SE: Senior LB Trent Tanking's Career Comes Full Circle at Cactus Bowl

By Corbin McGuire

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — As Trent Tanking's name and accolades were read aloud before Saturday's Cactus Bowl media day, the senior linebacker was slightly taken back by the words.

K-State's leading tackler. Semifinalist for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the academic Heisman. Semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on.

As spelled out by his introduction, Tanking's career, in so many ways, has come full circle.

The last time Tanking was in Arizona, he was a redshirt walk-on working on scout team for K-State in preparation for the 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Now, he sat as one of five Wildcat representatives for the Cactus Bowl media day, a captain and respected linebacker.

"Trent probably didn't think he'd be in this situation a couple of years ago," junior defensive back Duke Shelley said.

Oh, but Tanking did.

"I don't want to sound pompous or anything," Tanking said, "but it means a lot to me, personally, finishing and being able to accomplish what I thought I could accomplish when I was coming into K-State."

In other words, Tanking never believed anyone who told him he could not reach this point. Even when K-State could only offer him a preferred walk-on spot out of Holton High School, he viewed himself as the player who would force his way onto the field and into a scholarship, which he did after two seasons.

"I had some DII offers I was looking at, but I decided to walk on to K-State anyway and just decided I was going to prove myself," he said. "Coming from a 4A school in Kansas, there's not a lot of attention when it comes to DI schools. So it was kind of an opportunity to prove to myself and prove to everybody else that I can be a Division I athlete."

A former special teams standout for K-State, Tanking stepped into an even bigger role this year. He looked at it as just another chance to prove himself.

With K-State returning zero starting linebackers from its previous season, Tanking won out the middle spot in K-State's defense. Like before, however, he heard outside doubt that he would be able to handle the responsibility. When he listened, it was only for motivation. He never believed it.

"A lot of people were doubting whether I could play in the Big 12 Conference, play at an elite level," he said. "A lot of people were pointing to the linebacker corps as what was going to be the soft spot, and I think we proved that wasn't the case."

Tanking's 96 tackles not only leads K-State but ranks sixth in the Big 12. His 5.8 solo stops per game position him 11^th nationally, while his 70 solo tackles for the season sit two short of entering K-State's top-10 list for a single season.

"Trent's the K-State way," Shelley said. "He came in, walked on and tried to make the best of his opportunity. And he did exactly that. He stepped up for us. All the things he's been able to do for the team is just mind-blowing. Seeing where he's come from and all the work that he put in, it's just great to see it all happen for him."

A fifth-year senior, Tanking will be the first to say he did not traverse his difficult path alone.

He said his high school coach Brooks Barta, who played linebacker at K-State under Bill Snyder from 1989-92, helped him understand what the program was all about beforehand. After a few discussions, Tanking became more and more interested.

"Once I was comfortable enough with what he was saying, I knew I was confident in choosing K-State," said Tanking, adding that the expectations Barta put on his players helped the transition process at K-State. "It's still a shock going from high school to DI, but it was a help because if you're used to working hard for six years, from seventh to 12^th grade, then you can transition into a little more intense program.

"If you're already used to working hard, it's not too tough to just keep on doing that."

Tanking also pointed to his parents, Andrew and Karla Tanking, who he said have supported him the entire way. "Both are my heroes," Tanking added.

Then there are the walk-ons who helped show Tanking the way, players like Jonathan Truman. Now, as a captain for K-State, he is the example others are trying to follow.

"He's just a guy everyone in the program looks up to and everyone tries to be like," redshirt sophomore receiver Dalton Schoen said, "because he buys into the program and is constantly improving."

"We have other guys on the team who are in the same position that he was in years ago," Shelley added of Tanking, a First Team All-Big 12 selection by Pro Football Focus. "They see it happening for him, so it could very well happen for them. They attack the situation with more confidence, knowing they could be the next Trent Tanking. He's definitely a role model for the team, for this defense."

As leaders do, Tanking has been an important voice in times of need for K-State. Whether it was during offseason conditioning or stepping up when K-State (7-5) was 3-4 this season, Tanking has always been there.

"On summer days when it was hot outside and we've been running and everybody's trying to give up, Trent would step up, get everybody going and he'd be yelling and he'd be getting everybody fired up, like, 'Let's go. We have one more,'" Shelley said. "He's that kind of a guy. He just makes everyone around him better and he makes us push ourselves. If you see Trent doing it, you have to do it. That's kind of the motto."

Added Schoen: "Any time I feel like the team's down or the defense is down, Trent's going to be that guy that's going to step up and say something, try to rally the troops a little bit. I think he does a great job of leading both on the field with his play and vocally, not being afraid to step up and say something."

Much like his whole career, Tanking refused to let anything slow him down this season. He blew up countless run plays, broke up four passes and forced a fumble. He even played through a broken hand for about the final game and a half of the regular season, recording six tackles against Iowa State with a cast on his left hand.

"When you come in and you're here for five years, you grow relationships with guys, especially the seniors I've been here with for five years. Just knowing that those guys are still playing and I'm not going to get a chance next year to play with them or anybody else, if it's nothing that can prevent me (from playing), if it's not a leg injury, I figured I better play through it," Tanking said. "I'm not going to get this chance again."

On Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CT), he gets his last chance in a K-State uniform. It's one he hopes ends similarly to K-State's previous bowl game in Arizona, when the Wildcats beat Michigan, 31-14.

"It's come full circle," he said of his career. "Being a captain and a starter, finishing a career at what is now the Cactus Bowl, it is nice and hopefully we get a win just like we did five years go."

Cactus Bowl Week Coverage

Kansas State University Athletics

SE: Senior LB Trent Tanking's Career Comes Full Circle at Cactus Bowl

Players Mentioned

Dalton Schoen

Duke Shelley

Trent Tanking

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