Kansas State University Athletics

2017 Football

Alex Barnes
Alex Barnes at TCU
Photo by: Kevin McCarty
Alex Barnes and Alex Delton at TCU
Photo by: Kevin McCarty
K-State's Alex Barnes runs the ball against Oklahoma State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
K-State's Alex Barnes runs the ball against Oklahoma State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
Alex Barnes
NCAA Football: Kansas State at Baylor
NCAA Football: Kansas State at Baylor
NCAA Football: Kansas State at Baylor
NCAA Football: Kansas State at Baylor
NCAA Football: Kansas State at West Virginia
K-State's Skylar Thompson hands off the ball to Alex Barnes against Mississippi State at Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kansas.
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Alex Barnes vs UCLA
Alex Barnes vs Oklahoma
K-State's Alex Barnes
Photo by: Scott D. Weaver / K-State Athletics
Alex Barnes Leaps A Defender
Alex Barnes
Jersey Number 34

Alex Barnes

  • Position:
    Running Back
  • Height:
    6-1
  • Weight:
    227
  • Class:
    Sophomore
  • Hometown:
    Pittsburg, Kan.
  • High School:
    Pittsburg
CAREER HONORS
• 2018 Fourth Team All-American (Phil Steele)
• 2018 First Team All-Big 12 (Associated Press)
• 2018 Second Team All-Big 12 (Coaches)
• 2018 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week (Oklahoma State)
• 2018 Maxwell Award watch list
• 2017-18 Doak Walker Award watch list
• 2016 Second Team Big 12 All-Freshman Team (Athlon)
• 2016, 2018 Second Team Academic All-Big 12

CAREER: A powerful running back finished his career as one of the best in school history prior to entering the NFL Draft a year early... Finished his career ranked second in yards per carry (5.71) and 100-yard rushing games (12), fourth in yards (2,616) and yards per game (112.9), and ninth in rushing touchdowns (25)... Also finished 18th in career all-purpose yards (2,839).

2018: Started all 12 games, rushing for 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns on 256 carries – all career highs – en route to First Team All-Big 12 accolades from the Associated Press and second-team honors from the league’s coaches... Finished as the Big 12’s leading rusher, the first Wildcat to do so since Daniel Thomas in 2010... Led the league in rushing by over 10 yards per game... His rushing total of 1,355 yards ranked fourth in school history overall and second among juniors, while he hit the 1,000-yard mark in 187 carries to tie for fifth in school history...  He became the first Wildcat with 1,000 rushing yards during a regular season since Thomas in 2010... Finished 10th in the nation in rushing yards per game, the first Wildcat to rank in the top 10 since Thomas finished eighth in 2010... Tied for third in the Big 12 in rushing touchdowns and finished second in all-purpose yards per game (129.1), the latter finishing 20th nationally... Finished ninth in the Big 12 in total offense per game at 112.9, the highest mark by a non-quarterback... His 256 carries ranked fourth in school history, while his 112.9-yard rushing average per game ranked fifth... Had seven 100-yard rushing games to tie for third in K-State history... Finished his career with four-straight games of 100 rushing yards, the fourth longest streak in school history and third longest to be achieved in one season... Had at least 20 carries in each of the final four games, the longest streak by a Wildcat since Collin Klein did so in the final six games of 2011 and the longest by a Wildcat running back since Thomas’ first five games of 2010... Had 250 yards at Baylor, the fifth most in school history and 11th most nationally during the 2018 season... His total against the Bears was the most by a Wildcat since Thomas had 269 yards at North Texas in 2010 and the most against a conference opponent since Darren Sproles had 273 yards against Missouri in 2003... Came back with 181 yards and four touchdowns against Oklahoma State, becoming the first Wildcat with consecutive games of at least 175 yards since Sproles in 2003 (vs. Missouri and Oklahoma)... His effort against the Cowboys featured a team-high 51 receiving yards as he became the third player in school history with 175 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards (Sproles, 2003 vs. OU; Tony Jordan, 1986 vs. Iowa State)... Became the first Wildcat to record consecutive games of three TDs since Collin Klein in 2012 (vs. Iowa State and West Virginia), while he was the first Wildcat running back to do so since Mack Herron in four-straight games in 1969... Adding in his one rushing score against Texas, he became the first Wildcat running back under Bill Snyder with eight rushing touchdowns in a three-game span... Voted a team co-captain and was a Second Team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.

