K-State Earns AFCA Academic Achievement Award

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Kansas State football team was one of five schools to share the American Football Coaches Association's 2018 Academic Achievement Award, the organization announced Thursday.

It is the first time the Wildcats earned the award, which has been handed out by the AFCA since 1982. The Wildcats, who shared the award with Clemson, Nevada, Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh, earned a perfect 1,000 APR score for 2016-17 as the AFCA used the NCAA's single-year APR to select the winner.

Kansas State has been the best in the Big 12 in terms of academics, as evidenced by its 135 Academic All-Big 12 honors over the last five years, 29 more than the next closest team. This season, K-State tallied 24 Academic All-Big 12 honorees, including a Big 12-record four players that were nominated with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Highlighting K-State's academic achievements this year were Adam Holtorf and Zach Reuter, as they became the first set of Wildcat teammates to earn First Team Academic All-America accolades in the same year since 1996.

From 1981 to 2007, the Academic Achievement Award was presented based on a formula used by the College Football Association and the AFCA. From 2008 to 2017, the AFCA used the NCAA's Graduation Success Rate to select a winner until APR was used for the first time this year.

The Academic Achievement Award was established by the College Football Association in 1981. The award recognized the CFA-member Football Bowl Subdivision institution with the highest graduation rate among members of its football team. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA stepped in to present the award.

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Adam Holtorf

Zach Reuter

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