From Manhattan to Iowa to D.C., Loftin Has Many Supporters
Sep 04, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
High above the football field, the stadium lights beamed, illuminating the white yard markers on the turf, as Brayden Loftin made his way to his family. They basked in the postgame glow of his mile-marker achievement that arrived two hours prior, and seemingly occurred directly in front of them in the parents' seating section at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Ryan embraced his oldest son. Janelle, his mother, cried. It was one play, yes, in the season-opening 41-6 blowout victory by No. 18 Kansas State over UT Martin, but, alas, it was a feat that caused former K-State tight end and second-round NFL Draft pick Ben Sinnott to jump off his couch in Washington, D.C., and a play that caused Lewis Central High School head coach Justin Kammrad to leap from his chair back home in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Kammrad and the Loftins had witnessed memorable catches by Brayden long before he stepped onto the football field in Manhattan. But this reception, pulled from the evening sky on a beautiful Saturday night in the Little Apple, was in a different galaxy.
Loftin is a 20-year-old sophomore, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end (he has gained 30 pounds since high school). He redshirted the 2022 season. Last season, he never touched a football while sitting in a busy tight end room and playing behind Sinnott. Although sophomore Garrett Oakley and senior Will Swanson, respectively, are expected to contribute mightily this fall, it was Loftin on Saturday who lined up on second-and-2 at the UT Martin 23-yard line midway through the first quarter, and it was Loftin who caught a pass from Avery Johnson at the 15-yard line, and it was Loftin who darted into the south end zone amid deafening cheers.
"That was awesome," Sinnott says. "I was super happy for him. I saw him get open a little bit, and they threw it, and then he scored. I jumped off the couch I was so excited. He's struggled through some injuries, so for his hard work to pay off and for him to have that moment was great to see."
TOUCHDOWN, BRAYDEN LOFTIN!
It was Loftin who scored K-State's first touchdown of the 2024 season.
"It was a really special moment," Loftin says, standing inside the Vanier Family Football Complex on Monday. "I'm just thankful for the opportunity to be out there. I'm thankful for the coaches to keep believing in me."
Observers and fans had an idea that Loftin was trending toward contributing offensively after K-State head coach Chris Klieman opened eyes in training camp by lauding Loftin, who had never caught a pass in a K-State uniform.
"The guy that has jumped at us this year is Brayden Loftin," Klieman said in August. Klieman said that Loftin had gained chemistry with the quarterbacks, had a knack for finding seams, and "has made a ton of plays in the pass game."
"Brayden," Klieman said, "is the one who has stepped up."
And now? Loftin is a bonafide feel-good story. The story might just be getting good, and there will be mishaps and ups and downs along the way, but Loftin has emphatically shown offensive coordinator Conor Riley, tight ends coach Brian Lepak, and Johnson that he can make plays for the Wildcats, 1-0, who visit Tulane, 1-0, in Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff (ESPN) at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.
"From my first year to my third year," Loftin says, "I've developed that self-confidence to be able to make plays. This really gives you a confidence boost."
It began with a father and his oldest son. Ryan, once a linebacker at Iowa, loved football. He coached Brayden first through seventh grade, then he purchased a jugs machine for Brayden his freshman year of high school.
"If we could get it done," Ryan says, "we'd shoot for 100 footballs a day. I'd shoot balls at him on the jugs machine, and we'd talk about the day."
Says Brayden: "He sacrificed so much for me. I wouldn't be here without him, no question."
Loftin spent the final two years of his high school career at Lewis Central High School. He was an athletic 6-foot-4, 210-pounder who was viewed as the 35th-best tight end and the 10th-best overall player in the state of Iowa for the Class of 2022 by ESPN. Although Loftin, who battled injuries, finished top 10 in school history in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, one highlight still hovers around the high school hallways. It came when Loftin, an all-state selection, caught a touchdown pass by quarterback Braylon Kammrad in the second overtime of a 32-24 triple-overtime thriller against Cedar Rapids Xavier for the 2021 football state championship.
"Brayden kept our championship dream alive," Justin Kammrad says. "He just found a hole in the defense and our quarterback was scrambling and found him in the back of the end zone for the biggest catch ever."
By then, FBS schools had taken note. A three-star prospect, Loftin fielded interest from 20 different football programs. But only one Power 4 program pursued him — K-State.
"I remember working a K-State football camp," Sinnott says, "and I instantly knew Brayden was a talented kid who loved the game and was a hard worker."
Loftin remembers getting the fateful phone call one afternoon while standing barefoot on the high school track after a 7-on-7 exercise.
"Coach Klieman called me out of the blue and said, 'We're going to offer you,'" Loftin says. "It was one of the greatest days of my life for sure."
Now, August 31, 2024, will go down as a pretty special day as well.
