MANHATTAN, Kan. – Three Kansas State football players – safety Dante Barnett, fullback Glenn Gronkowski and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair – were each named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team as voted on by media representatives who cover the league, the conference office announced Wednesday.
Whitehair is a two-time member of the preseason all-conference team, while Barnett and Gronkowski are first-time recipients. All three earned All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches following the 2014 season as Gronkowski was a first-team member and Barnett and Whitehair were named to the second team.
A native of Abilene, Kansas, Whitehair is a three-time All-Big 12 offensive lineman after starting 38 of his 39 career games and helping K-State earn a 28-11 record with three bowl berths during that span. He is on the watch list for the Outland Trophy for a second-straight season.
Gronkowski has played in all 26 games over the past two seasons and has been a receiving threat out of the backfield in addition to being one of the top blocking backs in the country. The Amherst, New York, product has averaged 29.3 yards on 10 career receptions, while three of his four touchdowns have spanned 50 or more yards. Last season, he hauled in a 62-yard touchdown in K-State’s win at No. 11 Oklahoma.
Barnett, who is on the watch list for the 2015 Bednarik and Thorpe awards in addition to the Nagurski Trophy, is K-State’s top returning tackler after recording 77 stops in 2014. A product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Barnett also recorded three interceptions and 11 total passes defended last season, including four against Texas en route to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Preseason All-Big 12 Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Trevone Boykin, TCU, QB, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year: Shawn Oakman, Baylor, DE, Sr.
Newcomer of the Year: Chris Carson, Oklahoma State, RB, Jr.
Offense
Pos Name School Ht Wt Cl/Exp Hometown
QB Trevone Boykin # TCU 6-2 205 Sr./3L Dallas, Texas
RB Shock Linwood #^ Baylor 5-9 195 Jr./2L Linden, Texas
RB Samaje Perine # Oklahoma 5-11 237 So./1L Pflugerville, Texas
FB Glenn Gronkowski # K-State 6-3 234 Jr./2L Amherst, N.Y.
WR Corey Coleman * Baylor 5-11 190 Jr./2L Richardson, Texas
WR Sterling Shepard # Oklahoma 5-10 191 Sr./3L Oklahoma City, Okla.
WR Josh Doctson * TCU 6-3 195 Sr./2L Mansfield, Texas
TE Tre’Von Armstead Baylor 6-6 270 Jr./2L Port Arthur, Texas
OL Spencer Drango #^ Baylor 6-6 310 Sr./3L Cedar Park, Texas
OL Cody Whitehair #^ K-State 6-4 305 Sr./3L Abilene, Kan.
OL Joey Hunt * TCU 6-3 295 Sr./3L El Campo, Texas
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai * TCU 6-6 308 Sr./3L Haltom, Texas
OL Le’Raven Clark #^ Texas Tech 6-6 307 Sr./3L Rockdale, Texas
PK Josh Lambert * West Virginia 5-11 215 Jr./2L Garland, Texas
KR/PR Alex Ross Oklahoma 6-1 220 Jr./2L Jenks, Okla.
Defense
Pos Name School Ht Wt Cl/Exp Hometown
DL Andrew Billings # Baylor 6-2 300 Jr./2L Waco, Texas
DL Shawn Oakman # Baylor 6-9 280 Sr./2L Philadelphia, Pa.
DL Emmanuel Ogbah # Oklahoma State 6-4 275 Jr./2L Houston, Texas
DL Davion Pierson TCU 6-2 305 Sr./3L Oklahoma City, Okla.
DL Pete Robertson * Texas Tech 6-3 243 Sr.3L Longview, Texas
LB Eric Striker #^ Oklahoma 6-0 223 Sr./3L Seffner, Fla.
LB Ryan Simmons Oklahoma State 6-0 240 Sr./3L Cibolo, Texas
LB Nick Kwiatkoski West Virginia 6-2 235 Sr./3L Bethel Park, Pa.
DB Orion Stewart Baylor 6-2 200 Jr./2L Waco, Texas
DB Dante Barnett * K-State 6-1 193 Sr./3L Tulsa, Okla.
DB Zack Sanchez #^ Oklahoma 5-11 175 Jr./2L Fort Worth, Texas
DB Kevin Peterson Oklahoma State 5-11 190 Sr./3L Wagoner, Okla.
DB Duke Thomas Texas 5-10 178 Sr./3L Killeen, Texas
DB Karl Joseph #^ West Virginia 5-11 197 Sr./3L Orlando, Fla.
P Taylor Symmank Texas Tech 6-3 194 Sr./2L McKinney, Texas
A tie in voting at DB created an additional spot.
^ 2014 Preseason Team
# 2014 All-Big 12 First Team selection
* 2014 All-Big 12 Second Team selection
— KSU Sports Information —