Former K-State State Star Ben Sinnott Eager To Start Career With Washington Commanders
After getting drafted in the second round, former Kansas State tight end Ben Sinnott arrived at the Washington Commanders training facility with no idea what number he wanted to wear to begin his professional career in the NFl.
The Commanders gave him 82.
The interviewer asked if there was any significance to the number.
“I want to be the player that makes the number,” Sinnott said. “It didn’t matter what they were going to give me.”
Sinnott spoke these words on the Washington Commanders YouTube Channel in an interview that was released Monday morning.
Coincidently, the entertaining, eight-minute interview that reveals Sinnott’s humble nature and work ethic comes out on the same day that Goodland High School Linkon Cure will announce where he is going to play college football. There is strong speculation that it will be at K-State.
Sinnott is the type of role model any tight end wanting to play in the NFL should follow.
But unlike Cure, a 5-star recruit, Sinnott had to bust his tail just to get a little bit of notice coming out of high school. And once K-State took a chance on him, Sinnott made the most of his opportunity.
Sinnott went from seeing no game action his freshman year in 2020 to first team All-Big 12 his senior season.
Sinnott praised his parents for instilling that work ethic in him that has allowed him to succeed.
“They gave me every opportunity to succeed,” Sinnott said. “I mean as a walk-on kid, they were driving me to camps to get me in front of people.”
And now hundreds of thousands of people will be watching Sinnott play Sunday afternoons, catching footballs from Jayden Daniels, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Daniels will obviously have plenty of eyes on him. Last fall he won the Heisman Trophy while playing at LSU.
“Being able to grow with the guy and build that connection and chemistry on and off the field is super important,” Sinnott said. “It has been great to work with him, get in the film room with him and ask what do you think about this route. Just being able to pick his brain and seeing how he can make my life easier. I’m pumped to continue to grow with him and see where we can be.’
Near the end of the interview, Sinnott answered a question from a fan about Sinnott’s goals and expectation for his rookie season with the Commanders.
“The biggest thing in my head is to earn the trust from the people in the building,” Sinnott said. “I want to earn the trust from my coaches, my teammates, the older guys and everybody in the building, whether that is the janitor. I just want to earn their trust that I am a good person and I am here to work and put myself in position to succeed on a daily basis.”
Those traits served Sinnott well while he was at K-State.
David Boyce is a contributing writer to K-State On SI. He can be reached at davidboyce95@gmail.com.
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DAVID BOYCE