From the Ground Up
Feb 25, 2026 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Two months after Marcus Woodson arrived at Kansas State, the new co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach with 21 years of experience and stops at Auburn, Florida State and Arkansas has somewhat settled in as the gears turn and meetings resume among a defensive coaching staff eager to get the most out of the Wildcats in the fall.
"Right now, it's still being built," Woodson said. "There are a lot of new faces on the back end with coaches and players, so we're all learning one another right now, and learning the strengths and weaknesses of the players in terms of what they can do and do well. That part is still to be determined."
Woodson comes off a three-year stint as co-defensive coordinator at Arkansas where in his first season he guided the Razorbacks to their best pass defense in 12 years in allowing just 202.8 yards per game, which ranked 31st nationally and marked a 99-spot improvement from the previous year. Arkansas allowed just 357.2 total yards per game, its fewest yards allowed in a decade. In his second season, Woodson's defensive secondary players posted four interceptions and broke up six others in a shutout victory at Auburn and then recorded two more interceptions in another road win at Mississippi State.
"Good players make good coaches," Woodson said. "It was a great experience. You learn from failure as much as you do from success. I grew a lot from that experience. It was a great experience, but I'm excited by this opportunity here at Kansas State."
Woodson rejoins forces with Jordan Peterson, who was hired by first-year head coach Collin Klein as defensive coordinator while also helping coach defensive backs. Peterson served as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Texas A&M while Klein served as offensive coordinator for the Aggies. Peterson and Woodson coached together at Fresno State in 2014.
"It's about relationships with Coach Peterson, Coach Klein, and really the whole defensive staff," Woodson said. "Coach Peterson and I were on the same staff at another institution 11 years ago, and we kept a relationship between then and now. We were in agreement that whenever we were in position to hire each other, we would, so here I am. I got to know Coach Klein, and it felt like we knew each other for years.
"I've had a lot of respect for this program from afar for a long time."
Peterson, Woodson and the rest of the defensive staff have experience with multiple defensive fronts and schemes. That's where the first meeting began in January.
"As you have different experiences with different schemes, you start putting together what it is you'd want to do when you get into the seat that Coach Peterson is sitting in," Woodson said. "We wanted to build it from the ground up once we got here as a staff. That's what he said he wanted to do as defensive coordinator in our first staff meeting.
"We all have collectively been in a lot of different schemes. We're somewhat building it from the ground up. Coach Peterson and I were in the 3-4 scheme and there's some multiplicity that we're going to bring. Obviously, they had a lot of success at A&M and some previous places he's been at as well. So, it's somewhat building from the ground up with a collective piece of all the schemes he's been around."
Some FBS programs have one defensive backs coach. K-State has two in Woodson, who will handle the cornerbacks, and Jeremiah Johnson, who will handle the safeties.
"We can play with five defensive backs at a time on the field, so the more manpower to coach those guys, the better," Woodson said. "Coach Peterson and I, when we worked together before, we had two defensive backs coaches. So, to have coach Johnson at safeties to be able to lead that group with his expertise is only going to be an addition to the group. Coach Peterson is more of a big-picture defensive coordinator that really doesn't have a position, but he does have defensive background. Collectively, with us three, we're going to be leading the group in addition to the support staff as well."
K-State currently has eight cornerbacks on its roster, including three juniors, three redshirt freshmen, and two true freshmen.
"I just see their eagerness to improve," Woodson said. "Right now, it's a coach mentality with the group and I'm excited about it. They're all eager from top to bottom to get better and represent the Kansas State logo with the fullest of their ability. That's what I'm excited about."
The group is headlined by returning starters Zashon Rich and Donovan McIntosh.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Rich played on a team-high 837 snaps, and he had 57 tackles, including 3.0 tackles for loss with one sack, one interception and 11 pass breakups as he earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades. His 12 total passes defended ranked third in the Big 12 and his 11 pass breakups were the most since Duke Shelley in 2017. Rich, a junior, has played his entire career at K-State.
McIntosh seemed to be all over the field last season. The 6-foot-3, 187-pounder played in 11 games with seven starts while playing on 470 snaps. He recorded 33 tackles, one interception and five pass breakups. Rich, a junior, has played his entire career at K-State.
