MANHATTAN, Kan. – Jon Fabris, who tutored two of Kansas State’s best defensive units in school history in 1997 and 1998, has returned to Manhattan as an assistant coach to work with the defensive ends, while Blake Seiler will coach the linebackers while also being promoted to assistant defensive coordinator, head coach Bill Snyder announced today.
“Jon is a quality person, dedicated husband and father as well as a dedicated leader and teacher of young men,” Snyder said. “He has a proven record here at Kansas State. He will again be an asset to our defense and to Sean with our special teams. I’m pleased to have him back with us.”
Fabris (pronounced FAB-riss), who has more than 30 years of experience as a coach, has coached in 12 total bowl games in stops at Indiana (2012-13), Georgia (2001-09), Georgia Tech (1980), Washington State (1982-86), Iowa State (1987-1994), Notre Dame (1995-96), K-State (1997-98) and South Carolina (1999). He also spent time with the Cleveland Browns (2000) as well as Northwest Mississippi Community College (2011). In his 12 seasons coaching defensive ends at Georgia, South Carolina and Kansas State, 15 of his players earned spots on NFL regular season rosters.
While at K-State during the ultra-successful 1997 and 1998 seasons, Fabris helped the Wildcat defensive ends and the entire unit rank among the best in the nation. In 1998, K-State was third in the country in total defense and tied for sixth nationally in scoring defense. The Wildcats, led by All-Big 12 and All-American Darren Howard, finished fourth in the nation in total defense, sixth in scoring defense and second in sacks the previous campaign. He also played a key role in the Wildcats’ success on special teams in his two seasons.
At Georgia, Fabris mentored one of the most decorated players in Bulldog history, David Pollack. In 2004, Pollack was named a first team All-American for the third-straight time, SEC Player of the Year for the second time and captured several of the nation’s most prestigious defensive awards: the Rotary Lombardi Trophy, the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Ted Hendricks Award (second-straight year) and the Ronnie Lott Trophy.
Fabris, who was recognized by Sporting News as the best position coach in the SEC in 2009 and one of the top 20 national recruiters by Rivals in 2008, helped Charles Grant (2001), Pollack (2002-04), Quentin Moses (2005), Charles Johnson (2006) and JustinHouston (2009) earn All-SEC honors, while Marcus Howard was voted the 2008 Sugar Bowl MVP.
Seiler is entering his fifth year as a full-time coach at K-State and his ninth season overall on the staff. A Wildcat defensive end from 2003-06, Seiler tutored a pair of All-Americans in Jordan Willis (2016) and Ryan Mueller (2013). Willis ranked 12th nationally and tops in the Big 12 in sacks last season en route to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Under the direction of Seiler, Willis left K-State ranked third in school history and tied for seventh in Big 12 history with 26.0 sacks.
“Blake has worked diligently with our defense these past four seasons and certainly helped develop several very productive players,” Snyder added. “He has a broad and distinct understanding of our defense and will be a great asset to Tom Hayes in the development of our entire defense.”
Mueller, a former walk-on just like Seiler, earned two-straight First Team All-Big 12 honors as a junior and senior, while he was the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2013 and a Second Team All-American that season as he tied the school record with 11.5 sacks.
Prior to becoming a full-time coach, Seiler was a quality control coach in 2009-10 and a graduate assistant in 2011 and 2012. He graduated from K-State with a degree in mechanical engineering in 2007 and obtained his MBA from Wichita State in 2010.
Tickets for the 2017 Purple/White Spring Game are on sale for $5 through the K-State Athletics Ticket office online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum. The game will be shown world-wide on K-StateHD.TV and can be heard across the K-State Sports Network.
K-State opens the 2017 campaign on Saturday, September 2, with the ninth-annual K-State Family Reunion against Central Arkansas. Following a contest against Charlotte on September 9, the Wildcats travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to take on SEC foe Vanderbilt on September 16. K-State opens Big 12 play at home on September 30, with a matchup against Baylor.
The priority deadline for season-ticket purchases is Friday, April 21. A limited number of single-game tickets go on sale online only on June 20. All seven home games in 2017 are anticipated to sell out quickly and extend the Bill Snyder Family Stadium sellout streak to 40 games.
RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics
Football | Men’s and Women’s Golf