MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State juniors Cooper Beebe and Deuce Vaughn added to their All-America designations, as they were each named First Team All-Americans by Sporting News, the publication announced Thursday.
The Big 12 Champion Wildcats tied for second in number of First Team All-Americans by Sporting News as Georgia placed four on the team and Michigan tied K-State with two. Vaughn and Alabama edge Will Anderson are the only two players on the first team for a second-consecutive season.
It is the third first-team accolade for Vaughn, who was also named to the first team an as all-purpose player by both the Associated Press and The Athletic. Beebe has been named a First Team All-American for a second time as he also earned the designation from The Athletic.
A native of Round Rock, Texas, Vaughn is the first Wildcat to earn First Team All-America honors from Sporting News in consecutive seasons since punt returner David Allen in 1998 and 1999. Vaughn has tallied 1,425 rushing yards this year to enter bowl season ranked 11th nationally, while his 169.9 scrimmage yards rank 10th.
Beebe, a product of Kansas City, Kansas, was named the 2022 Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year by the league’s coaches in addition to picking up All-Big 12 First Team honors for a second-straight season. According to Pro Football Focus, Beebe has not allowed a sack among his 395 passing blocking snaps this season, and the organization has not credited him with a sack allowed in each of the last 28 games dating back to 2020.
Kansas State picked up its third Big 12 title via a 31-28 overtime victory over No. 3 TCU in the 2022 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship. The ninth-ranked Wildcats will conclude their season by facing No. 5 Alabama in the 89th annual Allstate Sugar Bowl on Saturday, December 31 inside Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The game, which kicks off at 11 a.m., will be shown on ESPN.
