Making the Most of His Opportunity
Aug 31, 2023 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Every year, Kansas State has a great walk-on story. One year it's wide receiver Phillip Brooks. Another year it's linebacker Austin Moore. Another year it's tight end Ben Sinnott. Now it appears we can add defensive end Brendan Mott to the impressive lineage. Mott is expected to start in a season opener for the first time in his career when No. 16 Kansas State embarks upon its 2023 campaign against SEMO on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"He plays the game hard, and he plays the game physical, and he's a really smart football player," K-State head coach Chris Klieman says. "I think Mott can have an all-conference type season."
It wasn't until starter Nate Matlack was limited due to nagging injuries that Mott started a game last season. The 6-foot-5, 244-pound Mott started in 10 games, and his six quarterback sacks tied for the sixth most in the Big 12 Conference. But teammates know there's more in store for the Iowa City, Iowa, native, who has high hopes for his senior season.
"Mott's going to have a big year," says former walk-on-turned-starting-center Hayden Gillum. "We saw flashes and he's done great things, but with the confidence he has coming into this year, it's going to be exciting."
Standing inside the Vanier Family Football Complex, Mott grins in recalling his path to K-State — "All I needed was an opportunity," he says — but his journey is no joking matter.
A two-year letterwinner at Iowa City West High School, Mott tore his ACL early in his junior year and dinged up an ankle during his senior campaign. Coaches were wary of offering him a scholarship due to his bout with injuries. That included hometown University of Iowa — where his father, Joe, was an All-Big Ten defensive end and became a third-round selection by the New York Jets in the 1989 NFL Draft.
Turns out Iowa never even offered Mott a chance to walk-on.
"In hindsight, that would've been the easy thing for Brendan Mott, to go to Iowa, walk-on at his hometown school," Joe Mott says. "Thank God that didn't happen. He did the hard thing, going six hours away. He's right where he needs to be. The whole culture, that's stuff you keep for life."
While Cornell and smaller schools showed interest in Mott, Joe Mott contacted former Iowa offensive coordinator Bill Snyder in 2018, as the Hall-of-Famer was wrapping up his legendary career with the Wildcats. Joe played at Iowa during Snyder's tenure with the Hawkeyes in the 1980s. He told Snyder about his son. K-State offered Mott an opportunity to walk-on, and Mott arrived to meet Klieman, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, who had just been named head coach in Manhattan.
Mott knew of K-State's rich walk-on tradition. He was grateful for the chance to develop as a player and as a young man in a program engrained in positive intrinsic values and that rewarded hard work.
"I knew guys before me like Nick Allen and Brock Monty, walk-ons that really had a chip on their shoulder, and just put their heads down and worked hard," Mott says. "That's just the idea of being a walk-on, especially at K-State. When you come here and walk on, you're going to be a hard worker and do whatever the team needs to excel. Hayden Gillum and Austin Moore — hard workers. That's what's great about K-State's walk-on tradition."
Although football was Mott's first love, he grew up a late bloomer, reporting to freshman high school football at 5-foot-3 and 125 pounds while playing at cornerback and quarterback. At K-State, he has fought to keep on weight.
"Skinny kid from Iowa that wanted an opportunity" is how Klieman recalls his first impression of Mott.
Mott eats a meal every three hours and gulps down weight-gain shakes to maintain his 244-pound frame.
"There's a lot of eating and drinking shakes and eating breakfast and meals in between meals," Mott says. "Sometimes you get full. I've learned you have to learn how to eat when you're full."
It hasn't slowed his speed off the edge of the defensive line.
"Last year, we knew he was ready to contribute," Klieman says. "Not only did he contribute, but he was one of our best players on defense."
It was a long time coming.
"Some people, their time is called faster than others," says Mott, who redshirted as a freshman in 2019. "I was here in 2020 and after COVID I thought, 'Man, this is going to be my time.' Then a dude named Felix Anudike-Uzomah comes in. In 2021, I thought, 'This is it.' Felix and Nate were playing – as they should've been – and I had to realize my time wasn't now. Everyone's journey is different. When your time is called, you have to be ready for your moment. It's tough being patient and it's tough waiting, but it's all worth it in the end."
Last year, it translated to his first-career sack against South Dakota before he picked up another one at Iowa State and against Oklahoma State. Then he had three sacks at West Virginia.
He even broke out a post-sack dance akin to Connor McGregor's "Billion Dollar Strut," which drew a fun-loving ribbing from his teammates.
"My favorite moment was his sack last year when he did his dance for the first time," Moore says. "Looking forward to him hitting that dance a few more times this year."
Odd are that Joe and Shelly Mott will be in attendance. A few years ago, they purchased a Thor Chateau RV and began traveling to each of their son's K-State games. Joe nicknamed the RV "Big Betty," and the tan-and-white RV bears Powercats inside and outside.
"Last night, I picked up Big Betty from storage to clean it up and have it ready this week," Joe says. "I've been looking forward to the season but just getting Big Betty, it really hit me, and we're excited for this weekend."
Mott is excited for the chance to start the season opener in front of 50,000 fans. He thinks about what it will be like to run into the stadium for the first time his senior year — and what could happen when he takes the field.
"I'm excited for sure," he says. "There are some nerves, but they're good nerves. They're not nerves of being scared or anything. I know with my preparation and our team's preparation, we're ready. We're ready for this season and we can't wait."
It all goes back to the opportunity he received at K-State, when the Wildcats welcomed him as a walk-on while other schools turned their backs.
"He did it the hard way," Joe Mott says. "I was just so glad to see him get an opportunity. I believed in him. I figured he would grow, and if he stayed healthy, he'd be a player. I knew he'd be a gamer. It just took a little bit longer than some other people."
Now it is Mott's time to really shine.
