MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior safety Dante Barnett was one of 42 players nationally to be named to the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation on Friday.

 

Barnett is the fourth Wildcat to be selected as a candidate for the award. Arthur Brown was one of four finalists in K-State’s Big 12 Championship season of 2012, while Ty Zimmerman was a preseason candidate in 2013 and Ryan Mueller was a quarterfinalist in 2014.

 

The criteria for selecting student-athletes for the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch list is based on both athletic ability and character attributes. The acronym for IMPACT is Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. The nominees are considered for their academic standing at their university, community contributions, leadership skills and overall character.

 

A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Barnett has started a K-State defensive-best 28 career games, including every game over the last two years. He is coming off a season in which he earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors after recording 77 tackles, including four for loss, three interceptions and 11 passes defended. He earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors following the Texas game thanks to four passes defended.

 

Off the field, Barnett is a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, while he has volunteered for many community-service activities, including Cats in the Classroom, Senior Cats and Adopt-a-Family.

Ryan Lackey

Assistant Director – Athletic Communications