Kansas State University Athletics
2022 Football Roster
Zentner, Ty
Jersey Number 8
Ty Zentner
- Position:
- Punter/Kicker
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 200
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Topeka, Kan.
- High School:
- Shawnee Heights
- Prev School:
- Butler CC
Bio
CAREER HONORS
• 2022 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist
• 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team (Coaches)
• 2022 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Oklahoma State)
• 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (Coaches)
• 2021 Second Team Academic All-Big 12
• 2020 First Team Academic All-Big 12
CAREER: Played in 41 games over parts of four seasons for the Wildcats after transferring in from Butler CC... Served as the primary kickoff man each of the last three seasons, the primary punter the final two seasons and field goal kicker during the second half of his final campaign... Finished second in school history in career punting average (43.37).
2022: Earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors as a punter after averaging 44.5 yards on 59 punts with 27 punts landing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line – a career best – and 22 traveling at least 50 yards... His season average ranked second in school history, 18th nationally and second in the Big 12... Held a 54.25-yard average against Missouri to rank second in a game in school history (min. 4 attempts)... Boomed a 72-yard punt against Kansas, the longest in the Big 12 during the 2022 season and the longest by a Wildcat since James Garcia had a 78-yarder at Texas in 1998... Set the school’s single-season record for field goal percentage (min. 10 attempts) as he was true on all 11 tries after taking over place kicking duties prior to the Oklahoma State game... Also connected on all 31 extra points attempts, the 13th perfect season in school history (min. 20 attempts)... Had two field goals in four games, including the Sugar Bowl to tie for second in school bowl history for a game and rank third in a career... Was true on a 31-yard field goal in overtime to send K-State to a 31-28 victory over TCU in the 2022 Big 12 Championship... Connected on a career-long field goal of 53 yards at West Virginia, tied for the 10th longest by a Wildcat and the longest since Blake Lynch also had a 53-yarder at TCU in 2020... His field goal at West Virginia tied for the longest in Milan Puskar Stadium history by an opponent and was the second longest in the Big 12 during the 2022 season... Was true on a career-high six extra points against Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Kansas... Totaled 51 touchbacks on 86 kickoffs (59.3%) during the season... One of four FBS players – and the only one at a Power 5 school – to handle a majority of the team’s punting, kickoffs and field goals/extra points during the 2022 season (Cincinnati’s Ryan Coe, Georgia State’s Michael Hayes and San Diego State’s Jack Browning).
2021: Served as the primary punter and kickoff specialist for all 13 games en route to Honorable Mention All-Big 12 accolades... Finished the year with a 43.7-yard punting average to tie for fifth in school history... His average would have ranked second in the Big 12 had he punted eight more times to reach the required minimum... Average was buoyed by 16 punts that traveled 50 or more yards after just five last season, while he only had four touchbacks... A career-high five of those 50-plus yard punts came at Oklahoma State... Tallied a career-best average of 55.7 yards per punt at Texas Tech, which was the 12th-best average in the nation and fourth in the Big 12 in a single game during the year (minimum 3 punts)... One of his punts against the Red Raiders was a 63-yarder – the second-longest of his career – which immediately preceded a K-State safety that swung the game in the Wildcats’ favor... Landed a career-high four punts inside the 20-yard line at Texas... Totaled 36 touchbacks on his 67 kickoffs (53.7%), the most by a Wildcat since 2004... Tied his career high with six touchbacks against Southern Illinois... Filled in as place kicker in K-State’s win over LSU in the Texas Bowl, connecting on all six extra-point attempts... A Second Team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.
2020: Served as the primary kickoff man and split punting duties throughout all 10 games... Punted 28 times for a 40.8-yard average with 14 punts landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and none of his attempts going for touchbacks... Ranked third in the Big 12 in average... Also kicked off 47 times for a 60.1-yard average and 29 touchbacks... Had a season-high average of 49.5 yards against Texas... Boomed a season-long punt of 65 yards at TCU, a game in which he also had a season-high three punts land inside the Horned Frog 20-yard line... Had a career-high six touchbacks on kickoffs against both Oklahoma and Kansas... Earned First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors.
2019: Served as a kickoff specialist in four games as he retained his redshirt... Held a 60.3-yard average and had 14 touchbacks on 18 kickoffs... Set a career high with a 63.0-yard average against TCU with four touchbacks, the latter being a mark he tied at Texas.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Played two seasons at Butler under head coach Tim Schaffner... Rated the best junior college kicker in the Class of 2019 by ESPN, while he ranked second according to 247Sports... Earned first team all-conference honors as a punter in 2018, helping the Grizzlies earn an 8-4 record that included a win in the Midwest Classic Bowl... Held a 39.5-yard average on 64 punts as a sophomore, landing 28 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line... Had a season-best 48.3-yard average against Ellsworth, which included a 70-yarder... That came on the heels of a 45.0-yard average at Fort Scott... Was 9-of-16 on field-goal attempts and 31-of-37 on extra-point attempts in 2018... Connected on all four field goals in a three-point win at Dodge City... Punted 14 times and was 1-of-3 on field-goal attempts as a freshman in 2017.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played football his senior season at Shawnee Heights under head coach Jason Swift... Earned honorable mention all-state honors from the Topeka Capital-Journal and Wichita Eagle as a senior in 2016... Also lettered three years in soccer and two years in basketball... Was a goalkeeper for the Thunderbirds, earning two all-state honors... A starter on the basketball team that captured the Class 5A state championship his senior year when he was named to the all-state tournament team.
PERSONAL: Ty Zentner was born June 7, 1998, in Topeka, Kansas... Son of Arlen and Sunni Zentner... Has one brother, Aaron... Obtained his undergraduate degree from K-State in physical education/health in May 2022.
