Sinnott Enjoying Breakout Season
Nov 14, 2022 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Every year, Kansas State has a guy who just blows up, an under-the-radar guy who is simply waiting for his chance to shine. That guy on the Wildcats' offense this season appears to be Ben Sinnott, a 6-foot-4, 247-pound sophomore tight end from Waterloo, Iowa. He caught the first and second touchdown passes of his career in the Wildcats' 31-3 victory at Baylor on Saturday in Waco, Texas.
Perhaps the happiest person for Sinnott was K-State head coach Chris Klieman, also a Waterloo native and also a graduate from Columbus Catholic High School.
"You know those Waterloo, Iowa, kids — and he's from Columbus Catholic High School as well," Klieman told reporters. "On the first touchdown, Will Howard came out and said, 'How about those Waterloo guys!' I'm so happy for Ben. He attacks the football.
"Just to see how much that kid has grown from early in the season to where he is now with the confidence level he has a football player is fun to see."
Sinnott was named to the Iowa all-state team as a tight end, wide receiver and defensive end at Columbus Catholic. He had 61 catches for 958 yards and 22 touchdowns.
He said that he arrived at K-State as a 204-pounder simply looking for an opportunity, but he has ample room to grow both in the weight room and in his knowledge of the Wildcats' offense. He redshirted his freshman season in 2020, then played each of the final 12 games last season, including starts against Oklahoma and LSU after missing the season opener due to an injury sustained in fall camp. He finished last season with three rushes for 12 yards and two catches for 15 yards.
Under the radar? For sure.
Now he's evolved into a pass-catching threat for the Wildcats.
"Ben's a tremendous athlete and people don't give him enough credit for how good of an athlete he is," quarterback Will Howard told reporters.
Sinnott has 22 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns this season. He had four catches for 80 yards in the Wildcats' 41-34 win at then-No. 6 Oklahoma, including three catches of 20-plus yards. He caught a 25-yard pass against Oklahoma State. He had three catches for 40 yards and hurdled a Texas defender on a 15-yard catch.
That was all good.
Then came Baylor.
And in front of his parents, Tom and Tina, who drove 14 hours to Waco, and in front of Klieman and Howard and the sellout crowd at McLane Stadium, Sinnott put together a seven-catch, 89-yard, two-touchdown effort, showing flashes of Jeron Mastrud.
"He's a terrifically talented kid that I think sometimes doesn't even know how good he is," Klieman said.
Sinnott caught his first-career touchdown when Howard fired a 15-yard rope through a tight window down the middle of the end zone early in the second quarter against the Bears. Sinnott's second touchdown came on a 19-yard back-shoulder catch late in the third quarter in which he turned in midair to catch the ball over the defender at the front corner pylon.
"It was great," Sinnott told reporters. "I'm glad I could do it now because my parents drove 14 hours to come to the game. I'm glad I got to do it in front of them. We'd drawn those plays up all week. We knew we were going to have a chance. So when my time came, I took advantage of the opportunity."
Howard, a close friend of Sinnott's, calls his tight end "big dog." Klieman calls Sinnott "talented." Running back Deuce Vaughn calls him "relentless."
"What you saw today, the relentlessness to go up and get the football or when it's in a tight space for him to hone in and catch the football in the tight space, they're things that we've seen ever since he got onto campus," Vaughn told reporters. "We were joking with him saying he was a blocking tight end. He proved us wrong today. We understand what he can do.
"For him to get those chances tonight and make the most of them, it's just the beginning of what he can do."
Every year, Kansas State has a guy who just blows up, an under-the-radar guy who is simply waiting for his chance to shine. That guy on the Wildcats' offense this season appears to be Ben Sinnott, a 6-foot-4, 247-pound sophomore tight end from Waterloo, Iowa. He caught the first and second touchdown passes of his career in the Wildcats' 31-3 victory at Baylor on Saturday in Waco, Texas.
Perhaps the happiest person for Sinnott was K-State head coach Chris Klieman, also a Waterloo native and also a graduate from Columbus Catholic High School.
"You know those Waterloo, Iowa, kids — and he's from Columbus Catholic High School as well," Klieman told reporters. "On the first touchdown, Will Howard came out and said, 'How about those Waterloo guys!' I'm so happy for Ben. He attacks the football.
"Just to see how much that kid has grown from early in the season to where he is now with the confidence level he has a football player is fun to see."
Sinnott was named to the Iowa all-state team as a tight end, wide receiver and defensive end at Columbus Catholic. He had 61 catches for 958 yards and 22 touchdowns.
He said that he arrived at K-State as a 204-pounder simply looking for an opportunity, but he has ample room to grow both in the weight room and in his knowledge of the Wildcats' offense. He redshirted his freshman season in 2020, then played each of the final 12 games last season, including starts against Oklahoma and LSU after missing the season opener due to an injury sustained in fall camp. He finished last season with three rushes for 12 yards and two catches for 15 yards.
Under the radar? For sure.
Now he's evolved into a pass-catching threat for the Wildcats.
"Ben's a tremendous athlete and people don't give him enough credit for how good of an athlete he is," quarterback Will Howard told reporters.
Sinnott has 22 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns this season. He had four catches for 80 yards in the Wildcats' 41-34 win at then-No. 6 Oklahoma, including three catches of 20-plus yards. He caught a 25-yard pass against Oklahoma State. He had three catches for 40 yards and hurdled a Texas defender on a 15-yard catch.
That was all good.
Then came Baylor.
And in front of his parents, Tom and Tina, who drove 14 hours to Waco, and in front of Klieman and Howard and the sellout crowd at McLane Stadium, Sinnott put together a seven-catch, 89-yard, two-touchdown effort, showing flashes of Jeron Mastrud.
"He's a terrifically talented kid that I think sometimes doesn't even know how good he is," Klieman said.
Sinnott caught his first-career touchdown when Howard fired a 15-yard rope through a tight window down the middle of the end zone early in the second quarter against the Bears. Sinnott's second touchdown came on a 19-yard back-shoulder catch late in the third quarter in which he turned in midair to catch the ball over the defender at the front corner pylon.
"It was great," Sinnott told reporters. "I'm glad I could do it now because my parents drove 14 hours to come to the game. I'm glad I got to do it in front of them. We'd drawn those plays up all week. We knew we were going to have a chance. So when my time came, I took advantage of the opportunity."
Howard, a close friend of Sinnott's, calls his tight end "big dog." Klieman calls Sinnott "talented." Running back Deuce Vaughn calls him "relentless."
"What you saw today, the relentlessness to go up and get the football or when it's in a tight space for him to hone in and catch the football in the tight space, they're things that we've seen ever since he got onto campus," Vaughn told reporters. "We were joking with him saying he was a blocking tight end. He proved us wrong today. We understand what he can do.
"For him to get those chances tonight and make the most of them, it's just the beginning of what he can do."
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