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.

#50 Cooper Beebe

Redshirt Senior | 6-4 | 335 lbs. | Kansas City, Kansas

Courtesy Kansas State Athletics

• Position: Offensive Line
• Previous College: None
• Projection: Starter
• Status: On Scholarship

Cooper J. Beebe (b. May 19, 2001) was a promising three-star offensive lineman out of Piper High School in Kansas City who unexpectedly enters 2023 as one of the top O-line stars in the nation and is fresh off a captivating appearance at Big 12 Media Days on Thursday.

Beebe has started 35 career games, needing 10 more starts to enter the top five among Wildcat offensive linemen since 1990, and has not surrendered a sack in his last 803 pass blocking plays dating back to the 2020 Iowa State contest, according to Pro Football Focus.

He is one of five K-State players on the 2023 Preseason All-Big 12 team, as voted on by media representatives who cover the league, that was unveiled last week, as well as having been named a 2023 Preseason All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Beebe, who graduated in May from Kansas State with a bachelor’s degree in social studies education, currently is pursuing his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, but likely won’t need that for a while as he is widely projected to be a 2024 first-round NFL draft pick.

He first played against Bowling Green and Kansas as a reserve offensive lineman in 2019, retaining his redshirt for the season amid a deep offensive line rotation.

Beebe played in nine games in 2020 with eight starts, including the first three games at right tackle before an injury sidelined him for one contest, then four more games at right tackle and the final game at left guard. This versatility has proved quite useful at K-State.

He was part of a unit that helped K-State tie for first in the Big 12 and 27th nationally in sacks allowed (14), while the Wildcats led the Big 12 Conference and ranked fourth in the nation in red-zone offense (93.9%), and also earned first-team Academic All-Big 12 accolades.

A 13-game starter at left tackle in 2021 who picked up first-team All-Big 12 honors from both the league’s coaches and Associated Press, Beebe was the youngest offensive lineman to be named to the first team by either organization.

He also was the first Wildcat freshman or sophomore offensive lineman to be named a first-team All-Big 12 performer since Dalton Risner in 2016, on top of earning votes for the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year Award from the league’s coaches.

Part of the reason is that Beebe did not allow a sack on any of his 367 pass-blocking snaps.

He helped K-State to tie for second in the Big 12 Conference with 29 rushing touchdowns, while the Wildcats’ 4.83 yards per rush ranked sixth in school history.

A versatile player who also took snaps at right guard throughout 2021, Beebe again was named a first-team Academic All-Big 12 performer following the season.

One of the top interior offensive linemen in the nation during the 2022 Big 12 Championship season who started all 14 games at left guard, Beebe was named a first-team All-American by The Athletic, ESPN, FOX Sports and Sporting News; a second-team All-American by the Associated Press, CBS Sports, Pro Football Focus and USA TODAY; and an honorable mention All-American by Phil Steele.

He also was named the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year by the league’s coaches, while he was an All-Big 12 First Team selection by both the coaches and Associated Press for a second straight season after being rated the 65th-best overall player in college football during the 2022 season by Pro Football Focus.

Beebe helped to lead an offensive unit that ranked 15th nationally with 208.3 rushing yards per game, the Wildcats’ best national ranking since 2003 (ninth) and best mark since 2016 (231.8). He also helped K-State to rank third in school history in rushing yards per carry (5.12), fourth in total rushing yards (2,916) and 10th in rushing touchdowns (32).

The Wildcats also ranked second in school history in total offensive yards (5,863) and ninth in offensive yards per play (6.12).

Beebe did not surrender a sack all year, according to Pro Football Focus, while he was flagged for only one penalty all season, coming in the season opener against South Dakota.

He also took snaps at left tackle and was a member of the Wildcats’ punt coverage team.

Beebe earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators in addition to first-team Academic All-Big 12 accolades, having been nominated for the latter with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. He also was voted a team captain by his fellow players.

As a prep, Beebe lettered four years for the Piper Pirates, including the final season under head coach Rick Pollard. He was rated the 79th-best defensive tackle in the Class of 2019 by ESPN, while the organization also ranked him the ninth-best player in the state of Kansas.

Beebe earned first team all-state honors from The Topeka Capital-Journal and The Wichita Eagle in 2017, while he was an honorable mention pick by both outlets as a freshman, sophomore and senior. He also picked up first-team all-state honors from the Kansas Football Coaches Association (KFBCA) as an offensive lineman in 2018.

Beebe totaled 128 tackles with 34 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and five forced fumbles during his career. He was selected to play for Team USA U-17 in the 2017 International Bowl against Team Japan, as well as for Team USA U-19 in the 2018 World Championships, and he also played in the 2019 Kansas Shrine Bowl.

Beebe also competed in the shot put, placing third in the state in 2017, and basketball.

His father, Tom, played football at Pittsburg State, while his brother, Colton Beebe, was a tight end at Minnesota. Another brother, Camden, is a true freshman offensive lineman.

Cooper picked K-State over offers from Kansas and Minnesota, plus interest from Georgia, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville and Northwestern. I’d say their loss was clearly our great gain!