Meet your recruit: 2019 commit, kicker Ty Zentner, is the #2 JuCo Kicker in the country
Bill Snyder landed a commitment from the top ranked kicking prospect in all of junior college last year - and he enrolled this Spring with Coach Klieman on board and has been working with the team this Spring.
Originally from Tecumseh, Kansas, the former Shawnee Heights kicker has spent the last two seasons kicking for Butler County. ESPN ranked him as the top junior college kicking recruit of 2019 at one time. He finished ranked third by ESPN, but second by 247 sports and Rivals.
In 2018, Zentner finished 9/16 on field goal attempts while making 31/38 extra point conversions. That sort of performance does not likely do much to inspire confidence in Wildcat fans.
But, consider this: he also averaged nearly 40 yards per punt on over 64 opportunities. That demonstrates versatility that coaches love in players. It gives them more opportunities to succeed and contribute than simply being one dimensional.
We should not expect to see Zentner in 2019, and do be surprised if he ends up redshirting this season. The Cats have multiple other players at both Kicker and Punter ahead of Zentner on the roster both in terms of experience and ability.
Kelly Thompson is the editor for the Kansas State college football maven. He is also a father, husband, teacher and Debate coach.