Goal No. 5: BE TOUGH. Mentally and physically.

#5 Alex Delton

Redshirt Junior | 6-0 | 205 lbs. | Hays, Kansas

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Quarterback
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Co-Starter
• Status: On Scholarship

Alex Christian Delton (b. Oct. 23, 1996) is a highly regarded quarterback who has shown flashes during his three years in Manhattan. He will compete with Skylar Thompson for the starting quarterback spot as a junior and also was voted a team captain for the 2018 season.

Delton graduated high school in December 2014 and enrolled at K-State a semester early, then played as a true freshman in 2015, but saw his season end early due to an unfortunate knee injury.

He played in each of the first two games, rushing four times for 18 yards, including three times for 10 yards in the season opener against South Dakota.

Fortunately, Delton earned a medical hardship and was classified as a redshirt freshman in 2016, so at least the untimely injury did not lessen his eligibility.

He saw action in four games in 2016, rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries while throwing for 11 yards on 3-of-6 aim.

Delton saw his most extensive action against Kansas, setting career highs in rushing yards (53) and attempts (12), while he logged 37 yards on the ground and had his first career touchdown against Florida Atlantic.

(All of his passing yards came in the Missouri State game, in which he was 3 for 5.)

Delton was merely adequate throwing the ball during his first two spring games, but his running skills already were fairly breathtaking.

He broke through as a passer while starting for the Purple team in the 2017 spring game, completing 21 of 33 passes for 249 yards and two touchdowns, paired with 15 carries for 78 yards and a touchdown.

Delton played in seven games in 2017, including starts against TCU, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Tech. He became the seventh Kansas native to start at quarterback under Bill Snyder and the first since Dylan Meier in 2004.

Delton finished the year throwing for 637 yards and three touchdowns on 49-of-85 aim, while he rushed for 500 yards on 100 carries with eight scores.

He saved his best performance for last when he came off the bench in the Cactus Bowl to rush for a K-State bowl-record 158 yards and three scores en route to Offensive MVP accolades. His 158 yards were also the sixth most by a K-State quarterback in any game.

Delton also tied a Wildcat bowl record with his three rushing touchdowns after he took his first rushing attempt 68 yards for a touchdown, the longest rush ever by a Wildcat in a bowl game.

He teamed with Alex Barnes (117 yards) for a double 100-yard game, the first by a Wildcat duo in a bowl game ever. The combined 275 rushing yards between Delton and Barnes were the most ever by a pair of underclassmen in any Kansas State football game.

Delton also threw for 52 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-10 accuracy against the Bruins.

He also tallied a 100-yard rushing game against No. 9 Oklahoma with 142 yards and another three touchdowns. His two 100-yard rushing games tied for the most by a Big 12 quarterback during the 2017 season.

Delton totaled 79 rushing yards and two touchdowns coming off the bench at Texas, and recorded a career-high 167 passing yards in the first half at Texas Tech before leaving the game due to injury. He later picked up first-team Academic All-Big 12 accolades.

Delton was a four-year letter-winner at Hays High School, including during his final season under head coach Bo Black.

He was rated the 23rd best dual-threat quarterback nationally by Rivals and 33rd by ESPN, while he also was rated the fifth-best player in the state of Kansas by Rivals and the top quarterback in the state by ESPN.

Delton was an honorable-mention all-state selection by The Topeka Capital-Journal and The Wichita Eagle in 2014 after rushing for 1,519 yards and 17 touchdowns, in addition to throwing for 1,402 yards and 13 scores.

He was named the 2014 Area Player of the Year by The Hays Daily News, while he also was the Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Delton earned first-team all-conference honors as a sophomore, junior and senior, and he finished his career with more than 6,700 total offensive yards and 75 touchdowns. He also lettered three years in track.