Joshua Youngblood

Photo by: Emily Starkey

Position:
Wide Receiver
Height:
5-10
Weight:
180
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Tampa, Fla.
High School:
Berkeley Prep

CAREER HONORS
• 2020 Preseason All-Big 12
• 2019 All-American [kr] (ESPN)
• 2019 Second Team All-American [kr] (CBS Sports, FWAA)
• 2019 First Team Freshman All-American [all-purpose] (The Athletic)
• 2019 First Team Freshman All-American (The Athletic)
• 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year (Coaches)
• 2019 First Team All-Big 12 [kr/pr] (Coaches)
• 2019 First Team All-Big 12 [all-purpose] (Associated Press)
• 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Iowa State)
• 2019 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Texas Tech)

CAREER: Has three career kickoff-return touchdowns to rank fourth in K-State history, tie for seventh in Big 12 history and rank second among active players in 2020.

2019: Played in all 13 games as both a wide receiver, where he made three starts, and as one of the best kickoff returners in the country... Returned a nation-leading three kickoff returns for touchdowns en route to being named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year by the league’s coaches, earning All-America honors from ESPN, Second Team All-America accolades from CBS Sports and the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and Freshman All-America honors from the FWAA and The Athletic... Was the first true freshman in Big 12 history to earn the league’s top honor on either offense, defense or special teams... Became the first Wildcat true freshman with first- or second-team All-America honors since Tyler Lockett in 2011... Also picked up First Team All-Big 12 honors as a kick returner from the league’s coaches and as an all-purpose player from the Associated Press, the first Wildcat true freshman to be named to the first team since the league’s inception in 1996... Finished third in Big 12 history and fourth in K-State history with his three kickoff-return scores... Finished first in the Big 12 with a 35.9-yard average, a mark that would have led the nation and set a school record if he had two attempts to meet the NCAA required minimum... Had his first kickoff-return touchdown at Texas, a 98-yarder... Finished out the regular season with a 100-yard return at Texas Tech and a 93-yarder against Iowa State, the latter on the game’s opening kickoff... Earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors following both contests... Was the first Wildcat to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown since Morgan Burns in 2015... Became the first true freshman in the nation with two kickoff returns of at least 98 yards since USC’s Adorre’ Jackson also went 98 and 100 yards in 2014... Teamed with Malik Knowles to be the first pair of freshman teammates to have kickoff-return touchdowns in the season year since 2016 (Memphis)... Finished the year with nine receptions for 73 yards and 11 rushes for 55 yards and a touchdown... Had a season high three catches for 14 yards in K-State’s win over No. 5 Oklahoma, a game that featured a four-yard touchdown run on an end-around... Also rushed three times for 26 yards against Iowa State.

HIGH SCHOOL: A four-year letterwinner at Berkeley Prep under head coach Dominick Ciao... Regarded as the 75th-best athlete in the Class of 2019 by ESPN... An honorable mention pick for the Tampa Bay Times’ All-Tampa Bay team, while the organization named him a second-team utility player among Hillsborough County preps... Rushed for 2,221 yards and 26 touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons to go along with 419 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns on 22 catches over his sophomore and senior campaigns... Returned 16 kickoffs during his career for a 19.1-yard average... Also played quarterback as a junior and senior, throwing for 1,056 yards and 13 touchdowns on 79-of-161 aim... Led the Buccaneers to the regional final of the state playoffs as a senior... Also lettered two years in basketball, earning defensive player of the year honors... Was the first prep player out of the state of Florida to sign with the Wildcats since 2009.

PERSONAL: Joshua Leo Youngblood was born January 26, 2001, at Wuerzburg Army Hospital... Son of Casandra Youngblood... Has two siblings, Mila and Caleb... Majoring in business administration.