NOTE: Kansas State has elected to advance players’ classification even though the 2020 season did not affect eligibility. Those who wish to take advantage of this extra year will be listed as a (“super”) senior again after their original eligibility would have been exhausted.

#58 Cartez Crook-Jones

Redshirt Senior | 6-4 | 270 lbs. | Grandview, Missouri

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Defensive End
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Third-String
• Status: On Scholarship

Cartez Crook-Jones (b. Aug. 28, 1999) was a member of the Class of 2018 who saw playing time as a reserve defensive end against Bowling Green in 2019 after redshirting in 2018.

Crook-Jones played against Kansas as a reserve defensive lineman in 2020, but did not record any statistics. Last offseason, he transitioned from defensive end to defensive tackle.

Crook-Jones then saw the most extensive action of his career in 2021, as he was a regular in the playing rotation during five games. He finally totaled his first three career tackles, with two coming against Iowa State and one against TCU. But now he is back to defensive end.

Crook-Jones played under head coach Jeremie Picard at Grandview High School, where he earned second-team all-state honors from the Missouri state media as a senior in 2017.

Viewed as the 11th-best player in the state of Missouri for the Class of 2018 by ESPN, he also was a second-team all-league player as a junior in 2016 after posting 55 tackles, nine sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles for the Bulldogs.

Crook-Jones picked up second-team all-metro honors from The Kansas City Star, while he was named to the All-Jackson County Advocate team as a senior in 2017. He also played basketball for the Bulldogs and prepped with former KSU offensive lineman Shane Cherry.

Crook-Jones picked K-State over offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Memphis and Missouri, as well as interest from Arkansas. His primary recruiter was offensive coordinator Collin Klein.

Crook-Jones graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in communications studies. He also is active with K-State’s Positioning African-American and Black Athletes for Lifelong Success (PALS) group, which earned top honors at this year’s Black Student-Athlete Summit.