Ohio State transfer George Fitzpatrick plans on returning to Kansas State’s offensive line room in 2026, according to a report by On3‘s Pete Nakos on Thursday. Fitzpatrick missed the entirety of the 2025 season due to an offseason medical incident.
The 6-foot-6, 309-pound tackle came to Manhattan from Ohio State with two years of eligibility remaining, and will presumably hold onto both considering he didn’t see a single snap for the Wildcats last year. Fitzpatrick appeared in 19 total games for the Buckeyes, including the 2024 national championship run.
The Wildcats introduced San Diego State offensive line coach Mike Schmidt as its next leader of the trenches earlier this week. Schmidt filled previous OL roles at Syracuse and Mississippi State.
Fitzpatrick’s commitment represents a much-needed win for Kansas State, which has seen 21 players declare their intentions to transfer when the portal opens on Jan. 2. That lot included interior OL Devin Vass, who appeared in 11 games last year as a sophomore.
Perhaps the biggest priority of the Collin Klein campaign is building upon an offensive line that led for 2,000-plus rushing yards last year. Fitzpatrick, rated Colorado’s second-best OL prospect from Cherry Creek High School in 2021, can play a major part in that mission.
Fitzpatrick (19 career games), redshirt junior Drake Bequeaith (28 career games) and an untapped redshirt sophomore in Kansas native Kaedin Massey are among the top names anchoring the Wildcats up front entering 2026.
