Kansas State University Athletics
2021 Football
Garber, Keenan
Jersey Number 1
Keenan Garber
- Position:
- Wide Receiver
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 176
- Class:
- Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Lawrence, Kan.
- High School:
- Free State
Bio
CAREER HONORS
• 2024 Academic All-Big 12
• 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl watch list
• 2023 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Kansas)
• 2022 Second Team Academic All-Big 12
CAREER: Spent six seasons in Manhattan, originally entering the program as a wide receiver and spending nearly three full seasons at the position... Moved to cornerback the week of the 2022 Big 12 Championship and played the position the rest of his career... Saw time in 59 career games, including 17 starts at cornerback his final two seasons.
2024: Played in all 13 games with 12 starts, totaling 29 tackles, an interception and six passes defended... Tied his career high with five tackles against Oklahoma State, while he had four against BYU and Colorado... His interception came against Arizona, a pick in the end zone to halt a potential scoring drive... Tied his career high with two pass breakups against Kansas.
2023: Saw action in all 13 games, including starts in five contests, as he totaled 22 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and five total passes defended... Logged a career-high five tackles at Texas Tech, while he produced a career-best two passes defended against both TCU and Baylor... One of his pass breakups against Baylor came on a fake field goal attempt... Recorded his first-career interception against Baylor, one he returned 45 yards for a touchdown as he tied for third in the Big 12 in interception-return touchdowns... Returned a blocked extra point 91 yards at Kansas – the Wildcats’ first defensive extra point since Nigel Malone returned one vs. Arkansas in the 2012 (post-2011 season) Cotton Bowl – en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors... It was the longest defensive extra point via a blocked kick in school history – one yard longer than Terence Newman’s 90-yard return against USC in 2002 – while it was the longest overall defensive extra point since a 98-yard interception return by Chris Canty against Oklahoma in 1994... Also had three tackles at Missouri and two apiece against SEMO, Oklahoma State, TCU, Houston and Baylor... His TFL was at Oklahoma State, a game in which he recorded his first-career pass breakup.
2022: Played in all 14 games, beginning the year as a reserve wide receiver before seeing significant action as a cornerback at the end of the year while contributing on special teams throughout the entire season... Moved to cornerback the week of the Big 12 Championship game and was pressed into action that game due to other injured players, playing on 21 defensive snaps... Carded his first-career tackle in the Big 12 Championship.
2021: Saw time in 12 games, setting career high in catches (4) and yards (72)... Tallied a career-long reception of 54 yards against Oklahoma... Also hauled in two catches for 13 yards at Kansas.
2020: Saw playing time in six games, including three of the final four contests... Had receptions in two games, including a nine-yard catch against Kansas... Also had a four-yard rush on a jet sweep against Oklahoma State... A Second Team Academic All-Big 12 performer.
2019: Played in one game – seeing action against Kansas – as he preserved his redshirt.
HIGH SCHOOL: A three-year letterwinner at Free State under head coach Bob Lisher, helping the Firebirds earn a 10-1 record and a league championship each season... Named an ESPN 300 recruit, the 23rd-best athlete in the nation and the third-best player in the state of Kansas in the Class of 2019 by ESPN... Rivals and 247Sports each ranked him as the fourth-best player in the state... Named a first team all-state performer by the Topeka Capital-Journal, Wichita Eagle and Kansas Football Coaches Association in 2018... Also named to the USA TODAY Sports/American Family Insurance All-USA Kansas team as a defensive back... Earned honorable mention accolades from the Wichita Eagle in 2017... A finalist for the 2018 Otis Taylor Award as the most outstanding wide receiver in the Kansas City area... Named a 2018 First Team All-Simone performer as one of the top prep players in the Kansas City area... Carded 814 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior, while he also recorded four interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns... Selected to play in the 2019 Kansas Shrine Bowl... Prepped at same high school as current Wildcat safety Jet Dineen.
PERSONAL: Keenan Garber was born July 22, 2000, in Lawrence, Kansas... Son of Tim Nelson and Gretchen Garber Nelson... Has one brother, Tristan... Earned his degree from Kansas State in social sciences in May 2023, while he is currently working on his minor in psychology.
