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.

#56 Wyatt Hubert

Redshirt Junior | 6-3 | 258 lbs. | Topeka, Kansas

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Defensive End
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Starter
• Status: On Scholarship

Wyatt Anthony Hubert (b. June 13, 1998) is an athletic and tough defensive end who enters his junior season ranked 12th nationally among active players in career sacks per game (0.5) and tied for 13th in career tackles for loss per game (0.91).

Hubert has recorded 11.5 sacks over his freshmen and sophomore seasons, tied for the second most by a Wildcat prior to his junior year (Darren Howard had 13.5 in 1996 and 1997, while fellow long-haired rush end Ian Campbell also tallied 11.5 in 2005 and 2006).

Hubert redshirted in 2017 and had a stellar debut season as a redshirt freshman in 2018, when he saw action in all 12 games with seven starts, en route to Freshman All-America honors from USA TODAY Sports.

He carded 34 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks on the year, to go along with a pass breakup and an interception against Mississippi State.

Hubert led all Big 12 freshmen in tackles for loss per game (0.71), while he was second among freshmen in sacks per game (0.38), the latter statistic ranking third in the nation.

He set a season high with five tackles against Texas Tech, a game that featured a season-best two sacks and a season-high-tying two tackles for loss. His other game with two tackles for loss was at TCU, while he also had a sack against Kansas and 1.5 sacks at Baylor.

Hubert recorded four tackles against Mississippi State, Baylor, TCU and Kansas. His interception and subsequent 11-yard return against Mississippi State led to a touchdown.

Hubert’s sophomore season surpassed even his stellar freshman debut, setting the stage for a highly anticipated junior year.

He started 12 games in 2019, leading the team with 12.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks en route to first-team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches and the Associated Press.

Hubert also earned votes from the league’s coaches for the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year awards after he tied for second in the Big 12 Conference in sacks, while he was 10th in tackles for loss.

He tied his career high of two sacks against both Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, also causing a fumble in the game in Stillwater, and dug even deeper with a season-high four tackles to go along with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in K-State’s win over No. 5 Oklahoma.

Hubert also had two tackles for loss against Iowa State, recorded at least a TFL in nine of his 12 games played, and was a candidate for the Ted Hendricks and Bronko Nagurski awards.

A highly touted in-state defender who graduated high school early to grayshirt, he played at Shawnee Heights High School under head coach Jason Swift.

Hubert was rated the nation’s 29th-best strongside defensive end in the Class of 2017 by Rivals, while he was ranked as the second-best player in the state of Kansas by ESPN.

He earned a spot on the USA Today Sports/American Family Insurance All-USA Kansas team, in addition to All-Midlands Region honors from PrepStar.

Hubert also picked up all-state honors as a senior from The Topeka Capital-Journal, The Wichita Eagle and the Kansas Football Coaches Association, while he was an honorable mention selection as a junior.

He totaled 124 career tackles, 43 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks. He finished his senior season with 63 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks en route to Centennial League Defensive Player of the Year, all-league, and all-city honors.

Hubert also played tight end, totaling 39 career receptions for 500 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was selected to play in the 2017 Kansas Shrine Bowl, and also participated in wrestling and track and field.

Here’s what Bill Snyder had to say about Hubert’s intangibles prior to the 2018 spring game:

“Wyatt makes headway constantly. He’s one of those young guys that is really into it and really cares about it. It makes a difference to him. He tries to do what coaches ask of him, and he is a guy that gives it his very best effort every snap. Guys like that are always going to make some headway, and he continues to do so. Good young guy.”

So far in two seasons under both Snyder and Chris Klieman, this has proved absolutely true.