Eager to Start Making His Name Known in The 785
Sep 03, 2026 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
"Nothing but excitement, man. As soon as I stepped inside, I felt honored," beams a smiling Mekhi Mason, a 6-foot-2, 233-pounder dressed in a purple hoodie with the Nike Swoosh that reads in all white caps: "K-STATE WILDCATS." It's Monday at 10:47 a.m., and it's five days until Mason takes the field for his first game as a Wildcat. The K-State defense, under the direction of new coordinator Jordan Peterson, features two linebackers — a middle linebacker and a weakside linebacker — and Mason, who transferred to K-State from Louisiana Tech, and who began his college football career at Syracuse, is expected to make his first career start at a Power 4 school when he lines up as the middle linebacker shortly after the 6 p.m. kickoff against Nicholls on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Contagious energy emits from Mason, who turned 22 years old on Sunday, and who can't help but flash that grin you get that moment you realize this is really happening and a dream is really coming to fruition. This is happening, all right, the native of Miami suburb Pembroke Pines and graduate of Monsignor Pace High School in Opa Locka, Florida, getting his big shot after a lengthy journey, the fifth-year senior who jokingly says that his parents, Steven and Ahylin, "threw me into flag football" at age 4, and who instantly fell in love with the pigskin, and who emerged as one of the fiercest players in "The 305," and who began to absolutely thrive at linebacker.
"I loved being able to take control and get tackles for loss and drop into coverage and get interceptions — everything," Mason recounts, standing inside the team theater room inside the Vanier Family Football Complex in front of reporters for the first time in Manhattan. Yes, the story traces back, back, back, to lawn chairs and wood bleachers shaded by palm trees and a few miles from beautiful beaches with waves that clapped in unison like an anxious crowd awaiting a show. And Mason did exactly that — he put on a show as an excellent tackler with long arms who accelerated into contact and was strong at the point of attack. He was big and he was fast. He'd come downhill in a hurry and crash gaps and was excellent in chasing plays. He'd drop back into coverage and blitz off the edge.
He had 42 tackles, including 12.0 tackles for loss, and six sacks while helping Monsignor Pace to the Florida Class 4A State Playoffs his junior season.
"Down there in Florida, football is a religion from Little League, where the parks are packed out, and then onto high school, where the stadiums are packed out, and on into college, where you play in the big atmosphere," he says.
He pauses.
"Man," he continues, "you've got to make plays. You've got to. And you've got to shine in the big atmosphere."
The big atmosphere awaits inside a plush football stadium that still sleeps — the 50,000-capacity Bill Snyder Family Stadium that has sold out darned near every game since the end of COVID-19 — and that is expected to be packed again as 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein, one of the finest quarterbacks in Big 12 Conference history, officially makes arguably the most highly-anticipated debut by a head coach in K-State Athletics history.
Klein, hired on December 4, put together a coaching staff and that coaching staff put together a roster that includes 58 newcomers, featuring 26 Division I or Division II transfers. That, of course, includes Mason, who before even making a tackle at K-State has already been named a member of the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List. Mason did many fine things during his two seasons at Louisiana Tech. Last season, he started in 11 of 12 games and posted 68 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks and four passes defended en route to All-Conference USA Second Team accolades. How good was Mason? His 14.5 tackles for loss led Conference USA and tied for 26th nationally. How good was Mason? He opened the season with nine tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a pass breakup against Southeastern Louisiana to earn Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week. One week later, he had a career-high 11 tackles at LSU. On and on, Mason put up sizable numbers.
On Saturday, in his first game at K-State, Mason needs just four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss to reach 100 career tackles and 20.0 tackles for loss in his college career.
"His twitch and snap to the football and instinct is special," Klein says. "To be able to be at his size, have his level of physicality while still having the ability to run at the inside linebacker position is like somebody I played with."
Klein, of course, is referring to former teammate Arthur Brown, who like Mason, wore the No. 4 jersey. Brown transferred to K-State, earned 2011 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and then earned 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year while earning All-America honors. Brown's name is now in the K-State Football Ring of Honor.
"I pride myself on my athletic ability," Mason says. "I pride myself on not getting blocked and I pride myself on my tackles for loss. One thing I love is playing the run, for sure. I rely on my instincts. It's about preparation. I watch plenty of film."
He pauses.
"Sometimes," he says, "I know what the play is going to be before the play happens."
But Mason had no idea exactly what his path would be before reaching this "big atmosphere." Coming out of high school as a three-star prospect, Mason had 15 scholarship offers, including LSU, Florida State, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Indiana and Georgia Tech. Syracuse was his first offer, and he took his official visit in June 2021, and he selected the Orange over Indiana and Georgia Tech — the two other schools that he visited.
"Right after I got my first offer, I thought, 'OK, I can do something with this,'" Mason says.
But Mason hardly played at Syracuse. He played four defensive snaps during the 2022 and 2023 seasons combined. He opted the transfer, found Louisiana Tech, and he had better fortune in 2024 and 2025. After last season, he entered the transfer portal again. When he did, he received many phone calls from FBS schools. One time when he picked up his phone on December 5, he discovered a familiar voice at the other end — Jeremiah Johnson, who served as Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator in 2024. Johnson had just been hired as a defensive backs coach at K-State. Johnson knew talent. And he knew Mason could be a tremendous asset to the Wildcats' defense.