"He's a kid that has worked his tail off the last three years to get himself into position to help this team," Klieman says. "One thing I've always said about Brayden is that he's always cared. He's always wanted to be really good. When he came in as a freshman, he knew he was undersized and needed to get bigger and stronger. As a redshirt freshman, he kept learning. Now in his third year, he's a 240-something pound kid who's learned a lot from Ben, Swanny and Oak.
"He did some really good things at the point of attack and on blocking for some perimeter runs (against UT Martin). He caught the football and was a big target. The quarterbacks feel really comfortable and confident with him. That's a guy who's made himself into what he is right now."
And exactly what is Loftin?
He's a weapon.
On the fateful 23-yard touchdown play for the first score of the 2024 season, Loftin ran a bullet route down the UT Martin sideline while Johnson also had the option of handing off to star running back DJ Giddens. The third option was to find a pass-catcher in the flat. Johnson saw through the defensive end and saw through the defensive secondary and corner blitz. That glued the boundary safety to the pass-catcher in the flat — which meant no defender remained to cover Loftin down the sideline.
"Nobody ended up running with Loftin," Johnson says, "so it was an easy pitch and catch to get our season rolling."
Adds Loftin: "I knew I was wide open. It was a great feeling."
The good vibes were felt in Council Bluffs.
"It's a big accomplishment for him," Kammrad says. "For me, it's just joy."
Cue the Loftin cheering section.
"We jumped out of our seats," Ryan says. "So proud of the young man. You could really tell the QB had a good read on what was happening in the secondary to find Brayden open that quickly. It was just a great play.
"It really was such a rush. I have to tell you that same feeling just stayed the whole game."
The Loftins are on cloud nine. Sinnott, a proud supporter of K-State's room of talented tight ends, is ecstatic as well.
"Brayden has a ton of potential," Sinnott says. "He's a guy who's really come along in the blocking game and is obviously a very good pass catcher. I think everyone is excited about the tight end room."
Loftin has learned much about himself since he first arrived in Manhattan prior to the 2022 season. Now things are starting to take focus.
"I've learned just that I can do it," he says. "I can make plays I know I can make. That's something I've built up over the past two years through the coaches' belief in me. That's what I continue to do.
"I'm just excited to help the team. We have a lot of games to play this season."
None might be more memorable to the Loftin family than the 2024 season opener, and seeing their son jog onto the football field, and seeing him score his first touchdown, and seeing him return to the football field after the conclusion of the game, under the lights, for a warm hello, a quick goodbye, and the understanding that hard work plus opportunity could mean this is just the start of big things in the Little Apple.
High above the football field, the stadium lights beamed, illuminating the white yard markers on the turf, as Brayden Loftin made his way to his family. They basked in the postgame glow of his mile-marker achievement that arrived two hours prior, and seemingly occurred directly in front of them in the parents' seating section at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Ryan embraced his oldest son. Janelle, his mother, cried. It was one play, yes, in the season-opening 41-6 blowout victory by No. 18 Kansas State over UT Martin, but, alas, it was a feat that caused former K-State tight end and second-round NFL Draft pick Ben Sinnott to jump off his couch in Washington, D.C., and a play that caused Lewis Central High School head coach Justin Kammrad to leap from his chair back home in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Kammrad and the Loftins had witnessed memorable catches by Brayden long before he stepped onto the football field in Manhattan. But this reception, pulled from the evening sky on a beautiful Saturday night in the Little Apple, was in a different galaxy.
Loftin is a 20-year-old sophomore, a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end (he has gained 30 pounds since high school). He redshirted the 2022 season. Last season, he never touched a football while sitting in a busy tight end room and playing behind Sinnott. Although sophomore Garrett Oakley and senior Will Swanson, respectively, are expected to contribute mightily this fall, it was Loftin on Saturday who lined up on second-and-2 at the UT Martin 23-yard line midway through the first quarter, and it was Loftin who caught a pass from Avery Johnson at the 15-yard line, and it was Loftin who darted into the south end zone amid deafening cheers.
"That was awesome," Sinnott says. "I was super happy for him. I saw him get open a little bit, and they threw it, and then he scored. I jumped off the couch I was so excited. He's struggled through some injuries, so for his hard work to pay off and for him to have that moment was great to see."
TOUCHDOWN, BRAYDEN LOFTIN!
It was Loftin who scored K-State's first touchdown of the 2024 season.
Easy stroll for @BraydenLoftin1 pic.twitter.com/WvsQFEU82X
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 31, 2024
"It was a really special moment," Loftin says, standing inside the Vanier Family Football Complex on Monday. "I'm just thankful for the opportunity to be out there. I'm thankful for the coaches to keep believing in me."
Observers and fans had an idea that Loftin was trending toward contributing offensively after K-State head coach Chris Klieman opened eyes in training camp by lauding Loftin, who had never caught a pass in a K-State uniform.
"The guy that has jumped at us this year is Brayden Loftin," Klieman said in August. Klieman said that Loftin had gained chemistry with the quarterbacks, had a knack for finding seams, and "has made a ton of plays in the pass game."
