Relationships are Ward’s ‘Secret Sauce’
Feb 16, 2026 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
As he reached the center of the team theater room at the Vanier Family Football Complex for the first time as Kansas State associate head coach and wide receivers coach, a grinning Thad Ward late last week issued a question.
"You ready to rock and roll?"
Ward, who served as K-State's wide receivers coach during the 2022 Big 12 Championship season and who's spent the last three seasons at Illinois, officially returned to K-State on January 2 to rejoin first-year K-State head coach Collin Klein, who served as offensive coordinator during the Wildcats 2022 season. Ward and Klein grew close during their time together at K-State and remained close during their seasons apart.
Upon arriving in Manhattan, Ward said that "a cellphone was literally placed into my hand, and Collin said, 'Let's go,'" as the Wildcat coaching staff was immersed in supplementing the current K-State roster with talent from the transfer portal.
"Collin is like a mad scientist," Ward said shortly after arriving in Manhattan. "He won't slow down for any of us. He's just going to keep going. It fires you up. The guys I've been talking to, when they come here and see this offense, they smile."
Six weeks later, K-State has solidified its roster, which includes some premier talent at the wide receiver position.
Now Ward is the one who's smiling.
"I want to get my hands on all of them as fast as possible," Ward said. "So far, I tell you, the group has been good and they've been very assertive. They've done everything I've asked them to do. They're a sharp group. We're trying to build our sub-culture in our room right now. I'm eager to get my hands on these guys in the spring.
"We're doing a little bit with them in the mornings in stations, but there's nothing better than putting the ball on the ground and playing football."
Two of K-State's newest wide receivers come to mind when pondering the possibilities on the field in the fall — Derrick Salley Jr., and Josh Manning.
Salley Jr. arrived at K-State after the top-rated junior college wide receiver in the country had 52 catches for 851 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore while the First Team All-American led Hutchinson Community College to the NJCAA National Championship Game. The native of Green Pond, South Carolina, had three 100-yard receiving performances in a span of five games at Hutchinson and became the first player in school history with three three-touchdown games in a single season.
"I'm ready to catch some balls from Avery Johnson," Salley Jr. said upon signing with K-State. "I'm physical, fast, my catch radius is great, and I have great hands. If you put the ball where I can get it, I'm going to come down with it. I'm trying to some big things in the Big 12. I want to help K-State win some championships."
The initial results are in, and Ward appears enthused by Salley Jr.'s playmaking ability and confidence in winter conditioning.
"He's a sharp kid who wants to be great and talks about it," Ward said. "He's in my office. I'm eager to get my hands on him. I've seen a little bit from him thus far, and I'm looking forward to seeing more. He's a very confident kid, but hungry and not scared of the moment at all. He wants to be great. He's shown me that so far in his attitude and in how he wants to prepare. He's in the office until 6:30 or 7:30 trying to learn and grasp different things that'll help him develop going forward.
"I like Derrick and I think he's going to be a special player."
Manning on January 17 opened the doors to the Vanier Family Football Complex for the first time as a member of the K-State football team — this after the one-time K-State commit in 2022 after the native of Lee's Summit, Missouri, chose to play his first three years for his home state Tigers.
The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Manning, a four-star recruit and the No. 38-rated wide receiver nationally by 247Sports, was recruited by Klein and Ward in 2022. Manning heads into his final season after steadily emerging as a contributor for the Tigers with 42 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Upon arriving at K-State in January, Manning was thrilled to join Klein and Ward with the opportunity to be an immediate impact player for the Wildcats in the fall.
"Me, Klein and Ward have such a good relationship," Manning said. "It's cool that that connection is there. That's not really common, especially in today's age of college football, so to have that genuine relationship is big.
"We're going to be explosive. We're going to be explosive this year. We're going to make plays and get yards after catch and get deep balls, and whatever we do, we're going to make the play, and we're going to score a lot of touchdowns."
Ward was pleased to be reunited with Manning in Manhattan.
