MANHATTAN, Kan. – Six Kansas State football players were honored for their work in the classroom on Tuesday as the group was named Academic All-District performers by College Sports Communicators (CSC).
Senior linebacker Nick Allen, junior offensive lineman Cooper Beebe, junior linebacker Austin Moore, junior defensive end Brendan Mott, redshirt freshman linebacker Desmond Purnell and sophomore tight end Ben Sinnott each picked up the accolade for the first time in their careers. Each player has a cumulative GPA over 3.5.
Allen, a graduate from K-State with a degree in finance who is currently working on his MBA, has 32 tackles and an interception this year. He totaled 10 tackles at TCU and had eight the next week against Oklahoma State.
An education-social studies major, Beebe has started all 11 games at left guard, helping the Wildcats currently rank third in school history in rushing yards per carry (5.16), fifth in offensive yards per game (419.5) and seventh in offensive yards per play (6.19). Additionally, he has not surrendered a sack among his 334 pass blocking snaps this season.
Moore, a kinesiology major, leads the Wildcats with 74 tackles this season and ranks second on the team with 8.0 sacks. He has at least five tackles in every game this season, including a career-high nine stops at Oklahoma and at TCU.
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following the West Virginia game, Mott is majoring in finance. He carded 3.0 sacks against the Mountaineers – tied for the fourth most in school history – to give him 6.0 sacks on the season. He also tallied a career-high eight tackles and now has 29 this year to go along with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
An athletic training and rehab sciences major, Purnell has seen significant action on both defense and special teams during his first season on the field. He has 17 tackles, a tackle for loss and a pair of pass breakups this season, while he returned a blocked punt 17 yards for a touchdown in the season opener against South Dakota.
Sinnott, who is majoring in marketing, has been a weapon of late from his tight end spot, totaling 13 catches for 218 yards and three touchdowns in the last three games alone. He has 356 receiving yards this season to tie for 10th in school history among tight ends. He came away with two touchdown catches at Baylor, the most by a K-State tight end since 1996.
The 2022 Academic All‐District Football Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student‐athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All‐America program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Academic All‐District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All‐America ballot. First‐ and second‐team Academic All‐America honorees will be announced in late December.
No. 15 Kansas State hosts Kansas in the Dillons Sunflower Showdown on Saturday inside Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game, which is a sellout, kicks at 7 p.m., and will be shown on FOX.