• 2024 Academic All-Big 12
• 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl watch list
• 2023 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Kansas)
• 2022 Second Team Academic All-Big 12
CAREER: Spent six seasons in Manhattan, originally entering the program as a wide receiver and spending nearly three full seasons at the position... Moved to cornerback the week of the 2022 Big 12 Championship and played the position the rest of his career... Saw time in 59 career games, including 17 starts at cornerback his final two seasons.
2024: Played in all 13 games with 12 starts, totaling 29 tackles, an interception and six passes defended... Tied his career high with five tackles against Oklahoma State, while he had four against BYU and Colorado... His interception came against Arizona, a pick in the end zone to halt a potential scoring drive... Tied his career high with two pass breakups against Kansas.
2023: Saw action in all 13 games, including starts in five contests, as he totaled 22 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception and five total passes defended... Logged a career-high five tackles at Texas Tech, while he produced a career-best two passes defended against both TCU and Baylor... One of his pass breakups against Baylor came on a fake field goal attempt... Recorded his first-career interception against Baylor, one he returned 45 yards for a touchdown as he tied for third in the Big 12 in interception-return touchdowns... Returned a blocked extra point 91 yards at Kansas – the Wildcats’ first defensive extra point since Nigel Malone returned one vs. Arkansas in the 2012 (post-2011 season) Cotton Bowl – en route to Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors... It was the longest defensive extra point via a blocked kick in school history – one yard longer than Terence Newman’s 90-yard return against USC in 2002 – while it was the longest overall defensive extra point since a 98-yard interception return by Chris Canty against Oklahoma in 1994... Also had three tackles at Missouri and two apiece against SEMO, Oklahoma State, TCU, Houston and Baylor... His TFL was at Oklahoma State, a game in which he recorded his first-career pass breakup.
2022: Played in all 14 games, beginning the year as a reserve wide receiver before seeing significant action as a cornerback at the end of the year while contributing on special teams throughout the entire season... Moved to cornerback the week of the Big 12 Championship game and was pressed into action that game due to other injured players, playing on 21 defensive snaps... Carded his first-career tackle in the Big 12 Championship.
2021: Saw time in 12 games, setting career high in catches (4) and yards (72)... Tallied a career-long reception of 54 yards against Oklahoma... Also hauled in two catches for 13 yards at Kansas.
2020: Saw playing time in six games, including three of the final four contests... Had receptions in two games, including a nine-yard catch against Kansas... Also had a four-yard rush on a jet sweep against Oklahoma State... A Second Team Academic All-Big 12 performer.
2019: Played in one game – seeing action against Kansas – as he preserved his redshirt.
HIGH SCHOOL: A three-year letterwinner at Free State under head coach Bob Lisher, helping the Firebirds earn a 10-1 record and a league championship each season... Named an ESPN 300 recruit, the 23rd-best athlete in the nation and the third-best player in the state of Kansas in the Class of 2019 by ESPN... Rivals and 247Sports each ranked him as the fourth-best player in the state... Named a first team all-state performer by the Topeka Capital-Journal, Wichita Eagle and Kansas Football Coaches Association in 2018... Also named to the USA TODAY Sports/American Family Insurance All-USA Kansas team as a defensive back... Earned honorable mention accolades from the Wichita Eagle in 2017... A finalist for the 2018 Otis Taylor Award as the most outstanding wide receiver in the Kansas City area... Named a 2018 First Team All-Simone performer as one of the top prep players in the Kansas City area... Carded 814 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior, while he also recorded four interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns... Selected to play in the 2019 Kansas Shrine Bowl... Prepped at same high school as current Wildcat safety Jet Dineen.
PERSONAL: Keenan Garber was born July 22, 2000, in Lawrence, Kansas... Son of Tim Nelson and Gretchen Garber Nelson... Has one brother, Tristan... Earned his degree from Kansas State in social sciences in May 2023, while he is currently working on his minor in psychology.
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