MANHATTAN, Kan. – Led by senior defensive end Brendan Mott as the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and an All-Big 12 First Team honoree, Kansas State football collected 17 total postseason conference honors as league announced the 2024 Coaches’ All-Big 12 selections on Thursday.
K-State’s 17 total selections ranked fifth in the conference behind Colorado (21), Arizona State (19), BYU (18) and Iowa State (18). It was the fourth-straight season the Wildcats combined for at least 15 All-Big 12 honors.
Mott, who was an honorable mention pick a year ago, collected the Wildcats’ conference-leading sixth Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year accolade since the award was introduced following the 2006 season, two more than the next closest school (Texas – 4). He joins former Wildcat winners Meshak Williams (2012), Ryan Mueller (2014), Jordan Willis (2016) and Felix Anudike-Uzomah (2021 and 2022).
A product of Iowa City, Iowa, Mott led the Big 12 during the regular season with 8.5 sacks, a mark that also ranked 21st nationally. His season high of 2.5 sacks at Colorado was the most by any Big 12 player in a game this season and most by a Wildcat since Anudike-Uzomah had 3.0 sacks at Texas Tech in 2022. Mott also led the Wildcats and tied for fourth in the Big 12 with 11.5 tackles for loss. He helped K-State defensive ends earn All-Big 12 First Team honors for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
K-State’s All-Big 12 Second Team honors included running back DJ Giddens, tight end Garrett Oakley, linebacker Austin Romaine and offensive linemen Easton Kilty and Sam Hecht. Giddens earned his second All-Big 12 honor in as many seasons as he was an honorable mention pick a year ago, while Romaine is on the All-Big 12 team for the first time after earning votes for the Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year award last year. Oakley, Kilty and Hecht were each honored for the first time.
Giddens, a native of Junction City, Kansas, finished the regular season ranking 11th nationally and fourth in the Big 12 with 1,343 rushing yards on 205 carries, scoring seven touchdowns while also adding 258 receiving yards and another score on 21 catches. A semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award, Giddens ranks second nationally with 10 rushes of at least 30 yards and fourth with 17 rushes of at least 20 yards. He enters postseason play ranked 10th in the nation and fourth in the Big 12 with 133.4 scrimmage yards per game.
A native of Columbus, Nebraska, Oakley is tied for fourth in the Big 12 among tight ends with four receiving touchdowns this season, a mark that is tied for third in school history. He led a Wildcat tight end unit that finished the regular season with 12 touchdown receptions, tied for the most in the country. Oakley ranks fourth on the team with 20 receptions for 220 yards, which included a career-high 78 yards with a touchdown in the regular-season finale.
Romaine led K-State and ranked eighth in the Big 12 with 89 total tackles, the most by a Wildcat in the regular season since Jayd Kirby in 2017 (93). He also finished second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss in addition to 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups and three forced fumbles. He is tied for second in the Big 12 with his three forced fumbles, two of which resulted in the game-winning score as one was returned 60 yards for a touchdown at Tulane in a seven-point victory, and another led to K-State’s 51-yard field goal for a two-point win over Kansas.
Kilty, a native of Stratford, Wisconsin, and Hecht, a product of Shawnee, Kansas, were both 12-game starters at left tackle and center, respectively. They have helped the Wildcats average 5.86 rushing yards per carry and 6.49 offensive yards per play – both the current top marks in school history – in addition to 417.3 total offensive yards per game – currently tied for ninth in K-State history. Led by the duo of Kilty and Hecht, K-State’s offensive line enters postseason play ranked seventh nationally and second in the Big 12 with 0.92 sacks allowed per game, while the Wildcats are 13th in the country and second in the league with 3.92 tackles for loss allowed per game.
Kansas State’s All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selections this year include returner Dylan Edwards – who also picked up votes for the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year for his play at running back – offensive lineman Hadley Panzer, defensive backs Jacob Parrish and VJ Payne and tight end Will Swanson.
Additionally, Mott picked up votes for the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award, Kilty for Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year, wide receiver Tre Spivey for Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and defensive end Chiddi Obiazor for Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Kansas State, which finished the regular season with an 8-4 record, will learn of its bowl destination and opponent this Sunday.
Coaches’ All-Big 12 Teams (Kansas State)
Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year: Brendan Mott.
First Team: Brendan Mott (DL).
Second Team: DJ Giddens (RB), Sam Hecht (OL), Easton Kilty (OL), Garrett Oakley (TE), Austin Romaine (LB).
Honorable Mention: Dylan Edwards (KR/PR, Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year), Easton Kilty (Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year), Brendan Mott (Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year), Chiddi Obiazor (Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year), Hadley Panzer (OL), Jacob Parrish (DB), VJ Payne (DB), Tre Spivey (Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year), Will Swanson (FB).
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