Kansas State University Athletics
2022 Football Roster
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Jersey Number 32
Desmond Purnell
- Position:
- Linebacker
- Height:
- 5-11
- Weight:
- 214
- Class:
- Redshirt Freshman
- Hometown:
- Topeka, Kan.
- High School:
- Hayden
Bio
CAREER HONORS
• 2024 Academic All-Big 12
• 2023 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Coaches)
• 2022 Academic All-District (College Sports Communicators)
• 2022-23 First Team Academic All-Big 12
2024: Played in every game with 12 starts, totaling 46 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery… Saw time on 670 defensive snaps during the season, which ranked fifth on the team… His 9.5 TFLs ranked second on the squad… Tied his career high with seven tackles in the season opener against UT Martin and matched that figure against Arizona State, the latter of which included a career-high 2.0 TFLs… Also had six tackles against West Virginia and five against Kansas… Recorded full sacks against Colorado, Kansas and Arizona State… Recovered a fumble at Houston and broke up a pass at Iowa State... An Academic All-Big 12 performer.
2023: Started all 13 games as he earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades... Finished fifth on the team with 52 tackles to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss, a half sack, an interception, three total passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over his 700 defensive snaps, which ranked fourth on the team... Finished the season by tallying at least five tackles in five of the final seven games... Tied for 19th in the nation in fumble recoveries, while he tied for second in the Big 12... Also tied for second in the conference in forced fumbles... All three of his forced fumbles came during Big 12 play to garner league-high honors... One of his fumble recoveries was returned 15 yards for a touchdown against Baylor... Registered a career-high seven tackles against UCF, a game in which he recorded his first-career full TFL... Also had a TFL at Texas and in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State... His half sack came against TCU, a game in which he tallied his first-career interception... A First Team Academic All-Big 12 performer.
2022: Played in every game – including a start against Oklahoma State – as he totaled 21 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery over 301 defensive snaps and 194 special teams plays... Also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against South Dakota... Had a season-high five tackles at West Virginia, while he carded three apiece against South Dakota, Iowa State and in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama... Had two pass breakups at Iowa State when he was forced to play on a season-high 58 snaps due to other injured defenders... Recovered a fumble against Kansas... Earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators and was a First Team Academic All-Big 12 performer.
2021: Redshirted.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played safety at Hayden under head coach Bill Arnold... Viewed as the sixth-best prospect in the state of Kansas for the Class of 2021 by 247Sports... A finalist for the 2020 Kansas 3A Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year by Sports in Kansas, while the organization voted him a first team all-state honoree... Also a first team all-state selection as a senior by the Wichita Eagle as both a junior and a senior... Earned first team all-state honors as a senior and honorable mention accolades as a junior from the Topeka Capital-Journal... Totaled 811 rushing yards, 469 receiving yards and 22 total touchdowns as a senior to go along with 80 tackles... Named the 2020 city offensive player of the year.
PERSONAL: Des Purnell was born January 29, 2003, in Fort Riley, Kansas... Son of Etoi Lones-Talbert and Hal Purnell... Has two siblings, Lorenzo and Dejawn... Older brother, Lorenzo, played football at Pittsburg State... Majoring in athletic training and rehab sciences.
• 2024 Academic All-Big 12
• 2023 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (Coaches)
• 2022 Academic All-District (College Sports Communicators)
• 2022-23 First Team Academic All-Big 12
2024: Played in every game with 12 starts, totaling 46 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery… Saw time on 670 defensive snaps during the season, which ranked fifth on the team… His 9.5 TFLs ranked second on the squad… Tied his career high with seven tackles in the season opener against UT Martin and matched that figure against Arizona State, the latter of which included a career-high 2.0 TFLs… Also had six tackles against West Virginia and five against Kansas… Recorded full sacks against Colorado, Kansas and Arizona State… Recovered a fumble at Houston and broke up a pass at Iowa State... An Academic All-Big 12 performer.
2023: Started all 13 games as he earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades... Finished fifth on the team with 52 tackles to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss, a half sack, an interception, three total passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over his 700 defensive snaps, which ranked fourth on the team... Finished the season by tallying at least five tackles in five of the final seven games... Tied for 19th in the nation in fumble recoveries, while he tied for second in the Big 12... Also tied for second in the conference in forced fumbles... All three of his forced fumbles came during Big 12 play to garner league-high honors... One of his fumble recoveries was returned 15 yards for a touchdown against Baylor... Registered a career-high seven tackles against UCF, a game in which he recorded his first-career full TFL... Also had a TFL at Texas and in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State... His half sack came against TCU, a game in which he tallied his first-career interception... A First Team Academic All-Big 12 performer.
2022: Played in every game – including a start against Oklahoma State – as he totaled 21 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery over 301 defensive snaps and 194 special teams plays... Also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against South Dakota... Had a season-high five tackles at West Virginia, while he carded three apiece against South Dakota, Iowa State and in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama... Had two pass breakups at Iowa State when he was forced to play on a season-high 58 snaps due to other injured defenders... Recovered a fumble against Kansas... Earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators and was a First Team Academic All-Big 12 performer.
2021: Redshirted.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played safety at Hayden under head coach Bill Arnold... Viewed as the sixth-best prospect in the state of Kansas for the Class of 2021 by 247Sports... A finalist for the 2020 Kansas 3A Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year by Sports in Kansas, while the organization voted him a first team all-state honoree... Also a first team all-state selection as a senior by the Wichita Eagle as both a junior and a senior... Earned first team all-state honors as a senior and honorable mention accolades as a junior from the Topeka Capital-Journal... Totaled 811 rushing yards, 469 receiving yards and 22 total touchdowns as a senior to go along with 80 tackles... Named the 2020 city offensive player of the year.
PERSONAL: Des Purnell was born January 29, 2003, in Fort Riley, Kansas... Son of Etoi Lones-Talbert and Hal Purnell... Has two siblings, Lorenzo and Dejawn... Older brother, Lorenzo, played football at Pittsburg State... Majoring in athletic training and rehab sciences.
K-State BSB | Postgame Press Conference vs Texas
Sunday, June 01
K-State Baseball | Game Highlights vs Houston Christian (Austin Regional)
Sunday, June 01
K-State BSB | Game Highlights vs Houston Christian (Austin Regional)
Saturday, May 31
K-State BSB | Postgame Press Conference vs Houston Christian
Saturday, May 31
