Record set for Academic All-Big 12 honorees
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy hinted at the improved academic standing of his players earlier this week, and some of the proof revealed itself on Thursday.
OSU set a program record and led the Big 12 Conference with 20 first-team Academic All-Big 12 selections on the list announced Thursday.
Two OSU players, Britton Abbott and Chad Whitener, were recognized for having 4.0 grade-point averages.
The three highest totals for first-team Academic All-Big 12 selections in Oklahoma State football history have come in the last three seasons, with 13 players honored in 2015, 12 in 2016 and now 20.
Chris Lacy, Brad Lundblade and Kirk Tucker all earned the third first-team Academic All-Big 12 honor of their respective careers, with Whitener, Abbott and Matt Ammendola being recognized for the second time.
To earn a spot on the first-team Academic All-Big 12 squad, an athlete must maintain a 3.20 or higher GPA, either cumulative or over the two previous semesters, and must have participated in 20 percent of their team’s scheduled contests. Second-team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.10 GPA.
Additionally, Lundblade, Abbott and Justice Hill were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team on Thursday, which makes them eligible for the Academic All-America team.
With a 3.89 grade-point average in marketing and management, Lundblade is one of 10 finalists for the National Football Foundation Campbell Trophy, which is also regarded as the top academic award for college football players.
OSU's other first-team Academic All-Big 12 selections included: Tyrell Alexander, Logan Carter, Chance Cook, Tyler Ferguson, Triston Grant, Tyron Johnson, Cole McKnight, Cameron Murray, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Austin Parker, Walker Reed, Dillon Stoner and Landon Wolf.
Second-team honorees were: Marcell Ateman, Taylor Cornelius, A.J. Green, Matt Hockett and Luke Hupp.
OSU not worried about who quarterbacks K-State
Signs seem to be pointing toward third-string redshirt freshman Skylar Thompson running the Kansas State offense at quarterback on Saturday. But Gundy has maintained all week that the triggerman isn’t the biggest concern when preparing to defend the Wildcats.
“For the most part, it’s the same plays,” Gundy said.
“I understand they’re injured, or were injured, but all we can do is go out there and play who is out there.
“We have to stop the run and we have to rally and defend the pass.
“They do a lot of pulling with fullbacks and tight ends to try to get a gap advantage. Defending the quarterback run is never easy, so you have to rally to it and make plays.”
In his first career start, Thompson was 13-of-26 passing for 159 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to West Virginia last week. He also rushed 18 times for 53 yards.
Snyder shut down plan for Leavitt to be coach-in-waiting
Jim Leavitt made a verbal agreement with Kansas State last year to become the Wildcats’ head coach-inwaiting but Bill Snyder shut down the plan, according to a report from former ESPN college football writer Brett McMurphy.
McMurphy cited anonymous sources in a Facebook post reporting that Snyder prevented the deal from going through, because he wanted his son, Sean Snyder, to replace him.
The plan was for Leavitt, then Colorado’s defensive coordinator, to work under Snyder in 2017 and become head coach in 2018. Part of the reported agreement guaranteed Leavitt $3 million if he wasn’t named Kansas State’s head coach by Jan. 1, 2018. Snyder began to back his son as his successor as Leavitt’s plan neared execution last December. Sean Snyder, Kansas State's associate head coach and special teams coordinator, has long been Bill Snyder’s top choice for his replacement.