the fourth day of practice and first day of full pads. The 6-foot-3, 281-pound Poitier pulled around when somebody hit his left knee.
He tore his anterior-cruciate ligament. He tore his lateral collateral ligament. He tore a little bit of his hamstring. He hyper-extended his knee.
Poitier, now a junior, remembers it like it was yesterday, standing inside Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City at a Catbacker function, and as reporters' questions move along, the arduous past 10 months spin in his head.
Here was a four-game starter during the COVID-riddled 2020 season, eager for his chance to shine, only to have it swallowed by a dark cloud that tested the mental and physical limits of the standout from Bishop Miege High School.
"Honestly," he begins, "I wondered if I was ever going to play this game again. I thought about the worst scenarios. I wondered if I'd ever be as good as I was. But as I started to get better, I kept getting more confident.
"Now I can see myself being even better."
That's the goal. That's been the goal all along. And here's the thing: We haven't really seen him yet. But K-State head coach Chris Klieman, so impressed with Poitier's potential a year ago, offers no hesitation on the Catbacker tour of stating an eye-opening comment.
Klieman says that Poitier "might've been our best offensive lineman last year" before his season-ending injury.
And that's huge given the fact that the Wildcats possess All-Big 12 Conference offensive lineman Cooper Beebe, a dominant left tackle with a motor who also will be a junior this season.
"(Klieman's comments) make me feel good and also a bit nervous because I have a reputation to live up to," Poitier says, "but I'm prepared and ready for it. Coach Klieman, he's always there. I'm never going to quit on him. I'll be there for him."
Offensive line coach Conor Riley should have a spirited fall camp with upwards of eight or nine potential contributors across the line. Along with Poitier and Beebe, the Wildcats bring back starting senior right tackle Christian Duffie and versatile senior KT Leveston, who can play either inside or at tackle. While senior Hayden Gillum appears poised to lead the competition at the center position, Klieman also appears high on redshirt freshman Andrew Leingang and Hadley Panzer. Senior backup Dawson Delforge is back for his sixth year and eyes will also follow Kingsley Ugwu, who redshirted the 2021 season after transferring from Hutchinson Community College.
"I'm really excited," Poitier says. "We have a lot of young guys who are stepping up and new faces you'll see along the offensive line. We're going to be really good this year."
But there's just something about Poitier that sets him apart.
"(Poitier) is a competitive young man," K-State offensive coordinator Collin Klein says. "He's extremely twitchy and very strong. When he gets on a double team, it moves. He works at it. He's competitive. He's incredibly strong and has a lot of snaps. We have to keep him healthy. It's huge to have him back. He gives you a lot of flexibility in how you put the pieces together inside with the guard spot and figuring out the center spot. It'll be good."
Poitier thinks back on his path and is anxious to move forward.
"The recovery was absolutely terrible," he says. "It was every day. The first five months was definitely a grind. I don't wish it on anybody. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done physically and mentally.
"But I'm not going to quit on anybody. I'm never going to quit on my team. I'm going to always give my 100%. When times get tough, I'm going to fight back."
A small victory arrived on the final day of spring practice in April. That's when Poitier pulled on his uniform for the first time since that fateful day in August. He didn't compete in spring contact drills, but just moving around in individual workouts got his juices going for the fall.
"I was just glad to be back," he says. "I was just smiling. All my friends and teammates, they were smiling right back at me."
Next fall, Poitier hopes to have everyone smiling.
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