MANHATTAN, Kan. – For a second-consecutive season, Kansas State senior safety Dante Barnett was one of 42 players nationally to be named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has announced.
Barnett’s honor is also the fifth-straight season a Wildcat has been up for the award, joining 2012 finalist Arthur Brown, 2013 preseason candidate Ty Zimmerman and 2014 quarterfinalist Ryan Mueller.
This is the 13th year the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has presented the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which goes to the student-athlete who exhibits the characteristics displayed by Ronnie Lott during his legendary college and professional careers. IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.
Barnett, a product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, is tied for first among active Big 12 players with 29 career starts, which included a 27-game starting streak that came to an end due to an injury in the 2015 season opener. He earned a medical hardship and will be a senior again in 2016 as he was named a team captain for a third-straight year, one of just six three-time team captains in school history. He enters his final campaign as the team’s top returning tackler with 181 career stops, while he also paces the squad with seven career interceptions, which is three shy of entering K-State’s career top-10 list.
Off the field, Barnett is a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while he has volunteered for many community-service activities, including Cats in the Classroom, Senior Cats and Adopt-a-Family. Currently, Barnett and 15 other K-State student-athletes are in Costa Rica as part of the Courts for Kids initiative as they are partnering with members of the Linea, Vieja, community to build a multi-purpose sports court from the ground up. The court will be utilized by area youth and physical education teachers, in addition to being a landing place for community events.
The Wildcats open their 2016 football season on Friday, September 2, in a nationally-televised game at Stanford. Following an off week in which Bill Snyder Family Stadium will host the Wildcat Kickoff music festival featuring Zac Brown Band and Train, K-State begins its home slate on September 17, against Florida Atlantic.
— KSU Athletics —