"Coach JJ was a big part of why I made the decision to come here," Mason says. "He took a big chance on me after transferring out of Syracuse and saw how much I could play and my ability, and he let me play at Louisiana Tech, and now I'm here. I didn't know Coach JJ was going to K-State. I took my visit up here, and I've loved it ever since. This place is very family oriented. The coaches presented me with a role and wanted me to take a big step from Louisiana Tech and play more inside the box and be one of those stud linebackers, for sure."
Mekhi and Ahylin, his mother, traveled to Manhattan in late January. The Little Apple. The new home. The big atmosphere that awaits.
"I always stayed hungry," Mason says. "I didn't let my transfer to a Group of 5 team at Louisiana Tech get to me because I knew what I was capable of. After last year's good season, I spoke with my family and decided it was best to transfer back up to the Power 4."
While Mason plans to do his talking on the football field, he also has earned a mighty voice inside the locker room as well. And that, he contends, is what makes him the proudest since he stepped foot inside Vanier.
"My growth as a leader has impressed me the most," he says. "At my other school, I was a leader, but I wasn't in as big of a role as the player I am here. Now I have a voice on the team, and guys look up to me, and guys ask plenty of questions.
"I'm one of the main guys on the team."
Yes sir, Mason is a dude, and he's eager to play, and as time ticks down toward the first start in his life as a Power 4 player, Mason preaches physicality and discipline and instincts and athleticism and energy and planning and preparation while standing in front of a purple wall at Vanier that in white block lettering reads, "PLAN TO WIN."
There's a plan, all right — a plan to help lead the team, to disrupt opposing offenses, and to send quarterbacks and ball carriers tumbling to the ground. That awesome lateral movement that Brown possessed when he bore down on a target 14 years ago could return to the football field on Saturday in the form of another standout linebacker wearing the No. 4 jersey, a young man who, much like Brown, came to K-State for an opportunity.
Mason, who several years ago shined in "The 305," is eager to start making his name in "The 785." And that, of course, will begin with Mason's first-ever jog out of the tunnel on Saturday, as he begins the new chapter to a story that is just getting really good.
"First, when we come out of the tunnel, I'm going to say a prayer," Mason says. "Then I'm going to think about putting a hat on somebody."
He pauses. He smiles.
"That's the reason I'm here," he says. "I have something to prove, for sure."
The big atmosphere awaits.
"Nothing but excitement, man. As soon as I stepped inside, I felt honored," beams a smiling Mekhi Mason, a 6-foot-2, 233-pounder dressed in a purple hoodie with the Nike Swoosh that reads in all white caps: "K-STATE WILDCATS." It's Monday at 10:47 a.m., and it's five days until Mason takes the field for his first game as a Wildcat. The K-State defense, under the direction of new coordinator Jordan Peterson, features two linebackers — a middle linebacker and a weakside linebacker — and Mason, who transferred to K-State from Louisiana Tech, and who began his college football career at Syracuse, is expected to make his first career start at a Power 4 school when he lines up as the middle linebacker shortly after the 6 p.m. kickoff against Nicholls on Saturday at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
Contagious energy emits from Mason, who turned 22 years old on Sunday, and who can't help but flash that grin you get that moment you realize this is really happening and a dream is really coming to fruition. This is happening, all right, the native of Miami suburb Pembroke Pines and graduate of Monsignor Pace High School in Opa Locka, Florida, getting his big shot after a lengthy journey, the fifth-year senior who jokingly says that his parents, Steven and Ahylin, "threw me into flag football" at age 4, and who instantly fell in love with the pigskin, and who emerged as one of the fiercest players in "The 305," and who began to absolutely thrive at linebacker.
"I loved being able to take control and get tackles for loss and drop into coverage and get interceptions — everything," Mason recounts, standing inside the team theater room inside the Vanier Family Football Complex in front of reporters for the first time in Manhattan. Yes, the story traces back, back, back, to lawn chairs and wood bleachers shaded by palm trees and a few miles from beautiful beaches with waves that clapped in unison like an anxious crowd awaiting a show. And Mason did exactly that — he put on a show as an excellent tackler with long arms who accelerated into contact and was strong at the point of attack. He was big and he was fast. He'd come downhill in a hurry and crash gaps and was excellent in chasing plays. He'd drop back into coverage and blitz off the edge.
He had 42 tackles, including 12.0 tackles for loss, and six sacks while helping Monsignor Pace to the Florida Class 4A State Playoffs his junior season.
"Down there in Florida, football is a religion from Little League, where the parks are packed out, and then onto high school, where the stadiums are packed out, and on into college, where you play in the big atmosphere," he says.
He pauses.
"Man," he continues, "you've got to make plays. You've got to. And you've got to shine in the big atmosphere."
The big atmosphere awaits inside a plush football stadium that still sleeps — the 50,000-capacity Bill Snyder Family Stadium that has sold out darned near every game since the end of COVID-19 — and that is expected to be packed again as 2012 Heisman Trophy finalist Collin Klein, one of the finest quarterbacks in Big 12 Conference history, officially makes arguably the most highly-anticipated debut by a head coach in K-State Athletics history.
