Little Apple Times

Coming Back: K-State Boasts Nine “Super Seniors” in 2023'

Shortly after No. 9 Kansas State ended its season against No. 5 Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, excitement began regarding which K-State seniors might return as Super Seniors for the 2023 season.

 

Turns out there are many who have chosen to spend another year in Manhattan.  

 

K-State has nine players who will be returning to use an extra year of eligibility and are seniors again in 2023 as the NCAA froze eligibility clocks during the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Those returning to the Wildcats for a second senior season are punter/holder Jack Blumer, wide receiver/punt returner Phillip Brooks, right tackle Christian Duffie, center Hayden Gillum, linebacker Daniel Green, left tackle KT Leveston, wide receiver Erik Pizarro, long snapper Randen Plattner, and wide receiver/special teams standout Seth Porter.

 

K-State comes off a 10-4 season capped by an appearance in its first New Year's Six bowl. The defending Big 12 Conference Champions will return nearly their entire starting offense, including all starting offensive linemen, and will return many key pieces on defense and on special teams. Ample excitement surrounds the Wildcats, who should be among the favorites to capture the Big 12 title again.

 

Here's a look at each of the returning Super Seniors for 2023:

 

Jack Blumer • Punter/Holder

Ask Ty Zentner. Every kicker needs a good holder and K-State returns one of the best in the nation in Jack Blumer. The 6-foot-3, 203-pound native of Marysville, Kansas, has played in 37 career games, serving as the primary holder for all field goals and extra-point attempts over the last two seasons.

 

Zentner was the only Power 5 player to handle all three disciplines — field goals, kickoffs and punts — during the 2022 season. In Zentner's absence, expect K-State to divvy up the specialist duties. Blumer averaged 39.3 yards on 25 punts in 2020 and 2021. He'll likely get first crack at serving as full-time punter in 2023.

 

Phillip Brooks • Wide Receiver/Punt Returner

 

Electrifying Phillip Brooks will be back in 2023 and instantly bolsters a wide receiving unit that lost senior Malik Knowles and sixth-year wide receiver Kade Warner. How will K-State's offense look with Brooks catching passes from quarterback Will Howard for a full season? It could be downright scary.

 

Brooks, a 5-foot-7, 169-pound native of Lee's Summit, Missouri, ranked second on the team with 45 catches for 587 yards and four touchdowns in 2022. That includes a career-high 119-yard effort at Iowa State, the most receiving yards by a K-State player against a Big 12 foe since 2020. He has 129 catches for 1,538 yards and nine touchdowns in his career, ranking 10th all-time in receptions.

 

Then there's Brooks' talent as a punt returner. The second-team All-Big 12 selection as kickoff/punt returner by a vote of the Big 12 Conference coaches, Brooks ranks No. 3 after 2022 among all active players in the FBS in averaging 14.6 yards per punt return in his career — just 0.4 yards per return behind the top player in the country. He's taken at least one punt return to the house in three of the last four seasons, including a mesmerizing 76-yard return against Missouri last season, the longest by a K-State player since 2018.

 

Don't be shocked if Brooks garners preseason attention. Once underrated, he should be considered one of the more dangerous playmakers in the league.

 

Christian Duffie • Right Tackle

 

On pace to become a full-time starter in three consecutive seasons, 6-foot-5, 310-pound Christian Duffie heads into 2023 with 35 straight starts, the longest starting streak on the team.

 

Duffie, a native of Humble, Texas, surrendered just three sacks in 360 pass blocking snaps in the 2022 regular season. He is a physical lineman and powerful run blocker.

 

After redshirting the 2018 season, he saw action in three games in 2019, then played in nine games with eight starts in 2020. He started all 13 games at right tackle in 2021 and started in all 14 games last season for an offensive line that enters 2023 as one of the most veteran in the country.

 

Hayden Gillum • Center

 

One of K-State's more intriguing stories, Hayden Gillum returns after earning Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors at center in 2022. The 6-foot-3, 286-pound Gillum, a native of Plainville, Kansas, made a big impact while making the first 14 starts of his career last season following the departure of sixth-year senior Noah Johnson.

 

Gillum hiked the ball to both Adrian Martinez and Will Howard last season and now will have a full season with Howard under center. The one-time defensive end, Gillum is the glue to a veteran offensive line, and is a hard-nosed lineman who always plays with a chip on his shoulder.

