Goal No. 7: GREAT EFFORT.

#7 Isaiah Zuber

Redshirt Junior | 6-0 | 183 lbs. | Stone Mountain, Georgia

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Wide Receiver
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Starter
• Status: On Scholarship

Willie Isaiah “Speedy” Zuber (b. April 15, 1997) is an athletic wide receiver who has been a key member of the rotation during his first two years and should keep hold of his starting spot as he looks to increase his production in 2018.

After redshirting and developing throughout the 2015 season, Zuber played in every game in 2016, logging 24 receptions for 192 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He ranked fifth in school history in catches among freshmen.

Zuber started his career with three catches for 34 yards and a touchdown at Stanford, becoming the first K-State freshman to catch a touchdown pass in a season opener since 1997.

He also logged a season-high four catches in consecutive games against Oklahoma State and Baylor.

Zuber carded a season-best 35 receiving yards — including a 12-yard touchdown — against Texas Tech. He earned Big 12 All-Freshman team honors from Athlon.

In 2017, Zuber played in every game, with 11 starts, and came up with a team-leading 51 receptions for 510 yards and four touchdowns. His 51 catches ranked third in school history among sophomores, while his three touchdowns tied for third.

Zuber carded at least three catches in 10 of his 13 games.

He hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass as time expired to give K-State a one-point win in the regular-season finale against Iowa State. That touchdown catch represented K-State’s first game-winning touchdown on the final play of regulation since 1995 at Cincinnati.

Zuber also had a career-high-tying seven catches against the Cyclones, a mark he also hit against Charlotte and Oklahoma. He recorded a career-high 79 yards against Baylor and rushed for 37 yards on an end-around against UCLA in the Cactus Bowl.

Zuber selected the Wildcats over interest from Georgia, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. His cousin, T.J. Stripling, was a linebacker at Georgia in 2011 through 2013.

One of my favorite stories about Zuber is that somehow, he grew up a huge K-State fan in the middle of Georgia (which probably made Andre Coleman’s job really easy), he told GoPowercat.com:

“I’ve been watching Kansas State on TV for a while,” the jubilant senior-to-be said.

“Probably since I was eight or nine years old, it’s been a place I’ve wanted to go because of the way they play and their stadium and the fans.”

“When it gets close to game time and they play that fight song with all the fans going crazy and it’s loud ... man, they’ve been a dream school of mine since I was young.” ...

“I was at home playing a video game with K-State,” said Zuber before letting out a laugh.

“My coach from high school called me and told me they officially offered, and I told him that I was going to commit.”

Zuber played under head coach Ron Gartrell at Stephenson High School, where he helped to lead the Jaguars to an 8-4 record and an appearance in the state playoffs.

He earned all-region and all-county accolades for his work on special teams, while he was named to the sub-region team as a wide receiver.

Zuber totaled 879 receiving yards and nine touchdowns during his prep career, in addition to 470 yards and six touchdowns as a punt returner and 1,110 yards and nine touchdowns as a kickoff returner.