"He's been really good," Ward said. "I love his movements and where he's at. It's good to have him. Obviously, we spent a lot of time recruiting him, and we finally got him. That's how it works sometimes. Josh, man, it's been awesome to see him and his growth, and we're going to take him to the next level. He's eager. He's been one of those guys who's come in and worked hard. He's in my office every single day trying to pick up tips and learn, so I've been pleased with where he's at right now."
Ward made light of Manning's initial decision to play at Missouri — instead of K-State.
"Every chance I get, I pick on him," Ward said. "We just have fun with one another. We have a really good, strong relationship, and we look forward to building upon that."
Ward also reunites with fifth-year senior Sterling Lockett, who arrived from Blue Valley High School and redshirted his freshman season in 2022 before steadily seeing increased action over the course of the next three seasons. He had three catches for 39 yards and returned 13 punts for 56 yards and two kickoffs for 44 yards last season.
"Sterling works hard," Ward said. "Sterling, man, I was just watching him this morning. He's grinding, man. He wants to do everything right. He's sharp in the classroom. He's been really good. Obviously, he's gotten a little bigger since the last time I had him. He's a little stronger as well. We joke together as well.
"I'm pleased with where he's at. I like his knowledge but the way he competed this morning, I was really pleased with where he's at, and I'm looking forward to big things from Sterling."
Relationships are Ward's "secret sauce" to success.
"The first thing I stress is us having relationships," Ward said. "I'm a big believer that without relationships is failure. This day in age you have to have genuine relationships with these young men. They have a lot going on in their lives, a lot more than when I played, and a lot of people pulling at them. So, it's a big deal of managing the outside. For our young men, it's bringing them in and letting them know you'll coach them hard but you also love them hard, and that you have to have a genuine relationship outside the building.
"My secret sauce is just really knowing who they are. The technique and development part is the easy part. It's what we do. To me, getting them to buy into what you're asking them to do on a daily basis and how they come for preparation, that's the secret sauce. It always won't be sunny and 72. There are going to be some tough days and I'm going to challenge them a lot. But I want them to understand that I genuinely respect them and want them to be great."
As he reached the center of the team theater room at the Vanier Family Football Complex for the first time as Kansas State associate head coach and wide receivers coach, a grinning Thad Ward late last week issued a question.
"You ready to rock and roll?"
Ward, who served as K-State's wide receivers coach during the 2022 Big 12 Championship season and who's spent the last three seasons at Illinois, officially returned to K-State on January 2 to rejoin first-year K-State head coach Collin Klein, who served as offensive coordinator during the Wildcats 2022 season. Ward and Klein grew close during their time together at K-State and remained close during their seasons apart.
Upon arriving in Manhattan, Ward said that "a cellphone was literally placed into my hand, and Collin said, 'Let's go,'" as the Wildcat coaching staff was immersed in supplementing the current K-State roster with talent from the transfer portal.
"Collin is like a mad scientist," Ward said shortly after arriving in Manhattan. "He won't slow down for any of us. He's just going to keep going. It fires you up. The guys I've been talking to, when they come here and see this offense, they smile."
Six weeks later, K-State has solidified its roster, which includes some premier talent at the wide receiver position.
Now Ward is the one who's smiling.
"I want to get my hands on all of them as fast as possible," Ward said. "So far, I tell you, the group has been good and they've been very assertive. They've done everything I've asked them to do. They're a sharp group. We're trying to build our sub-culture in our room right now. I'm eager to get my hands on these guys in the spring.
"We're doing a little bit with them in the mornings in stations, but there's nothing better than putting the ball on the ground and playing football."
Two of K-State's newest wide receivers come to mind when pondering the possibilities on the field in the fall — Derrick Salley Jr., and Josh Manning.
Salley Jr. arrived at K-State after the top-rated junior college wide receiver in the country had 52 catches for 851 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore while the First Team All-American led Hutchinson Community College to the NJCAA National Championship Game. The native of Green Pond, South Carolina, had three 100-yard receiving performances in a span of five games at Hutchinson and became the first player in school history with three three-touchdown games in a single season.