Klein, hired on December 4, put together a coaching staff and that coaching staff put together a roster that includes 58 newcomers, featuring 26 Division I or Division II transfers. That, of course, includes Mason, who before even making a tackle at K-State has already been named a member of the East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 Watch List. Mason did many fine things during his two seasons at Louisiana Tech. Last season, he started in 11 of 12 games and posted 68 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks and four passes defended en route to All-Conference USA Second Team accolades. How good was Mason? His 14.5 tackles for loss led Conference USA and tied for 26th nationally. How good was Mason? He opened the season with nine tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a pass breakup against Southeastern Louisiana to earn Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week. One week later, he had a career-high 11 tackles at LSU. On and on, Mason put up sizable numbers.
On Saturday, in his first game at K-State, Mason needs just four tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss to reach 100 career tackles and 20.0 tackles for loss in his college career.
"His twitch and snap to the football and instinct is special," Klein says. "To be able to be at his size, have his level of physicality while still having the ability to run at the inside linebacker position is like somebody I played with."
Klein, of course, is referring to former teammate Arthur Brown, who like Mason, wore the No. 4 jersey. Brown transferred to K-State, earned 2011 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and then earned 2012 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year while earning All-America honors. Brown's name is now in the K-State Football Ring of Honor.
"I pride myself on my athletic ability," Mason says. "I pride myself on not getting blocked and I pride myself on my tackles for loss. One thing I love is playing the run, for sure. I rely on my instincts. It's about preparation. I watch plenty of film."
He pauses.
"Sometimes," he says, "I know what the play is going to be before the play happens."
But Mason had no idea exactly what his path would be before reaching this "big atmosphere." Coming out of high school as a three-star prospect, Mason had 15 scholarship offers, including LSU, Florida State, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Indiana and Georgia Tech. Syracuse was his first offer, and he took his official visit in June 2021, and he selected the Orange over Indiana and Georgia Tech — the two other schools that he visited.
"Right after I got my first offer, I thought, 'OK, I can do something with this,'" Mason says.
But Mason hardly played at Syracuse. He played four defensive snaps during the 2022 and 2023 seasons combined. He opted the transfer, found Louisiana Tech, and he had better fortune in 2024 and 2025. After last season, he entered the transfer portal again. When he did, he received many phone calls from FBS schools. One time when he picked up his phone on December 5, he discovered a familiar voice at the other end — Jeremiah Johnson, who served as Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator in 2024. Johnson had just been hired as a defensive backs coach at K-State. Johnson knew talent. And he knew Mason could be a tremendous asset to the Wildcats' defense.
"Coach JJ was a big part of why I made the decision to come here," Mason says. "He took a big chance on me after transferring out of Syracuse and saw how much I could play and my ability, and he let me play at Louisiana Tech, and now I'm here. I didn't know Coach JJ was going to K-State. I took my visit up here, and I've loved it ever since. This place is very family oriented. The coaches presented me with a role and wanted me to take a big step from Louisiana Tech and play more inside the box and be one of those stud linebackers, for sure."
Mekhi and Ahylin, his mother, traveled to Manhattan in late January. The Little Apple. The new home. The big atmosphere that awaits.
"I always stayed hungry," Mason says. "I didn't let my transfer to a Group of 5 team at Louisiana Tech get to me because I knew what I was capable of. After last year's good season, I spoke with my family and decided it was best to transfer back up to the Power 4."
While Mason plans to do his talking on the football field, he also has earned a mighty voice inside the locker room as well. And that, he contends, is what makes him the proudest since he stepped foot inside Vanier.
"My growth as a leader has impressed me the most," he says. "At my other school, I was a leader, but I wasn't in as big of a role as the player I am here. Now I have a voice on the team, and guys look up to me, and guys ask plenty of questions.
"I'm one of the main guys on the team."
Yes sir, Mason is a dude, and he's eager to play, and as time ticks down toward the first start in his life as a Power 4 player, Mason preaches physicality and discipline and instincts and athleticism and energy and planning and preparation while standing in front of a purple wall at Vanier that in white block lettering reads, "PLAN TO WIN."
There's a plan, all right — a plan to help lead the team, to disrupt opposing offenses, and to send quarterbacks and ball carriers tumbling to the ground. That awesome lateral movement that Brown possessed when he bore down on a target 14 years ago could return to the football field on Saturday in the form of another standout linebacker wearing the No. 4 jersey, a young man who, much like Brown, came to K-State for an opportunity.
Mason, who several years ago shined in "The 305," is eager to start making his name in "The 785." And that, of course, will begin with Mason's first-ever jog out of the tunnel on Saturday, as he begins the new chapter to a story that is just getting really good.
"First, when we come out of the tunnel, I'm going to say a prayer," Mason says. "Then I'm going to think about putting a hat on somebody."
He pauses. He smiles.
"That's the reason I'm here," he says. "I have something to prove, for sure."
The big atmosphere awaits.
Players Mentioned
LB
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