MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior Morgan Burns earned his first postseason accolade on Tuesday by being named the USA TODAY Sports First Team All-American kickoff returner, the publication announced.

Burns becomes the 23rd player in school history to receive a First Team All-America nod, while he is the 17th under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Snyder. A product of Wichita, Kansas, Burns is the second player in school history to earn first-team honors as a kickoff returner, joining Tyler Lockett (2011).

The national leader in kickoff-return touchdowns this season with four – including three in the final four games – Burns tied a school and Big 12 record for return touchdowns and has five in his career to tie both the school and conference marks as well. His current 33.8-yard average ranks second nationally and third in K-State history, while he is also first nationally among active players with a 30.9-yard career average.

Burns set a school record with 221 kickoff-return yards this season at Texas Tech – a game that featured a 93-yard touchdown – and he also occupies the second spot on the list with 201 yards on only three returns in last week’s victory over West Virginia. He bookended his season with kickoff-return touchdowns as he took the season-opening kickoff 100 yards to paydirt against South Dakota and had a game-winning 97-yard return in the fourth quarter against the Mountaineers’ to help the Wildcats earn bowl eligibility with a 24-23 victory.

Kansas State, which won its final three games to become bowl eligible for the 19th time in school history and 17th time under Snyder, will play Arkansas in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl on January 2, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. The game will kick off at 2:20 p.m.

— KSU Athletics —