KSU Wildcat Trent Tanking receives special teams MVP award
Jesse Ertz, Jordan Willis and Dante Barnett were named Kansas State’s 2016 offensive and defensive MVPs, while Colborn Couchman, Trent Tanking, Dominique Heath and Byron Pringle took home special teams MVP honors as the Wildcat football program held its annual awards ceremony Sunday at McCain Auditorium on the K-State campus.
Ertz enters the bowl season with the fifth-most rushing yards among FBS quarterbacks this season which included three 100-plus games in 2016. He has combined for 18 touchdowns and needs just 107 total yards in the bowl game to move into the school’s single-season Top 10 for total offense.
Willis swept Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors from both the coaches and Associated Press as the product of Kansas City, Missouri, leads the league and ranks ninth nationally with a school-record tying 11.5 sacks in addition to 16.5 tackles for loss to rank second in the conference and 20th in the country this season.
A four-year starter, Barnett garnered All-Big 12 recognition this season after recording 61 tackles, 3.5 for losses, one interception and three passes defended. The “quarterback” of the defense also currently is the most experience player in the Big 12 Conference with 40 career starts.
K-State again ranked as one of the top overall special teams units in college football as Pringle and Heath both recorded return scores this season, while Couchman and Tanking combined for 75-percent of all special teams tackles and were key ingredients to the unit’s success.
Also on the evening, Willis and All-Big 12 linebacker Elijah Lee garnered Defensive Front Seven Player of the Year honors, while All-Big 12 right tackle Dalton Risner earned Offensive Lineman of the Year honors.
On the academic side, Academic All-Big 12 selections Zach Reuter and Matt Seiwert received the program’s Scholar-Athlete award, while the Big 12-leading and school-record 29 Academic All-Big 12 selections were also honored. A total of 19 Wildcats will play in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl having already earned degrees from Kansas State.
Riding a 5-1 record over the final half of the 2016 season, including three straight wins to secure its fifth eight-win season since 2011, K-State will play Texas A&M in the 2016 AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl on Wednesday, December 28. The game, which dates back to 2006 when K-State played in the inaugural bowl matchup, pits the Big 12 and the SEC and will be played at NRG Stadium at 8 p.m. CT, with a nationwide television audience watching on ESPN.
2016 K-State Football Awards
Overachiever Award – Brock Monty
Red Raider Award – Skylar Thompson and Tyler Burns
Scholar-Athlete Award – Zach Reuter and Matt Seiwert
Purple Pride Award – Brogan Barry and Colby Moore
Ken Ochs Courage Award – Charmeachealle Moore
Kevin Saunders Never Give Up Award – Joe Hubener
Bob Cope Memorial Award – Logan O’Dea
Nancy Bennett Memorial Award – Tanner Wood and Tyler Mitchell
Anthony A. Bates Memorial Award – Sam Sizelove and Alex Delton
Joan Friederich Award – Deante Burton and Will Davis
Jim “Shorty” Kleinau Award – Winston Dimel
Most Improved Defensive Player – D.J. Reed, Trey Dishon and Reggie Walker
Most Improved Offensive Player – Reid Najvar, Alex Barnes and Abdul Beecham
Outstanding Defensive Front Seven Award – Jordan Willis and Elijah Lee
Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award – Dalton Risner
Special Teams Most Valuable Player – Colborn Couchman, Trent Tanking, Dominique Heath and Byron Pringle
Defensive Most Valuable Player – Jordan Willis and Dante Barnett
Offensive Most Valuable Player – Jesse Ertz