"We still have a long way to go," Woodson said. "Guys who are standing out? Zashon Rich is doing a really good job. I'm excited with his experience from last year and what he's bringing to the room. Donovan McIntosh is doing a really good job and leading by example as well with his actions. We still have a long way to go in a lot of areas and leadership is one of those areas where we must improve."
The cornerback room gained some additional experience in junior Kaleb Patterson, a 6-foot-1, 186-pound contributor who transferred from Illinois. Patterson saw 216 defensive snaps while playing in 10 games with starts against Western Illinois, Duke and Indiana. He had 15 tackles, one pass breakup and two fumble recoveries. His performance in 2025 came after he started all 12 games and 564 defensive snaps with 31 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a recovery in 2024.
Woodson knows what he is looking for out of the cornerback position in the fall.
"Just confidence, physicality and being able to play fast," he said. "That comes from knowledge. So just being students of the game with the preparation we're in right now. Production on the field doesn't start when we get on the field. It starts now, day one. Just the knowledge, playing fast and playing with confidence and together. That's the thing that's important. We want 11 guys playing the same call and being disciplined to do their job within the structure of what we're asking them to do and doing it without hesitation."
At Florida State, Woodson served as defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator as the Seminoles ranked fourth in the FBS in allowing just 165.4 passing yards per game in 2022.
Woodson coached Florida State safety Jammie Robinson to a second-straight First Team All-ACC honor before Robinson was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. It marked the seventh time in a four-year span that a Woodson product was taken in the NFL Draft. That includes Auburn defensive back Noah Igbinoghene, who was the 30th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Under Woodson, eight different Florida State players recorded at least one interception while forcing 20 total takeaways during a 2021 season in which the Seminoles intercepted at least one pass in eight-straight games to end the year, the longest streak in the nation to finish out the season and tied for the longest interception streak at any point in the year.
He sees inklings that this current crop of K-State cornerbacks could have success on the field.
"It's just their athletic ability to go along with size," he says. "This is a good group in terms of the physical piece of it, and they're athletic, and it's been encouraging watching them go through mat drills. We're still training them to strain more, just to give a little bit more, because you can do more than what your mind tells you when you're fatigued. We're teaching them to go beyond that. That's the physical piece we're emphasizing.
"I've been really excited about the movement skills we have on the back end to go along with the size that'll match up with different receiving groups."
Two months after Marcus Woodson arrived at Kansas State, the new co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach with 21 years of experience and stops at Auburn, Florida State and Arkansas has somewhat settled in as the gears turn and meetings resume among a defensive coaching staff eager to get the most out of the Wildcats in the fall.
"Right now, it's still being built," Woodson said. "There are a lot of new faces on the back end with coaches and players, so we're all learning one another right now, and learning the strengths and weaknesses of the players in terms of what they can do and do well. That part is still to be determined."
Woodson comes off a three-year stint as co-defensive coordinator at Arkansas where in his first season he guided the Razorbacks to their best pass defense in 12 years in allowing just 202.8 yards per game, which ranked 31st nationally and marked a 99-spot improvement from the previous year. Arkansas allowed just 357.2 total yards per game, its fewest yards allowed in a decade. In his second season, Woodson's defensive secondary players posted four interceptions and broke up six others in a shutout victory at Auburn and then recorded two more interceptions in another road win at Mississippi State.
"Good players make good coaches," Woodson said. "It was a great experience. You learn from failure as much as you do from success. I grew a lot from that experience. It was a great experience, but I'm excited by this opportunity here at Kansas State."
Woodson rejoins forces with Jordan Peterson, who was hired by first-year head coach Collin Klein as defensive coordinator while also helping coach defensive backs. Peterson served as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Texas A&M while Klein served as offensive coordinator for the Aggies. Peterson and Woodson coached together at Fresno State in 2014.
"It's about relationships with Coach Peterson, Coach Klein, and really the whole defensive staff," Woodson said. "Coach Peterson and I were on the same staff at another institution 11 years ago, and we kept a relationship between then and now. We were in agreement that whenever we were in position to hire each other, we would, so here I am. I got to know Coach Klein, and it felt like we knew each other for years.
"I've had a lot of respect for this program from afar for a long time."
Peterson, Woodson and the rest of the defensive staff have experience with multiple defensive fronts and schemes. That's where the first meeting began in January.
"As you have different experiences with different schemes, you start putting together what it is you'd want to do when you get into the seat that Coach Peterson is sitting in," Woodson said. "We wanted to build it from the ground up once we got here as a staff. That's what he said he wanted to do as defensive coordinator in our first staff meeting.
