Disclaimer: As the 2020 current football season still is technically set to proceed as planned in Manhattan on Sept. 5, we will continue the Countdown as normal for now.

#78 Marshall Kellner

Redshirt Sophomore | 6-3 | 290 lbs. | De Soto, Kansas

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Offensive Line
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Scout Team
• Status: Preferred Walk-On

Marshall Reed Kellner (b. Sept. 21, 1999) is an offensive lineman from De Soto High School who walked on at K-State instead of taking his talents to William Jewell or Central Missouri.

He redshirted in 2018 and did not see any game action in 2019.

A three-year letter-winner at De Soto under head coach Brian King, Kellner was named to the Kansas Football Coaches Association (KFBCA) and The Topeka Capital-Journal Top-11 teams as one of the best 11 players in the state of Kansas among all classes in 2017 after totaling 92 pancake blocks and not allowing a sack.

He also earned first-team all-state honors as a senior from The Topeka Capital-Journal and The Wichita Eagle, and was an honorable mention pick as a junior by the Capital-Journal.

A finalist for the Bobby Bell Award, given to the top small-school lineman or linebacker in the Kansas City metropolitan area, Kellner also was named a first-team All-Metro performer by The Kansas City Star.

He helped to lead the De Soto Wildcats to a 10-2 record and a state playoff appearance as a senior, while the team earned a league championship following a 7-3 record in 2016.

Kellner was excited about the possibility of competing for a roster spot at K-State, even though it meant passing up a scholarship at a lower level of competition.

“You won’t even know the difference between who’s on scholarship or who’s a walk-on player at K-State,” Kellner told the Star.

“The walk-on tradition there is so great. You have a great chance of earning a scholarship there and playing eventually. It looks really promising.”