Kansas State football unveils a new weapon in sophomore tight end Ben Sinnott

MANHATTAN — Ben Sinnott has been listed on Kansas State's football roster as both a fullback and tight end, but in his heart, he's always been a receiver first and foremost.

That's why, while his breakout game last Saturday against Oklahoma seemingly came out of nowhere, Sinnott just saw it as simply getting back to his roots.

"I didn't do a ton of blocking in high school," said Sinnott, a former walk-on from Columbus Catholic in Waterloo, Iowa, the same school that produced K-State head coach Chris Klieman. "I was always a bigger kid, so I would do it every once in a while, but pretty much I was just a big receiver in high school."

He certainly came up big as a receiver at Oklahoma, where his four catches for 80 yards helped set up three Wildcat touchdowns in their 41-34 upset victory. Three of his four catches went for 20 or more yards.

"Those are big-time plays," Klieman said. "Those were explosive plays. The two seam routes that I know he had, I think one was on the first drive, that set us up for a score, and then another came when we were maybe tied and had to have a drive.

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"He's a big guy. He carried some guys for 5, 6, 7 more yards. It was good to see Ben add some things to our passing game with our wide receivers, who all played well."

While catching the ball came naturally for Sinnott, preparing his body to play fullback and then tight end at the Division I level did not.

"The first thing was just putting on weight," said Sinnott, who's now listed at 6-foot-4, 247 pounds. "I think I came in here at 205 (in 2020), so I was really skinny.

"And I think just getting stronger, putting on weight, learning the correct technique and fundamentals, and I think I've really improved from where I started, for sure."

Sinnott was listed at fullback last year as a redshirt freshman, rushing for 12 yards on three carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run against Kansas, while catching two passes for 15 yards. In the first three games this season at tight end, he had five receptions for 22 yards, with the longest going for 8.

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But with offensive coordinator Collin Klein looking to get quarterback Adrian Martinez going in the vertical passing game, Sinnott had a feeling he might be more involved against Oklahoma.

"I really felt confident going into it," he said. "I think we had a good game plan, so I just tried to play fast, and it worked out.

"I was making those plays in practice, doing it every day, so they made it easier when it actually came to the game time. I'm glad they involved me and looking forward to what we can do."

Sinnott got involved from the get-go, catching passes of 27 and 7 yards on the game's opening drive and a 25-yarder on the second. Both helped lead to touchdowns and a 14-0 K-State lead. He also had a 20-yarder in the fourth quarter to set up a key score that put the Wildcats in front, 34-20, with eight minutes left.

"Even in the moment I was like, 'Wow, the ball's coming to me,' and I'm like, 'OK, I could potentially double my yards on this one catch,'" Sinnott said of his first reception just four plays into the game. "It was awesome. I was really excited."

Martinez, the Wildcats' graduate transfer quarterback from Nebraska, was impressed but not surprised by Sinnott's pass-catching ability.

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"He's an athletic cat now, and he played fullback," said Martinez, who also enjoyed his best game in a K-State uniform, throwing for 234 yards, rushing for 148 with five total touchdowns. "I think he's able to be diverse, and it speaks to his skill set.

"I think it was a special night for all of us, and it was cool that I was able to contribute to Ben's."

Sinnott said he sees the tight end's role continuing to expand in Klein's first full year as offensive coordinator.

"I think it's really important," he said. "A lot of the blocking schemes and everything we've got, we're combo (blocking) the tackle a lot and we've got to (isolate) a lot on the d-ends.

"Even in the passing game, too, it opens up Deuce (Vaughn), it opens up the receivers, so it's pretty important in our offense."

For one night at least, it was instrumental. And Klieman, for one, couldn't have been happier.

"He was awesome today," Klieman said with a smile. "Old Waterloo Columbia Catholic High school kid like myself, and he made some big-time catches."

Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on Twitter at @arnegreen.