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16 PLUS 2 DAYS TO (TENTATIVE) 2020 KICKOFF: Ryan Henington

In which BracketCat counts down the 18th day until the 2020 kickoff with a profile of Kansas State defensive back Ryan Henington.

By BracketCat
#8 Ryan Henington
Until the rise of Nick Ast (profiled yesterday), Ryan Henington (8) had a decent chance at one of the backup quarterback positions behind Chris Klieman. Now, with the arrival of Will Howard and the development of Jaren Lewis, Henington has switched to a defensive back wearing No. 16.
Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

Disclaimer: As the 2020 football season still is “technically” scheduled to proceed as planned in Manhattan, with the recent delay of our season opener until Sept. 12 against Arkansas State, we will reset and continue this Countdown for just a little bit longer...

Goal No. 16: RESPONSIBILITY. You are responsible for your own performance.

#16 Ryan Henington

Redshirt Junior | 6-1 | 206 lbs. | Junction City, Kansas
Ryan Henington
Ryan Henington
Courtesy Kansas State Athletics
  • Position: Defensive Back
  • Previous College: None
  • Projection: Special Teams
  • Status: Preferred Walk-On

Ryan Coy Henington (b. Sept. 19, 1998) is a walk-on wide receiver-turned-quarterback-turned-defensive back from Junction City High School who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in business management. He has two years left to play two seasons.

Henington redshirted in 2017 and entered 2018 competing with Hunter Hall for the right to be the third-string quarterback behind Alex Delton and/or Skylar Thompson. He saw time in three games in 2018, primarily on kickoff coverage, and had a tackle against South Dakota.

Henington earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2018 and entered 2019 as a scout team and special teams contributor, especially after John Holcombe II, Nick Ast and Jaren Lewis passed him in the battle for primary backup duties behind starter Thompson.

This eventually led to his conversion to the defensive side; he played in seven games in 2019, primarily on special teams, and was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.

Henington lettered three years for the Blue Jays under head coach Randall Zimmerman and was named the 2016 Centennial League Offensive Player of the Year, while he was an all-state honoree by The Topeka Capital-Journal, The Wichita Eagle and KPreps.com.

He totaled more than 4,500 career total yards in high school, including during his senior campaign, when he threw for 1,783 yards and rushed for 1,012 yards.