• 2022 Ray Guy Award Semifinalist
• 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team (Coaches)
• 2022 Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (Oklahoma State)
• 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (Coaches)
• 2021 Second Team Academic All-Big 12
• 2020 First Team Academic All-Big 12
CAREER: Played in 41 games over parts of four seasons for the Wildcats after transferring in from Butler CC... Served as the primary kickoff man each of the last three seasons, the primary punter the final two seasons and field goal kicker during the second half of his final campaign... Finished second in school history in career punting average (43.37).
2022: Earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors as a punter after averaging 44.5 yards on 59 punts with 27 punts landing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line – a career best – and 22 traveling at least 50 yards... His season average ranked second in school history, 18th nationally and second in the Big 12... Held a 54.25-yard average against Missouri to rank second in a game in school history (min. 4 attempts)... Boomed a 72-yard punt against Kansas, the longest in the Big 12 during the 2022 season and the longest by a Wildcat since James Garcia had a 78-yarder at Texas in 1998... Set the school’s single-season record for field goal percentage (min. 10 attempts) as he was true on all 11 tries after taking over place kicking duties prior to the Oklahoma State game... Also connected on all 31 extra points attempts, the 13th perfect season in school history (min. 20 attempts)... Had two field goals in four games, including the Sugar Bowl to tie for second in school bowl history for a game and rank third in a career... Was true on a 31-yard field goal in overtime to send K-State to a 31-28 victory over TCU in the 2022 Big 12 Championship... Connected on a career-long field goal of 53 yards at West Virginia, tied for the 10th longest by a Wildcat and the longest since Blake Lynch also had a 53-yarder at TCU in 2020... His field goal at West Virginia tied for the longest in Milan Puskar Stadium history by an opponent and was the second longest in the Big 12 during the 2022 season... Was true on a career-high six extra points against Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Kansas... Totaled 51 touchbacks on 86 kickoffs (59.3%) during the season... One of four FBS players – and the only one at a Power 5 school – to handle a majority of the team’s punting, kickoffs and field goals/extra points during the 2022 season (Cincinnati’s Ryan Coe, Georgia State’s Michael Hayes and San Diego State’s Jack Browning).
2021: Served as the primary punter and kickoff specialist for all 13 games en route to Honorable Mention All-Big 12 accolades... Finished the year with a 43.7-yard punting average to tie for fifth in school history... His average would have ranked second in the Big 12 had he punted eight more times to reach the required minimum... Average was buoyed by 16 punts that traveled 50 or more yards after just five last season, while he only had four touchbacks... A career-high five of those 50-plus yard punts came at Oklahoma State... Tallied a career-best average of 55.7 yards per punt at Texas Tech, which was the 12th-best average in the nation and fourth in the Big 12 in a single game during the year (minimum 3 punts)... One of his punts against the Red Raiders was a 63-yarder – the second-longest of his career – which immediately preceded a K-State safety that swung the game in the Wildcats’ favor... Landed a career-high four punts inside the 20-yard line at Texas... Totaled 36 touchbacks on his 67 kickoffs (53.7%), the most by a Wildcat since 2004... Tied his career high with six touchbacks against Southern Illinois... Filled in as place kicker in K-State’s win over LSU in the Texas Bowl, connecting on all six extra-point attempts... A Second Team Academic All-Big 12 honoree.
2020: Served as the primary kickoff man and split punting duties throughout all 10 games... Punted 28 times for a 40.8-yard average with 14 punts landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line and none of his attempts going for touchbacks... Ranked third in the Big 12 in average... Also kicked off 47 times for a 60.1-yard average and 29 touchbacks... Had a season-high average of 49.5 yards against Texas... Boomed a season-long punt of 65 yards at TCU, a game in which he also had a season-high three punts land inside the Horned Frog 20-yard line... Had a career-high six touchbacks on kickoffs against both Oklahoma and Kansas... Earned First Team Academic All-Big 12 honors.
2019: Served as a kickoff specialist in four games as he retained his redshirt... Held a 60.3-yard average and had 14 touchbacks on 18 kickoffs... Set a career high with a 63.0-yard average against TCU with four touchbacks, the latter being a mark he tied at Texas.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Played two seasons at Butler under head coach Tim Schaffner... Rated the best junior college kicker in the Class of 2019 by ESPN, while he ranked second according to 247Sports... Earned first team all-conference honors as a punter in 2018, helping the Grizzlies earn an 8-4 record that included a win in the Midwest Classic Bowl... Held a 39.5-yard average on 64 punts as a sophomore, landing 28 inside the opponent’s 20-yard line... Had a season-best 48.3-yard average against Ellsworth, which included a 70-yarder... That came on the heels of a 45.0-yard average at Fort Scott... Was 9-of-16 on field-goal attempts and 31-of-37 on extra-point attempts in 2018... Connected on all four field goals in a three-point win at Dodge City... Punted 14 times and was 1-of-3 on field-goal attempts as a freshman in 2017.
HIGH SCHOOL: Played football his senior season at Shawnee Heights under head coach Jason Swift... Earned honorable mention all-state honors from the Topeka Capital-Journal and Wichita Eagle as a senior in 2016... Also lettered three years in soccer and two years in basketball... Was a goalkeeper for the Thunderbirds, earning two all-state honors... A starter on the basketball team that captured the Class 5A state championship his senior year when he was named to the all-state tournament team.
PERSONAL: Ty Zentner was born June 7, 1998, in Topeka, Kansas... Son of Arlen and Sunni Zentner... Has one brother, Aaron... Obtained his undergraduate degree from K-State in physical education/health in May 2022.
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