It is difficult to overshadow the talent at quarterback in the Big 12 Conference.
Texas' Colt McCoy, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, Missouri's Chase Daniel and Oklahoma State's Zac Robinson have the second, third, fourth and fifth best passer ratings in the nation.
But in a literal sense, at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, all Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman has to do is find a way to stand next to them.
In his third year as a starter, Freeman's 175.8 passer rating is eighth in the nation. He has passed for 1,105 yards, 11 touchdowns and only two interceptions while rushing for six touchdowns. His 272 yards passing in a win Saturday over Louisiana-Lafayette gave him 6,238 career yards, breaking former quarterback Lynn Dickey's 38-year old record.
"His size, he has a very strong arm and is very accurate," Tech safety Darcel McBath said of Freeman's strengths. "From 10, 15, 40 yards down the field, he can make all the throws. He is strong. I can't really find anything bad to say about him."
However, Freeman said his numbers need to translate to the win column like his fellow Big 12 quarterbacks accomplished in 2007 when the Wildcats fell out of the bowl picture with four straight losses to end the season.
"In the college game it's about wins and losses," said Freeman, whose Wildcats open Big 12 play against No. 7 Texas Tech at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Manhattan, Kan. "The other quarterbacks had a much more successful season than I had last year. Their teams were playing on the national stage, they don't put 5 - 7 teams on ESPN for the big games. They're all great quarterbacks in this conference."
With the kind of size and arm strength Freeman possesses, it may be only a matter of time until he hears his name called from the green room of the NFL Draft. The only question is which draft, the 2009 or the 2010 Draft?
Kansas State coach Ron Prince said Freeman has his mother and father to thank for blessing him with the physical and mental tools to perform on the football field.
"Clearly, they gave him a body that's six-six, 250 (pounds) and a lot of eye-hand coordination," Prince said. "He's a tremendous competitor. I would say that the way he was raised and the atmosphere he was brought up in, he's carried that over to college."
When Freeman hears comparisons to current Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who is 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, or the recently retired NFL veteran Daunte Culpepper, Freeman said he tries to keep a level head about it.
"I don't try to compare myself to anybody playing right now," Freeman said. "I just try to go out and play my best football every week. Sure it's flattering to be compared to guys that are in the NFL, but right now my main goal and focus is to play the best game I can at the college level and win games."
The question of staying all four years at Kansas State was an issue Freeman said he used to wrestle with, but for the time being he said one step at a time should keep him busy.
"When I was coming out of high school of course, you wanna take the fast path," he said. "Come in, take all these hours, get out in three years, be the No. 1 pick, do all this stuff, but realistically it comes down to how well you play. I'm not even thinking about leaving after this year. I'm thinking about playing my best football this year and going for the Big 12 Championship."
Freeman's journey to KSU's first Big 12 championship game in four years starts with an early test against the Red Raiders. The teams have not met since 2005 when Tech won 59-20 in Lubbock.
"We know we're gonna have to play a near perfect game in order to keep up with these guys and give ourselves a chance of winning," Freeman said.
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