Before his days at Iowa State, Aaron Wimberly ran with a different starting quarterback. His name was Jake Waters.

On Sept. 6, both Waters and Wimberly will take the field together again. But instead of being on the same team, Waters will be leading No. 20 Kansas State.

Waters, who is now Kansas State’s starting quarterback, started his college football career at Iowa Western Community College, as did Wimberly. The two became friends quickly, and the rest was history.

“We started clicking as soon as we got in for training camp at Iowa Western, and from there it just took off,” Wimberly said. “We’re real close. His parents are like my second parents. I would go over to his house all the time, and his dad used to cook steaks for us.”

The former roommates found success early at the junior college level. In 2012, they helped lead Iowa Western to a national junior college title.

“Jake is a great quarterback,” Wimberly said. “I think some schools overlooked him, but he’s really turned into a great player.”

During his final season at Iowa Western, Waters threw for more than 3,500 yards and had 39 touchdowns. His play earned him a spot, not only as the starting quarterback at Kansas State but in the national spotlight as well.

“He’s clearly the man and he showed that [Aug. 30],” said ISU coach Paul Rhoads. “He’s a competitor and a playmaker. He’s also a very intelligent player, and you can tell that by talking to his former teammates that are on our roster.”

Waters had a solid first season at Kansas State. Even though he shared the starting quarterback job, he threw for 18 touchdowns and nearly 2,500 yards.

So how do you stop a quarterback as talented as Waters? According to Cory Morrissey, who was also a member of the Iowa Western National Championship team with Waters and Wimberly, the key is to keep him contained.

“You have to keep him in between the tackles. He’s a very fast guy,” Morrissey said. “He obviously is one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12, and the whole NCAA. He knows how to win. He’s won at the high school level, at the junior college level and he’s taking Kansas State places now.”

When the time comes to take the field Sept. 6, both Wimberly and Morrissey are very excited to face their old teammate again and hope to show him what they’ve learned since their time together at Iowa Western.

“It’s going to be good,” Wimberly said. “He’s like one of my brothers, and it’s going to be good to showcase what I’ve got against him. I’ll probably send him a text before the game, give him a good luck.”