"I'm ready to catch some balls from Avery Johnson," Salley Jr. said upon signing with K-State. "I'm physical, fast, my catch radius is great, and I have great hands. If you put the ball where I can get it, I'm going to come down with it. I'm trying to some big things in the Big 12. I want to help K-State win some championships."
The initial results are in, and Ward appears enthused by Salley Jr.'s playmaking ability and confidence in winter conditioning.
"He's a sharp kid who wants to be great and talks about it," Ward said. "He's in my office. I'm eager to get my hands on him. I've seen a little bit from him thus far, and I'm looking forward to seeing more. He's a very confident kid, but hungry and not scared of the moment at all. He wants to be great. He's shown me that so far in his attitude and in how he wants to prepare. He's in the office until 6:30 or 7:30 trying to learn and grasp different things that'll help him develop going forward.
"I like Derrick and I think he's going to be a special player."
Manning on January 17 opened the doors to the Vanier Family Football Complex for the first time as a member of the K-State football team — this after the one-time K-State commit in 2022 after the native of Lee's Summit, Missouri, chose to play his first three years for his home state Tigers.
The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Manning, a four-star recruit and the No. 38-rated wide receiver nationally by 247Sports, was recruited by Klein and Ward in 2022. Manning heads into his final season after steadily emerging as a contributor for the Tigers with 42 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Upon arriving at K-State in January, Manning was thrilled to join Klein and Ward with the opportunity to be an immediate impact player for the Wildcats in the fall.
"Me, Klein and Ward have such a good relationship," Manning said. "It's cool that that connection is there. That's not really common, especially in today's age of college football, so to have that genuine relationship is big.
"We're going to be explosive. We're going to be explosive this year. We're going to make plays and get yards after catch and get deep balls, and whatever we do, we're going to make the play, and we're going to score a lot of touchdowns."
Ward was pleased to be reunited with Manning in Manhattan.
"He's been really good," Ward said. "I love his movements and where he's at. It's good to have him. Obviously, we spent a lot of time recruiting him, and we finally got him. That's how it works sometimes. Josh, man, it's been awesome to see him and his growth, and we're going to take him to the next level. He's eager. He's been one of those guys who's come in and worked hard. He's in my office every single day trying to pick up tips and learn, so I've been pleased with where he's at right now."
Ward made light of Manning's initial decision to play at Missouri — instead of K-State.
"Every chance I get, I pick on him," Ward said. "We just have fun with one another. We have a really good, strong relationship, and we look forward to building upon that."
Ward also reunites with fifth-year senior Sterling Lockett, who arrived from Blue Valley High School and redshirted his freshman season in 2022 before steadily seeing increased action over the course of the next three seasons. He had three catches for 39 yards and returned 13 punts for 56 yards and two kickoffs for 44 yards last season.
"Sterling works hard," Ward said. "Sterling, man, I was just watching him this morning. He's grinding, man. He wants to do everything right. He's sharp in the classroom. He's been really good. Obviously, he's gotten a little bigger since the last time I had him. He's a little stronger as well. We joke together as well.
"I'm pleased with where he's at. I like his knowledge but the way he competed this morning, I was really pleased with where he's at, and I'm looking forward to big things from Sterling."
Relationships are Ward's "secret sauce" to success.
"The first thing I stress is us having relationships," Ward said. "I'm a big believer that without relationships is failure. This day in age you have to have genuine relationships with these young men. They have a lot going on in their lives, a lot more than when I played, and a lot of people pulling at them. So, it's a big deal of managing the outside. For our young men, it's bringing them in and letting them know you'll coach them hard but you also love them hard, and that you have to have a genuine relationship outside the building.
"My secret sauce is just really knowing who they are. The technique and development part is the easy part. It's what we do. To me, getting them to buy into what you're asking them to do on a daily basis and how they come for preparation, that's the secret sauce. It always won't be sunny and 72. There are going to be some tough days and I'm going to challenge them a lot. But I want them to understand that I genuinely respect them and want them to be great."
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