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#71 Dalton Risner |
Position: Offensive Line Previous College: None Projection: Starter Status: On Scholarship |
Dalton William Risner (b. July 13, 1995) is a hard-nosed player who started every game at center as a freshman.
In 2016, Risner will look to retain his starting spot at center while providing leadership along the offensive front.
By being named a team captain for the upcoming season, Risner has become the second sophomore center to serve as a team captain in the last five years (along with B.J. Finney).
A 13-game starter at center who earned first-team Freshman All-American honors from Campus Insiders, plus second-team honors from Athlon and Scout, Risner helped K-State to rank second nationally in red-zone offense (94.5 percent) and 18th in passing yards per completion (14.12).
He also helped the Wildcats to rush for 29 touchdowns, which was just one shy of entering the school’s top-10 list.
Risner blocked for six rushing touchdowns against TCU, tied for the fourth-most in school history. He also picked up second-team Academic All-Big 12 accolades. He did not participate in the 2016 spring game with a minor injury.
Along with the famed Blue Springs High School trio of Elijah Lee, Kaleb Prewett and Dalvin Warmack, Risner was one of Kansas State's best recruiters in the 2014 recruiting cycle.
He committed in March 2013, shortly after Warmack became our first recruit in the class. And from that point on, Risner was tireless in tweeting other targets and urging them to pick K-State through social media.
Risner played for the Wiggins High School Tigers under his father and head coach, Mitch Risner. Coaches' sons usually tend to develop into heady players who can gain command of Bill Snyder's offensive alignments.
He was named one of The Denver Post's top 25 players in the state during the 2013 season and was an all-state selection by the organization in 2012. Risner also was named an all-state player by Root Sports in 2012 and 2013.
Risner was rated the nation's sixth-best center and fifth-best player in the state by Rivals.com, while he was ESPN's seventh-best center in the nation. He also placed fifth in the state in shot put in 2012 and participated in basketball.
He was selected to play in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl in Orlando, and the U-19 International Bowl between Team USA and Canada Football in Arlington, Texas.