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 —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – For the third time in the last week, Kansas State senior safety Dante Barnett has earned preseason honors by being named to the watch list for the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s most outstanding defensive back, the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame announced Monday.

A product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Barnett was named to the watch lists for the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Trophy last week, both of which honor the nation’s top defensive player. He is one of 42 players on this year’s Thorpe Award watch list and one of four from the Big 12 Conference, joining Karl Joesph (West Virginia), Kevin Peterson (Oklahoma State) and Zack Sanchez (Oklahoma).

Barnett joins other K-State greats that have been candidates for the award, including 2002 winner Terence Newman. Cornerback Nigel Malone was a semifinalist for the award in 2011 and 2012, while safety Ty Zimmerman was also a semifinalist in 2013.

After recording 77 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and 11 total passes defended as a junior in 2014, Barnett earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches in addition to picking up all-conference accolades from ESPN and Phil Steele.

Barnett totaled a season-high 12 tackles and career-best three TFLs against UTEP last season, while he had four passes defended against Texas en route to Big 12 Defensive Players of the Week.

The winner of the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award will be announced as part of The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 10, on ESPN.

— KSU Sports Information —

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder was one of 23 coaches nationally and four from the Big 12 Conference to be named to the preseason watch list for the 2015 Dodd Trophy, officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl announced Friday.

The architect of the “greatest turnaround in the history of college football,” Snyder enters his 24th season at K-State and in December will be just the fourth person in the history of college football to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as an active coach.

A five-time national coach of the year honoree and seven-time conference coach of the year recipient, Snyder is the only two-time Dodd Trophy winner (1998, 2012) on the watch list and joins fellow Big 12 coaches Art Briles, Gary Patterson and Bob Stoops as candidates.

Snyder has compiled an amazing 187-94-1 record in his 23 years as the helm of the Wildcat program. He ranks 32nd all-time in victories among FBS coaches and continues to climb the ladder with each win.

The head coaches on the watch list represent programs with the highest ideals of leadership, scholarship and integrity on and off the field – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s philosophy. Each of the coaches sits at the helm of programs with winning records, superior Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores and graduation rates, and a strong commitment to service within their communities.

Additional watch lists – adding to or narrowing the field – will be released throughout the fall, and the winner of the 2015 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl week. Starting in September, the Dodd Coach of the Week Award will also be presented weekly to the coach whose program embodies the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, while also having success on the playing field during the previous week.

— KSU Sports Information —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State seniors Dante Barnett, Danzel McDaniel and Cody Whitehair were named to watch lists for awards announced by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) on Friday. Barnett and McDaniel are on the watch list for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy – presented to the nation’s most outstanding defensive player – while Whitehair is on the watch list for the Outland Trophy as nation’s most outstanding interior lineman.

The inclusion of Barnett and McDaniel on the Nagurski Trophy watch list marks eight Wildcat candidates in the last five years to be up for the award. Both Barnett, who was named a candidate for the Bednarik Award on Tuesday, and McDaniel are first-time candidates.

Whitehair is a two-time candidate for the Outland Trophy as he was named to the preseason watch list in 2014, while the Wildcats have had candidates for the award five times in the last three seasons.

A product of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Barnett is one of 88 players on the 2015 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list after a season in which he recorded 77 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and 11 total passes defended. He earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches in addition to picking up all-conference accolades from ESPN and Phil Steele.

McDaniel was a community-college transfer prior to the 2014 season and did not disappoint in his first season as he totaled 59 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and four passes defended. He came away with an interception-return touchdown in K-State’s win at No. 11 Oklahoma, while his lone sack of the year came at Iowa State on the Cyclones’ final drive to help preserve a four-point victory. For his efforts, he earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches.

Whitehair, a native of Abilene, Kansas, was one of 82 players on the 2015 Outland Trophy watch list. He has started 38 of his 39 career games, including all 13 games at left tackle in 2014 as he picked up All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches, Associated Press and Phil Steele.

Five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and six or seven semifinalists for the Outland Trophy will be announced on November 19, while three finalists for the Outland Trophy will be chosen five days later. The winner of each award will be announced on ESPN as part of The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on December 10.

K-State opens its 120th season of football on Saturday, September 5, as the Wildcats hosts South Dakota at 6:10 p.m.

— KSU Sports Information —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State sophomore place kicker Matthew McCrane was one of 30 players nationally named to the watch list for the 2015 Lou Groza Award as nation’s top place kicker, the Palm Beach County Sports Commission announced Thursday.

A native of Brownwood, Texas, McCrane is the ninth Wildcat to be a candidate for the award, including the third in the last four years, joining Anthony Cantele (2012 semifinalist) and Jack Cantele (2014 candidate). McCrane was also one of four Big 12 kickers on this year’s initial list, which included Ben Grogan (Oklahoma State), Josh Lambert (West Virginia) and Jaden Oberkrom (TCU).

Taking over primary place kicking duties in the fourth game of the 2014 season, McCrane went on to lead the nation by making 94.7-percent of his field-goal attempts (18-of-19) in addition to 41-of-42 extra-point attempts. He totaled 94 points on the year, shattering the K-State freshman record previously held by Martin Gramatica (56 in 1994), who went on to win the Lou Groza Award in 1997.

McCrane became the first freshman in school history to connect on a pair of 50-yard field goals, including a K-State freshman record 53-yarder against Oklahoma State. For his efforts in 2014, McCrane earned Honorable Mention All-America, Freshman All-America and All-Big 12 honors.

The Wildcats open their 120th season of football on Saturday, September 5, as K-State hosts South Dakota at 6:10 p.m.

— KSU Sports Information —

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior safety Dante Barnett was one of 80 players nationally to be named to the watch list for the 2015 Bednarik Award as the College Defensive Player of the Year, the Maxwell Football Club announced Tuesday.

Coming off a season in which he tallied 77 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and 11 total passes defended, Barnett earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches in addition to earning all-conference accolades from ESPN and Phil Steele.

A 2015 team captain and the top active Wildcat with 176 career tackles, Barnett earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors following last year’s Texas game when he totaled seven stops and four passes defended. He also had a season-high 12 tackles, including a career-best three tackles for loss against UTEP, while he had three interceptions in a four-game stretch against Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Kansas.

Barnett’s inclusion on the list marks the sixth time a Wildcat has been named a candidate for the Bednarik Award, including the fifth in the last four seasons. Cornerback Chris Canty was one of three finalists in 1996, while linebacker Arthur Brown was a semifinalist in 2012. Other previous Wildcat candidates include cornerback Nigel Malone (2012), defensive back Ty Zimmerman (2013) and defensive end Ryan Mueller (2014).

Semifinalists for the Bednarik Award will be announced on November 2, while the three finalists for the award will be unveiled November 23. The winner will be announced as part of The Home Depot College Football Awards Show held December 10, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.

— KSU Sports Information —