2017: Started all 13 games, rushing for 819 yards and seven touchdowns on 146 carries while catching five passes for 29 yards and throwing a touchdown pass... Became the first Wildcat running back to start at least 13 games in a season since Darren Sproles in 2003... His 819 yards ranked fourth in school history among sophomores, while he finished fifth in K-State history in single-season rushing yards per carry (5.61)... Became the second-fastest player in school history to 1,000 career yards in terms of carries at 152 – just five shy of Sproles (147) – and one of only four players in school history to hit 1,000 career rushing yards prior to the end of his sophomore year... Carded three 100-yard rushing games on the year, beginning with a 108-yard effort against Oklahoma, a game that featured a 75-yard touchdown on the second play of the game... His 75-yarder was the 10th-longest rush in school history and longest by a Wildcat since 2012... Logged a career-high 23 carries at Kansas for 128 yards and two touchdowns, the latter two being season bests... The effort at Kansas was his second straight 100-yard rushing game, the second time in his two-year career he had consecutive 100-yard games... Teamed with quarterback Alex Delton for two double 100-yard games, one against Oklahoma and the other against UCLA in the Cactus Bowl victory when he rushed for 117 yards with a 41-yard touchdown... It was the first double 100-yard rushing game in K-State bowl history, while his 117 yards and 41-yard score each ranked fifth by a Wildcat in a bowl game... The combined 275 rushing yards between Barnes and Delton against UCLA was the most ever by a pair of underclassmen in one game... Narrowly missed another 100-yard effort against Charlotte when he carded 99 yards and a touchdown... Threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Winston Dimel against Iowa State, the first pass attempt of his career... Hauled in a career-long 11-yard catch at Texas... A member of the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list.

2016: Saw action in 11 games at running back and on special teams... Totaled 442 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 56 carries, ranking second in school history in rushing yards and touchdowns by a freshman... Tied for 10th nationally in rushing touchdowns among freshmen... Averaged 7.89 yards per carry, which led the Big 12 and ranked first in school history among players with 50 or more attempts... Was the only player in the Big 12 with at least 50 attempts to not have a negative rush... Carded career highs in yards (129), carries (19) and rushing touchdowns (4) at Baylor, setting the K-State freshman single-game rushing touchdown record and ranking third in rushing yards... His touchdown total against the Bears also tied for third overall in school history... Came back with 103 yards the next game against Kansas, the first freshman in school history with consecutive 100-yard games... Had a career-long rush of 31 yards for a touchdown against the Jayhawks... Went for 73 yards on eight carries against Florida Atlantic in his first action at running back, a game that featured a 22-yard rush on his first-career attempt... Carded 72 yards on eight carries – including a 27-yarder – against Oklahoma State... Picked up Big 12 All-Freshman honors from Athlon, while he was a Second Team Academic All-Big 12 pick.

2015: Redshirted.

HIGH SCHOOL: Played at Pittsburg under head coach Tom Nickelson... Led the Purple Dragons to a 9-2 record and the quarterfinals of the state championship as a senior... Named one of the top 11 players in the state and to the All-Class 5A teams by the Topeka Capital-Journal and Wichita Eagle... Regarded as one of the top 12 players in the state by the Kansas Football Coaches Association and named to the organization’s all-state 5A team... Totaled 4,835 rushing yards and 83 touchdowns during his career, including 2,361 yards and 38 touchdowns in 2014, breaking the Southeast Kansas League (SEK) single-season and career records for rushing yards and touchdowns... A two-time SEK Offensive Player of the Year honoree... Also earned all-state honors as a junior, while he was a four-time first team all-league and all-county performer.

PERSONAL: Brandon Alex Barnes was born October 27, 1996, in Coffeyville, Kansas... Son of William Barnes and Jaimi Dodson... Involved in Special Olympics and young mentoring... Majoring in kinesiology.
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