By ARNE GREEN

Special to The Hays Daily News

Kansas State's quarterback depth has taken a hit before the season even starts.

Bill Snyder confirmed Monday that true freshman Tavarius Bender, who started with the second-team offense in the spring game, has left the team.

"Tay is no longer with the program," Snyder said during the Big 12 football coaches teleconference. "He chose not to be here and has dropped out of football all together."

Snyder said Bender returned home to Lincoln, Neb., about two weeks ago.

Bender, a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Southwest High School in Lincoln, was the top-rated prospect out of Nebraska, according to Rivals.com. He enrolled at K-State for the spring semester and was battling redshirt freshman Daniel Sams for the backup job behind senior starter Collin Klein.

Snyder said currently either Sams or sophomore walk-on Sam Johnson would be the first off the bench.

"Right now, and I don't know if it will hold true this way during the course of the season, but it will depend upon the situation in the ballgame," Snyder said when asked who would be.

"There's certain situations in which Daniel would be the next in line and there would be certain situations in which it's Sam Johnson."