"Brayden," Klieman said, "is the one who has stepped up."
And now? Loftin is a bonafide feel-good story. The story might just be getting good, and there will be mishaps and ups and downs along the way, but Loftin has emphatically shown offensive coordinator Conor Riley, tight ends coach Brian Lepak, and Johnson that he can make plays for the Wildcats, 1-0, who visit Tulane, 1-0, in Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff (ESPN) at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana.
"From my first year to my third year," Loftin says, "I've developed that self-confidence to be able to make plays. This really gives you a confidence boost."
It began with a father and his oldest son. Ryan, once a linebacker at Iowa, loved football. He coached Brayden first through seventh grade, then he purchased a jugs machine for Brayden his freshman year of high school.
"If we could get it done," Ryan says, "we'd shoot for 100 footballs a day. I'd shoot balls at him on the jugs machine, and we'd talk about the day."
Says Brayden: "He sacrificed so much for me. I wouldn't be here without him, no question."
Loftin spent the final two years of his high school career at Lewis Central High School. He was an athletic 6-foot-4, 210-pounder who was viewed as the 35th-best tight end and the 10th-best overall player in the state of Iowa for the Class of 2022 by ESPN. Although Loftin, who battled injuries, finished top 10 in school history in career receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, one highlight still hovers around the high school hallways. It came when Loftin, an all-state selection, caught a touchdown pass by quarterback Braylon Kammrad in the second overtime of a 32-24 triple-overtime thriller against Cedar Rapids Xavier for the 2021 football state championship.
"Brayden kept our championship dream alive," Justin Kammrad says. "He just found a hole in the defense and our quarterback was scrambling and found him in the back of the end zone for the biggest catch ever."
By then, FBS schools had taken note. A three-star prospect, Loftin fielded interest from 20 different football programs. But only one Power 4 program pursued him — K-State.
"I remember working a K-State football camp," Sinnott says, "and I instantly knew Brayden was a talented kid who loved the game and was a hard worker."
Loftin remembers getting the fateful phone call one afternoon while standing barefoot on the high school track after a 7-on-7 exercise.
"Coach Klieman called me out of the blue and said, 'We're going to offer you,'" Loftin says. "It was one of the greatest days of my life for sure."
Now, August 31, 2024, will go down as a pretty special day as well.
"He's a kid that has worked his tail off the last three years to get himself into position to help this team," Klieman says. "One thing I've always said about Brayden is that he's always cared. He's always wanted to be really good. When he came in as a freshman, he knew he was undersized and needed to get bigger and stronger. As a redshirt freshman, he kept learning. Now in his third year, he's a 240-something pound kid who's learned a lot from Ben, Swanny and Oak.
"He did some really good things at the point of attack and on blocking for some perimeter runs (against UT Martin). He caught the football and was a big target. The quarterbacks feel really comfortable and confident with him. That's a guy who's made himself into what he is right now."
And exactly what is Loftin?
He's a weapon.
On the fateful 23-yard touchdown play for the first score of the 2024 season, Loftin ran a bullet route down the UT Martin sideline while Johnson also had the option of handing off to star running back DJ Giddens. The third option was to find a pass-catcher in the flat. Johnson saw through the defensive end and saw through the defensive secondary and corner blitz. That glued the boundary safety to the pass-catcher in the flat — which meant no defender remained to cover Loftin down the sideline.
"Nobody ended up running with Loftin," Johnson says, "so it was an easy pitch and catch to get our season rolling."
Adds Loftin: "I knew I was wide open. It was a great feeling."
The good vibes were felt in Council Bluffs.
"It's a big accomplishment for him," Kammrad says. "For me, it's just joy."
Cue the Loftin cheering section.
"We jumped out of our seats," Ryan says. "So proud of the young man. You could really tell the QB had a good read on what was happening in the secondary to find Brayden open that quickly. It was just a great play.
"It really was such a rush. I have to tell you that same feeling just stayed the whole game."
The Loftins are on cloud nine. Sinnott, a proud supporter of K-State's room of talented tight ends, is ecstatic as well.
"Brayden has a ton of potential," Sinnott says. "He's a guy who's really come along in the blocking game and is obviously a very good pass catcher. I think everyone is excited about the tight end room."
Loftin has learned much about himself since he first arrived in Manhattan prior to the 2022 season. Now things are starting to take focus.
"I've learned just that I can do it," he says. "I can make plays I know I can make. That's something I've built up over the past two years through the coaches' belief in me. That's what I continue to do.
"I'm just excited to help the team. We have a lot of games to play this season."
None might be more memorable to the Loftin family than the 2024 season opener, and seeing their son jog onto the football field, and seeing him score his first touchdown, and seeing him return to the football field after the conclusion of the game, under the lights, for a warm hello, a quick goodbye, and the understanding that hard work plus opportunity could mean this is just the start of big things in the Little Apple.
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