Kansas State University Athletics
Hecht, Payne Invited to Panini Senior Bowl
Dec 02, 2025 | Football
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State offensive lineman Sam Hecht and safety VJ Payne have been invited to play in the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl.
It is the second postseason all-star game the duo has been invited to as they were also selected for the East-West Shrine Game. If they accept the invitation to the Senior Bowl, the Wildcats will have had five players compete in the game over the last four seasons.
A product of Shawnee, Kansas, Hecht has started each of the last 25 games at center and played in 42 career contests. He anchored an offensive line that saw the Wildcat finish the regular season tied for 13th in the nation in fewest sacks per game (1.08), while K-State rushed for 678 yards the last two weeks against Utah and Colorado, which ranked fourth in the nation and tops among Power 4 schools. The offensive line paved the way for a school-record 472 rushing yards at Utah to break a record that had stood for 71 years in addition to helping running back Joe Jackson set the school's single-game rushing record with 293 yards.
Hecht, a former walk-on, was on the preseason watch lists for the Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy, while he was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection last year.
Payne, a native of Gainesville, Georgia, has played in 52 career games with 42 starts, including starts in each of the last 41 games to stand as the longest streak on the team. He has 207 career tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 14 passes defended – including four interceptions – four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. This season, Payne ranks third on the team with 59 tackles, while he has 3.0 TFLs, an interception, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
The 2026 Panini Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday, January 31, inside Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
It is the second postseason all-star game the duo has been invited to as they were also selected for the East-West Shrine Game. If they accept the invitation to the Senior Bowl, the Wildcats will have had five players compete in the game over the last four seasons.
A product of Shawnee, Kansas, Hecht has started each of the last 25 games at center and played in 42 career contests. He anchored an offensive line that saw the Wildcat finish the regular season tied for 13th in the nation in fewest sacks per game (1.08), while K-State rushed for 678 yards the last two weeks against Utah and Colorado, which ranked fourth in the nation and tops among Power 4 schools. The offensive line paved the way for a school-record 472 rushing yards at Utah to break a record that had stood for 71 years in addition to helping running back Joe Jackson set the school's single-game rushing record with 293 yards.
Hecht, a former walk-on, was on the preseason watch lists for the Outland Trophy and Rimington Trophy, while he was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection last year.
Payne, a native of Gainesville, Georgia, has played in 52 career games with 42 starts, including starts in each of the last 41 games to stand as the longest streak on the team. He has 207 career tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 14 passes defended – including four interceptions – four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. This season, Payne ranks third on the team with 59 tackles, while he has 3.0 TFLs, an interception, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles.
The 2026 Panini Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday, January 31, inside Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama.
– k-statesports.com –
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Football, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Football, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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