Every year, Kansas State has a great walk-on story. One year it's wide receiver Phillip Brooks. Another year it's linebacker Austin Moore. Another year it's tight end Ben Sinnott. Now it appears we can add defensive end Brendan Mott to the impressive lineage. Mott is expected to start in a season opener for the first time in his career when No. 16 Kansas State embarks upon its 2023 campaign against SEMO on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
"He plays the game hard, and he plays the game physical, and he's a really smart football player," K-State head coach Chris Klieman says. "I think Mott can have an all-conference type season."
It wasn't until starter Nate Matlack was limited due to nagging injuries that Mott started a game last season. The 6-foot-5, 244-pound Mott started in 10 games, and his six quarterback sacks tied for the sixth most in the Big 12 Conference. But teammates know there's more in store for the Iowa City, Iowa, native, who has high hopes for his senior season.
"Mott's going to have a big year," says former walk-on-turned-starting-center Hayden Gillum. "We saw flashes and he's done great things, but with the confidence he has coming into this year, it's going to be exciting."
Standing inside the Vanier Family Football Complex, Mott grins in recalling his path to K-State — "All I needed was an opportunity," he says — but his journey is no joking matter.
A two-year letterwinner at Iowa City West High School, Mott tore his ACL early in his junior year and dinged up an ankle during his senior campaign. Coaches were wary of offering him a scholarship due to his bout with injuries. That included hometown University of Iowa — where his father, Joe, was an All-Big Ten defensive end and became a third-round selection by the New York Jets in the 1989 NFL Draft.
Turns out Iowa never even offered Mott a chance to walk-on.
"In hindsight, that would've been the easy thing for Brendan Mott, to go to Iowa, walk-on at his hometown school," Joe Mott says. "Thank God that didn't happen. He did the hard thing, going six hours away. He's right where he needs to be. The whole culture, that's stuff you keep for life."
While Cornell and smaller schools showed interest in Mott, Joe Mott contacted former Iowa offensive coordinator Bill Snyder in 2018, as the Hall-of-Famer was wrapping up his legendary career with the Wildcats. Joe played at Iowa during Snyder's tenure with the Hawkeyes in the 1980s. He told Snyder about his son. K-State offered Mott an opportunity to walk-on, and Mott arrived to meet Klieman, a native of Waterloo, Iowa, who had just been named head coach in Manhattan.
Mott knew of K-State's rich walk-on tradition. He was grateful for the chance to develop as a player and as a young man in a program engrained in positive intrinsic values and that rewarded hard work.
"I knew guys before me like Nick Allen and Brock Monty, walk-ons that really had a chip on their shoulder, and just put their heads down and worked hard," Mott says. "That's just the idea of being a walk-on, especially at K-State. When you come here and walk on, you're going to be a hard worker and do whatever the team needs to excel. Hayden Gillum and Austin Moore — hard workers. That's what's great about K-State's walk-on tradition."
Although football was Mott's first love, he grew up a late bloomer, reporting to freshman high school football at 5-foot-3 and 125 pounds while playing at cornerback and quarterback. At K-State, he has fought to keep on weight.
"Skinny kid from Iowa that wanted an opportunity" is how Klieman recalls his first impression of Mott.
Mott eats a meal every three hours and gulps down weight-gain shakes to maintain his 244-pound frame.
"There's a lot of eating and drinking shakes and eating breakfast and meals in between meals," Mott says. "Sometimes you get full. I've learned you have to learn how to eat when you're full."
It hasn't slowed his speed off the edge of the defensive line.
"Last year, we knew he was ready to contribute," Klieman says. "Not only did he contribute, but he was one of our best players on defense."
It was a long time coming.
"Some people, their time is called faster than others," says Mott, who redshirted as a freshman in 2019. "I was here in 2020 and after COVID I thought, 'Man, this is going to be my time.' Then a dude named Felix Anudike-Uzomah comes in. In 2021, I thought, 'This is it.' Felix and Nate were playing – as they should've been – and I had to realize my time wasn't now. Everyone's journey is different. When your time is called, you have to be ready for your moment. It's tough being patient and it's tough waiting, but it's all worth it in the end."
Last year, it translated to his first-career sack against South Dakota before he picked up another one at Iowa State and against Oklahoma State. Then he had three sacks at West Virginia.
He even broke out a post-sack dance akin to Connor McGregor's "Billion Dollar Strut," which drew a fun-loving ribbing from his teammates.
"My favorite moment was his sack last year when he did his dance for the first time," Moore says. "Looking forward to him hitting that dance a few more times this year."
Odd are that Joe and Shelly Mott will be in attendance. A few years ago, they purchased a Thor Chateau RV and began traveling to each of their son's K-State games. Joe nicknamed the RV "Big Betty," and the tan-and-white RV bears Powercats inside and outside.
"Last night, I picked up Big Betty from storage to clean it up and have it ready this week," Joe says. "I've been looking forward to the season but just getting Big Betty, it really hit me, and we're excited for this weekend."
Mott is excited for the chance to start the season opener in front of 50,000 fans. He thinks about what it will be like to run into the stadium for the first time his senior year — and what could happen when he takes the field.
"I'm excited for sure," he says. "There are some nerves, but they're good nerves. They're not nerves of being scared or anything. I know with my preparation and our team's preparation, we're ready. We're ready for this season and we can't wait."
It all goes back to the opportunity he received at K-State, when the Wildcats welcomed him as a walk-on while other schools turned their backs.
"He did it the hard way," Joe Mott says. "I was just so glad to see him get an opportunity. I believed in him. I figured he would grow, and if he stayed healthy, he'd be a player. I knew he'd be a gamer. It just took a little bit longer than some other people."
Now it is Mott's time to really shine.
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