"We all have collectively been in a lot of different schemes. We're somewhat building it from the ground up. Coach Peterson and I were in the 3-4 scheme and there's some multiplicity that we're going to bring. Obviously, they had a lot of success at A&M and some previous places he's been at as well. So, it's somewhat building from the ground up with a collective piece of all the schemes he's been around."
Some FBS programs have one defensive backs coach. K-State has two in Woodson, who will handle the cornerbacks, and Jeremiah Johnson, who will handle the safeties.
"We can play with five defensive backs at a time on the field, so the more manpower to coach those guys, the better," Woodson said. "Coach Peterson and I, when we worked together before, we had two defensive backs coaches. So, to have coach Johnson at safeties to be able to lead that group with his expertise is only going to be an addition to the group. Coach Peterson is more of a big-picture defensive coordinator that really doesn't have a position, but he does have defensive background. Collectively, with us three, we're going to be leading the group in addition to the support staff as well."
K-State currently has eight cornerbacks on its roster, including three juniors, three redshirt freshmen, and two true freshmen.
"I just see their eagerness to improve," Woodson said. "Right now, it's a coach mentality with the group and I'm excited about it. They're all eager from top to bottom to get better and represent the Kansas State logo with the fullest of their ability. That's what I'm excited about."
The group is headlined by returning starters Zashon Rich and Donovan McIntosh.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Rich played on a team-high 837 snaps, and he had 57 tackles, including 3.0 tackles for loss with one sack, one interception and 11 pass breakups as he earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades. His 12 total passes defended ranked third in the Big 12 and his 11 pass breakups were the most since Duke Shelley in 2017. Rich, a junior, has played his entire career at K-State.
McIntosh seemed to be all over the field last season. The 6-foot-3, 187-pounder played in 11 games with seven starts while playing on 470 snaps. He recorded 33 tackles, one interception and five pass breakups. Rich, a junior, has played his entire career at K-State.
"We still have a long way to go," Woodson said. "Guys who are standing out? Zashon Rich is doing a really good job. I'm excited with his experience from last year and what he's bringing to the room. Donovan McIntosh is doing a really good job and leading by example as well with his actions. We still have a long way to go in a lot of areas and leadership is one of those areas where we must improve."
The cornerback room gained some additional experience in junior Kaleb Patterson, a 6-foot-1, 186-pound contributor who transferred from Illinois. Patterson saw 216 defensive snaps while playing in 10 games with starts against Western Illinois, Duke and Indiana. He had 15 tackles, one pass breakup and two fumble recoveries. His performance in 2025 came after he started all 12 games and 564 defensive snaps with 31 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and a recovery in 2024.
Woodson knows what he is looking for out of the cornerback position in the fall.
"Just confidence, physicality and being able to play fast," he said. "That comes from knowledge. So just being students of the game with the preparation we're in right now. Production on the field doesn't start when we get on the field. It starts now, day one. Just the knowledge, playing fast and playing with confidence and together. That's the thing that's important. We want 11 guys playing the same call and being disciplined to do their job within the structure of what we're asking them to do and doing it without hesitation."
At Florida State, Woodson served as defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator as the Seminoles ranked fourth in the FBS in allowing just 165.4 passing yards per game in 2022.
Woodson coached Florida State safety Jammie Robinson to a second-straight First Team All-ACC honor before Robinson was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. It marked the seventh time in a four-year span that a Woodson product was taken in the NFL Draft. That includes Auburn defensive back Noah Igbinoghene, who was the 30th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Under Woodson, eight different Florida State players recorded at least one interception while forcing 20 total takeaways during a 2021 season in which the Seminoles intercepted at least one pass in eight-straight games to end the year, the longest streak in the nation to finish out the season and tied for the longest interception streak at any point in the year.
He sees inklings that this current crop of K-State cornerbacks could have success on the field.
"It's just their athletic ability to go along with size," he says. "This is a good group in terms of the physical piece of it, and they're athletic, and it's been encouraging watching them go through mat drills. We're still training them to strain more, just to give a little bit more, because you can do more than what your mind tells you when you're fatigued. We're teaching them to go beyond that. That's the physical piece we're emphasizing.
"I've been really excited about the movement skills we have on the back end to go along with the size that'll match up with different receiving groups."
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