 

Daniel Green • Linebacker

 

The chip on the shoulder is growing bigger for Daniel Green, the 6-foot-3, 242-pound linebacker and defensive leader who believes there's some unfinished business after earning Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors in 2022. The native of Portland, Oregon, plans to show why he's one of the best linebackers in the Big 12 in 2023.

 

Green, who battled injury for the majority of the season, finished fourth on the team with 58 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks to go along with two interceptions. He has 219 tackles, including 28.5 tackles for a loss and 9.5 sacks with two interceptions, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries in his career. He needs 31 tackles to become the 27th player in school history to reach the 250-tackle mark, while he is 17 unassisted tackles shy of entering the school's career top-10 list.

 

His efforts against No. 3 TCU in the Big 12 Championship Game might live in K-State lore, as he had a season-high 10 tackles and teamed up with Eli Huggins for an overtime fourth-down stop inside the 1-yard line, which led to Zentner's game-winning 31-yard field goal to win the league title.

 

Expect big things from Green in 2023. He is a man on a mission.

 

KT Leveston • Left Tackle

 

At 6-foot-5 and 320 pounds, KT Leveston is hard to miss. The hulking left tackle did a great job of keeping defenders off Adrian Martinez and Will Howard in 2022 and earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors for his efforts.

 

A 14-game starter at left tackle, Leveston started for the first time in 2022 after lining up at left tackle for five games in 2020. The native of Waco, Texas, began his career by redshirting his freshman season in 2018, then saw time in four games as a reserve offensive lineman in 2019.

 

Having a returning left tackle with experience is always big, but having Leveston back is huge for the veteran offensive line.

 

Erik Pizarro • Wide Receiver

 

We have yet to see Erik Pizarro catch a pass, but the 5-foot-10, 208-pound native of Rio Hondo, Texas, arrived at K-State prior to the 2022 season coming off a string of impressive seasons at Lamar University.

 

Pizarro, who on special teams in six games during the 2022 season, was a standout performer at Rio Hondo High School — he had 89 receptions for 1,660 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior, ranking sixth in the state of Texas and 19th nationally in receiving yards.

 

After redshirting his freshman season at Lamar, Pizarro had 25 catches for 211 yards and one touchdown in 2019, then had eight catches for 57 yards during the COVID-shortened season in 2020. In 2021, he had 26 catches for 360 yards and one touchdown while starting all 10 games.

 

Randen Plattner • Long Snapper

 

Look up "rock star" in the K-State football dictionary and there'll be a picture of Randen Plattner, famous for his long red hair, his penchant for posing with various instruments from opposing marching bands after games, and his hilarious commentary.

 

For all his carefree signature moves once the clock reads all zeros, the 6-foot-3, 233-pound Plattner is all business on the field. He emerged as a semifinalist for the 2022 Patrick Mannelly Long Snapper of the Year award and should be one of the preseason favorites for the honor in 2023. He served as long snapper on all punts, field goals and extra points in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

 

He was true on all 59 punting snaps and 81 field goal/extra-point snaps in 2022.

 

Plattner made headlines for his hilarious post on Twitter announcing his return for 2023.

 

"Ya know a lot of people go to college for seven years," Plattner wrote. "I'm not gonna be a doctor but I'm having a great time."

 

Seth Porter • Wide Receiver/Special Teams Standout

 

The one-time co-winner of the team's 2018 Red Raider Award as the top contributor on the scout squad, 5-foot-8, 170-pound Seth Porter has steadily made an impact on special teams throughout the years and should be considered one of the best special teams players in the Big 12.

 

A veteran special teams performer and reserve wide receiver who has seen time in 48 career games, the native of Friendswood, Texas, led the team with nine special teams tackles, including seven on kickoff coverage, during the 2022 season. He even returned a kickoff a career-long 26 yards against TCU in the Big 12 Championship game.

 

After playing in all 13 games in 2019 primarily on special teams, Porter burst upon the scene when he blocked a punt against Texas Tech in 2021.

 

Porter has two catches for 19 yards in his career due in part to playing behind Malik Knowles, Kade Warner and Phillip Brooks, but Porter has good hands and is an efficient route runner who could see more footballs headed his way in 2023.

Original source can be found here.