Elijah Lee

CAREER HONORS
• Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week (West Virginia)
• 2016 Preseason All-Big 12
• 2016 Bednarik Award watch list
• 2016 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list
• 2016 Butkus Award watch list
• 2015 Second Team All-Big 12 (Coaches)
• 2015 Second Team Academic All-Big 12
• 2015 Honorable Mention Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year

A high-motor player who has made the transition from high school defensive end to All-Big 12 linebacker… Will continue to remain a key part of the K-State defense as a junior in 2016… Earned Preseason All-Big 12 honors from the media that regularly cover the league in addition to Athlon, Lindy’s, Phil Steele and Sporting News.

Click Here for 2016 Game-by-Game Stats

2015 (Click Here for Game-by-Game Stats): Started all 13 games, leading the team with 80 tackles en route to Second Team All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches… Became K-State’s first underclassman (Fr. or So.) linebacker to earn First or Second Team All-Big 12 honors since College Football Hall of Famer Mark Simoneau in 1998… Is the first Wildcat underclassman to lead the team in tackles since 2008… Also finished second on the team with 7.5 tackles for loss and third with 5.0 sacks… Recorded three interceptions, the most by a K-State linebacker since 2002… Two of his picks came against TCU, the most in a game by a Wildcat linebacker since 2002… Tied for eighth in the Big 12 in interceptions and 17th in sacks… Set career highs in tackles (12), TFLs (3.0) and sacks (2.0) against Louisiana Tech… Also reached double digits in tackles against Texas Tech with 11, including a 14-yard sack… Recorded eight tackles on three occasions – against Texas, Baylor and Kansas… Earned Second Team Academic All-Big 12 honors.

2014 (Click here for Game-by-Game Stats): Played in all 13 games and totaled 19 tackles, including 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup… Recorded the most sacks by a true freshman in school history and the second most among all freshmen (true and redshirt)… His sack total was the most among all true freshmen in the Big 12 in 2014… Started the season off with two sacks against Stephen F. Austin, becoming the first true freshman under head coach Bill Snyder to record two sacks in a game… Also recorded sacks against Texas and Kansas, and a half sack at Iowa State… Registered a career-high four tackles against UTEP.

HIGH SCHOOL: Played for Blue Springs under head coach Kelly Donohoe… A two-time recipient of the Buck Buchanan Memorial Award, given to the best lineman or linebacker in the top two high school classes in Kansas or Missouri high school football in the Kansas City area… Is only the second two-time winner of the award… Selected as the Missouri Football Coaches’ Association (MFCA) Class 6 Defensive Player of the Year, while he was a unanimous pick for the MFCA All-State squad in 2013… Named first team all-state by the Missouri media in 2013 and was selected to the USA Today/American Family Insurance All-USA Missouri Team… Named to the MaxPreps Junior All-American team in 2012… Also a first team all-state honoree by both the coaches and media as a junior… A two-time Kansas City Star All-Metro honoree… Rated the 39th-best outside linebacker nationally by Scout.com and 41st by Rivals.com… Recorded 85 tackles, including 36 for loss and 12 sacks as a senior after collecting 71 tackles, 33.5 TFLs and 18.5 sacks in 2012… Teammate of current K-State running back Dalvin Warmack… Also participated in basketball, earning all-conference and all-district honors.

PERSONAL: Elijah James Lee was born February 8, 1996, in St. Joseph, Missouri… Son of Kevin Ginn and Sharon Lee… Has four siblings… Majoring in business.

Lee was a taller lankier kid growing up with basketball being his first love. He eventually filled out and enjoyed a fabulous high school career at Blue Springs, where he went on to become a two-time recipient of the Buck Buchanan Memorial Award, given to the best lineman or linebacker in the top two high school classes in Kansas or Missouri area.

He made an instant impact arriving at Kansas State; his sack total was the most among all true freshmen in the Big 12 in 2014. He built off that performance earning Big 12 second honors his sophomore season before finishing with First Team Big 12 honors his junior year.

His success has allowed him to declare early for the NFL Draft, but realize his maturity and comfort level. He has outplayed the collegiate platform and for a talent like Lee he is very team oriented. He frequently includes his teammates and coaches in helping him reach the high level of play he has achieved Kansas State. He admitted that facing former Wildcats offensive lineman Cody Whitehair in practice helped build his confidence. Whitehair wa a second-round to the Chicago Bears in the 2016 NFL Draft, and his face-to-face encounters in practice helped Lee gain the poise needed to succeed.

Athletic with great size, Lee has the ability to streamline sideline-to-sideline and his read and reaction time is a key component to his game. Speed and coverage ability exceed expectations for a player at his position. Lee has shown the flashes of being effective blitzer when given the opportunity at Kansas State.

Always around the football one way or another and his play reminds me a lot of Ryan Shazier of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he compares his style to Kansas City Chiefs Derrick Johnson and Arizona Cardinals converted safety to linebacker Deone Buccanon.

All three of the above mentioned players, are extremely athletic and display the knack for making plays via the run or the pass. Rather its stopping the run, dropping into coverage.

Very impressive talent and young man and expect to see his prosper at a very productive linebacker at the next level.