Junior Sam Hecht earned the reins as the starting center for Kansas State football this year, completing the same uphill climb that walk-ons before him did to the top of the depth chart.
A native of Shawnee, Kansas and Mill Valley graduate, Hecht didn’t have any other Power-5 offers, but knew K-State was where he wanted to be — even as a preferred walk-on.
“Being in Kansas, I knew that Kansas State has the culture and the fanbase, which is the next level, and that is what led to me choosing Kansas State,” Hecht said.
Former centers, Noah Johnson and Hayden Gillum, were walk-ons like Hecht and became staples on the Wildcats’ offensive line, establishing a trend at the position.
“We give the kids in this state an opportunity to be successful,” head coach Chris Klieman said. “You look at a kid like Sam Hecht that walked on here and learned behind Noah Johnson, a Kansas kid, learned behind Hayden Gillum, a Kansas kid, and now it’s his opportunity.”
Hecht looks to take the knowledge learned from the duo and apply it on and off the field.
“[Gillum and I] are similar, we are both walk-ons,” Hecht said. “I learned a bunch from him talking about what to do on certain plays. He was a great mentor for me.”
This fall, K-State has a lot of new faces on the offensive line after the graduation of Gillum, All-American Cooper Beebe and tackle Christian Duffie. One of the returning players up front said Hecht’s play has stood out so far.
“He’s been in the program for so long, he knows what’s going on and I thought he did really well,” offensive lineman Hadley Panzer said.
As a center, communication is important to point out potential blitzes but also to make sure everyone on the line knows their job before the play.
“Going into the game there are a little nerves, but once the game starts I am comfortable with it and know I have a job to do to help the team win,” Hecht said.
Through two games, Hecht has caught the attention of the coaching staff, impressing with his play and communication up front.
“Sam plays a really critical position for us from a communication standpoint,” Klieman said. “We didn’t have any poor snaps and we were great with the play clock with our quarterbacks and centers.”
K-State also returns two starting defensive tackles, senior Uso Seumalo and junior Damian Ilalio, which provided a good experience for Hecht competing with them before the season.
“All through fall camp, going against Uso and Damian, we all pushed each other to make us better and it’s great having those two on our team,” Hecht said.
Sept. 7, K-State competed in its first road test of the year at Tulane, marking Hecht’s first career road start in his young career. “Listening to Avery [Johnson’s] voice and just focusing on the cadence allowed me to block out the noise,” Hecht said.
Becoming dialed in with his quarterback in a hostile environment will be key as Big 12 play approaches with even more intense situations.
Although it’s technically a non-conference game, K-State takes on ranked opponent Arizona Friday, Sept. 13, setting up another great test for the ‘Cats.
“I’m super excited for this opportunity, we have been focusing on a lot of little details and we are excited to display those on Friday,” Hecht said.
K-State will have to be sharp as Arizona brings on a talented, experienced team with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m., airing nationally on FOX.
