John Pastore will miss 2026 season with lower-body injury

What Happened

Kansas State starting left tackle John Pastore is set to miss the 2026 season because of a lower-body injury. Pastore started 12 games in 2025, played 715 offensive snaps and earned All-Big 12 second-team honors. He was also a preseason first-team All-Big 12 selection. The 6-foot-6, 302-pound tackle was Kansas State’s lone returning starter on the offensive line. The Wildcats added Missouri’s Keiton Jones, Akron’s Delvin Morris and Colorado State’s Tanner Morley through the transfer portal. True freshman Oliver Miller could now take snaps immediately. No official Kansas State announcement was included with the report.

Why It Matters

• The Wildcats lose their only returning offensive-line starter before a rebuilt unit has played together.
• Kansas State must replace Pastore’s left-tackle snaps while integrating three portal additions and returning players who missed significant time in 2025.
• The protection burden may shift quickly to true freshman Oliver Miller, whom head coach Collin Klein identified as a player likely to face early action.

THE PATE STATE READ

Kansas State deserves credit for adding three offensive linemen before this injury landed. The task is replacing the only returning offensive-line starter before the opener, not merely filling one spot on a depth chart. Miller has drawn strong praise from Collin Klein, but praise has to become clean protection against live pressure. The Wildcats’ line ranked 10th nationally in sacks allowed last season, so the standard is already set. This moves Kansas State’s line outlook from unsettled to severe right now. The failure condition is clear: if the new left side cannot hold up against Nicholls State on Sept. 5, the problem arrives before Big 12 play.(Josh has not yet commented.)

What's Next

• Sept. 5: Kansas State opens the 2026 season against Nicholls State in Manhattan, with the rebuilt offensive line’s first game snaps available for evaluation.