#38 Winston Dimel

Redshirt Junior | 6-1 | 235 lbs. | Manhattan, Kansas

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Fullback
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Starter
• Status: On Scholarship

Winston M. Dimel (b. Oct. 9, 1995) is a second-generation Wildcat who is a two-time All-Big 12 performer at fullback and has started all 26 career games. His father, Dana, was an offensive lineman for K-State from 1984 to 1986, and is the current offensive coordinator and running backs/tight ends coach.

Winston Dimel, who will look to increase his production during his junior campaign, has 18 career rushing touchdowns, five shy of entering the school’s top-10 list. He also has averaged 23.4 yards on his 14 career receptions, the third-highest mark in school history among players with 14 or more career catches.

Dimel is a local product who absolutely shined in his debut season on the field as a blocker, receiver and rusher. A three-year letter-winner for Manhattan High School under head coach Joe Schartz, Dimel helped the Indians to earn an 8-3 record and a trip to the sectional round of the Kansas Class 6A playoffs in 2013.

Dimel was a two-time honorable mention all-state pick by The Topeka Capital-Journal and The Wichita Eagle after catching 13 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns.

He was named to the 2013 all-state team by HovpenSports.com, as well as to the All-Centennial League team as both a junior and senior. Dimel was rated the 14th-best fullback nationally by Scout, 22nd-best tight end/H-Back by ESPN and 10th-best player in the state by Rivals. He also lettered in basketball at Manhattan High.

But none of those accolades, nor Dimel’s two-touchdown performance in the 2015 spring game, could have prepared fans for his stellar breakout redshirt freshman year.

A 13-game starter at fullback who went on to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches, Dimel became the first Wildcat freshman ever to earn first-team All-Big 12 honors (since the league’s formation in 1996).

Dimel recorded six rushing touchdowns to rank third in school history among freshmen, while he also finished his initial campaign ranked fifth in school history in receiving yards (261) and scoring (48) among freshmen. He had a pair of two-touchdown games — in the season opener against South Dakota and at Kansas.

His 261 receiving yards came on only eight receptions, good for a 32.6-yard average, which was the highest average among all players in school history with eight or more receptions. Six of his catches went for 27 or more yards.

Dimel also had a 4-yard touchdown reception against Iowa State, which was thrown by fellow fullback and future Buffalo Bills signee Glenn Gronkowski, in addition to a 48-yard score in the 2016 AutoZone Liberty Bowl against Arkansas.

In addition to being the only freshman named to the All-Big 12 first team by the league’s coaches, Dimel also earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors and was a 2016 preseason All-Big 12 honoree. He was second-team Academic All-Big 12 in 2016.

Last season, Dimel again started all 13 games, totaling 12 rushing touchdowns en route to first-team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches. His 12 rushing scores tied for third in the Big 12 and were the third most in school history among sophomores.

He also ranked fourth in K-State history among sophomores with 72 points scored.

Dimel recorded four rushing touchdowns against Florida Atlantic, tying for third in school history for a single game, and tallied two-touchdown games against Missouri State, Baylor and Kansas.

He caught six passes for 66 yards, including a season-long 26-yard catch against Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl.

Dimel was an integral part of K-State’s rushing attack, which set the school record for rushing yards per carry (5.27), ranked third in school history in total rushing yards (3,013) and rushing yards per game (231.8), and was seventh in rushing touchdowns (39). He also helped the offense to rank sixth nationally in rushing touchdowns.