SE: Dishon Setting ‘Standard’ for K-State Defensive Line
Aug 27, 2018 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Trey Dishon wants to be last — at least, that's what he's been telling his fellow K-State defensive linemen.
"I want guys to beat me out," he said at K-State's media day. "That's what I say in workouts — I want to be last. I want to be the guy who's getting beat."
If this sounds like an odd request from a redshirt junior, one who has started 25 games in his last two seasons at K-State, hang in there. He has his reasons.
See, Dishon is K-State's only returning interior defensive linemen with starting experience. K-State graduated three-time First Team All-Big 12 selection Will Geary after last season. Someone had to fill his shoes for this season, both from a production and leadership standpoint.
Dishon was the obvious choice.
"I looked up to him when I first got here and played side by side with him for two years," Dishon said of Geary. "He was a real leader in my eyes, but I've tried to pick up right where he left off in terms of setting the standard for these d-tackles and showing them what it takes to play."
What does the "standard" mean to Dishon?
"Whether it's on or off the field, in the film room, everything needs to be done a certain way, with an aggressive attitude playing d-line… trying to chase perfection, I would say," Dishon said. "It's something I've learned from a lot of the (former) d-tackles, like Will Geary and Travis Britz, but it's something you can learn from the program itself, Coach (Bill) Snyder and all the coaches — chasing perfection."
Dishon's chase has not gone unnoticed. Defensive coordinator Blake Seiler described the Horton product, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last season, as "the surprise of the offseason."
"He has absolutely upped his game," Seiler said. "He knows that he's got to step up and fill those shoes, and he's working toward it."
Snyder has also noticed a difference in Dishon, going all the way back to the spring period. The 78-year-old coach said he saw "marked improvement" from the fourth-year Wildcat and extreme consistency in his effort then. His positive evaluation of Dishon continued in the fall.
"Trey has not done anything to make me change my feelings about how well he is doing. I was extremely impressed during the course of the spring and his 15 days of spring practice," Snyder said at K-State's media day. "I thought he was very competitive and played hard every single snap. He not only played hard but became fundamentally better. He has a better understanding of what we are doing, and nothing has slowed down."
Dishon's goal has been the exact opposite, to speed up. He said his biggest focus this offseason has been to improve his pass rush, a valuable skill for any defensive linemen in the pass-heavy Big 12 Conference. Dishon recorded 18 tackles, including three sacks, as a redshirt freshman. Last season, he managed a career-high 21 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss, but just one sack.
From what Seiler's seen, he said he expects Dishon to be a more disruptive force on passing plays this season.
"He's improving as a pass rusher, which is encouraging because of the league we play in. We're going to need some pass rush, but I also think he's gotten quicker. I think he's also improved his conditioning level, too, so he can go longer and play at that speed longer," Seiler said. "You look at Trey, a guy that played small-town Kansas football, a talented guy, kind of one of those diamonds in the rough, and credit to him, he's got the work ethic, the mindset and you see what he's doing now, that's what it's all about... kind of the K-State way."
The K-State way, in Dishon's mind, is just a synonym for the standard he's trying to set. It's why his desire to be last is really just another way of way of saying he wants his teammates to get to his level. If he's finishing last, the whole team benefits from it, because beating him will not be easy.
"I care about what's going on here. I care about their success," he said. "I want to encourage those guys to be the best they can. If I'm last, I'm OK with that. That's how I approach it."
Trey Dishon wants to be last — at least, that's what he's been telling his fellow K-State defensive linemen.
"I want guys to beat me out," he said at K-State's media day. "That's what I say in workouts — I want to be last. I want to be the guy who's getting beat."
If this sounds like an odd request from a redshirt junior, one who has started 25 games in his last two seasons at K-State, hang in there. He has his reasons.
See, Dishon is K-State's only returning interior defensive linemen with starting experience. K-State graduated three-time First Team All-Big 12 selection Will Geary after last season. Someone had to fill his shoes for this season, both from a production and leadership standpoint.
Dishon was the obvious choice.
"I looked up to him when I first got here and played side by side with him for two years," Dishon said of Geary. "He was a real leader in my eyes, but I've tried to pick up right where he left off in terms of setting the standard for these d-tackles and showing them what it takes to play."
What does the "standard" mean to Dishon?
"Whether it's on or off the field, in the film room, everything needs to be done a certain way, with an aggressive attitude playing d-line… trying to chase perfection, I would say," Dishon said. "It's something I've learned from a lot of the (former) d-tackles, like Will Geary and Travis Britz, but it's something you can learn from the program itself, Coach (Bill) Snyder and all the coaches — chasing perfection."
Dishon's chase has not gone unnoticed. Defensive coordinator Blake Seiler described the Horton product, an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last season, as "the surprise of the offseason."
"He has absolutely upped his game," Seiler said. "He knows that he's got to step up and fill those shoes, and he's working toward it."
Snyder has also noticed a difference in Dishon, going all the way back to the spring period. The 78-year-old coach said he saw "marked improvement" from the fourth-year Wildcat and extreme consistency in his effort then. His positive evaluation of Dishon continued in the fall.
"Trey has not done anything to make me change my feelings about how well he is doing. I was extremely impressed during the course of the spring and his 15 days of spring practice," Snyder said at K-State's media day. "I thought he was very competitive and played hard every single snap. He not only played hard but became fundamentally better. He has a better understanding of what we are doing, and nothing has slowed down."
Dishon's goal has been the exact opposite, to speed up. He said his biggest focus this offseason has been to improve his pass rush, a valuable skill for any defensive linemen in the pass-heavy Big 12 Conference. Dishon recorded 18 tackles, including three sacks, as a redshirt freshman. Last season, he managed a career-high 21 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss, but just one sack.
From what Seiler's seen, he said he expects Dishon to be a more disruptive force on passing plays this season.
"He's improving as a pass rusher, which is encouraging because of the league we play in. We're going to need some pass rush, but I also think he's gotten quicker. I think he's also improved his conditioning level, too, so he can go longer and play at that speed longer," Seiler said. "You look at Trey, a guy that played small-town Kansas football, a talented guy, kind of one of those diamonds in the rough, and credit to him, he's got the work ethic, the mindset and you see what he's doing now, that's what it's all about... kind of the K-State way."
The K-State way, in Dishon's mind, is just a synonym for the standard he's trying to set. It's why his desire to be last is really just another way of way of saying he wants his teammates to get to his level. If he's finishing last, the whole team benefits from it, because beating him will not be easy.
"I care about what's going on here. I care about their success," he said. "I want to encourage those guys to be the best they can. If I'm last, I'm OK with that. That's how I approach it."
Players Mentioned
DT
/ Football
DT
/ FootballK-State Football | Attack It
Tuesday, March 17
K-State Football | Greg Svarczkopf press conference
Wednesday, March 04
K-State Football Trey Scott press conference
Wednesday, March 04
K-State Football | Jeremy Jacobs press conference
Wednesday, March 04
