K-State’s Trey Dishon lifts his way into lineup

There are likely people who wonder how a redshirt freshman from Horton and its Class 3A high school earned a starting position on Kansas State’s defensive line.

Accompany me to the weight room for the answer. Because it’s where tackle Trey Dishon lives.

“We always opened up our weight room during the summers and invited the seventh- and eighth-grade kids to come,” Horton football coach Nick Dowell said.

Some did, some didn’t. You know how it is when you’re in seventh or eighth grade and it’s the summer. Sleep and video games often take precedence.

Not for Dishon.

“I don’t know that Trey ever missed a day in the weight room from his seventh-grade year until he graduated from high school,” Dowell said. “He’s definitely one of the most dedicated students I’ve ever had. And he didn’t just show up, he showed up ready to work and get better. Obviously he had some athletic ability, but Trey’s work ethic and determination really put him over the top.”

And that is the simple explanation for why Dishon, who had no other major-college offers, has made such a quick impact at K-State. Another is, of course, Bill Snyder’s way of creating works of art out of scraps for whom others have not shown much interest.

Dishon, who was 5-foot-8 and 215 pounds when he started lifting weights in the seventh grade, he said, now goes 6-2, 320. He’s massive, yet athletic enough to get an edge on just-as-big-or-bigger offensive linemen.

“I just found out at a really young age that I loved lifting weights,” Dishon said. “That was the big thing. I enjoyed the competition of lifting. Football is great competition in the trenches, but when we were lifting against other schools, other people in our age group and weight class, that’s what I really love.”

Competing in Horton’s powerlifting program, Dishon thinks, is what set him apart in football.

“I didn’t expect to be contributing like this so soon at Kansas State,” he said. “But I love where I’m at and I enjoyed getting familiar with the program last year as a redshirt. But I came here to play, whether that was going to happen in my freshman year or in my senior year.”

Dishon, who had one tackle in K-State’s opener at Stanford on Sept. 2, said he’s excited to play in the home opener Saturday against Florida Atlantic. He’ll have lots of friends and family members in the sold-out crowd.

“It was a no-brainer for me to come to Kansas State,” Dishon said. “I mean, this is a Division I school in a power conference and they’re giving me a full ride. They started looking at me late in the recruiting game, but once there was an interest I kind of took it and ran.”

I asked Dishon what he thinks K-State saw in him that others didn’t. It didn’t take him long to answer.

“I would say they saw my motor, my work ethic,” he said. “My determination is strong.”

It always has been, Dowell said.

“I would say part of me is surprised by what Trey has accomplished but part of me isn’t,” Dowell said. “I knew he had this in him ever since his freshman year, when he started for us. After that season, we sat down and talked about what kind of goals he was wanting to set for himself not just on the football field, but also in the weight room and in the classroom. We laid those down and he’s been plugging away every year. And by the time he was a senior, he had exceeded or reached every goal he set.”

Dishon said he has bench pressed 360 pounds, squatted 560 and hang-cleaned 400. He vows those numbers will grow as he gains strength and maturity.

“What makes him such a good football player, besides his strength and athleticism, is that he’s just such a coachable kid,” Dowell said. “He always takes direction and never thought he could just go out on the field and do things on his own. I’ve told people for years that as good of a lifter and football player as Trey is, he’s even a better person. When he was a junior and senior here at Horton, I had such respect for him because he would take our freshmen and sophomores under his wing. I hope my son grows up to be like Trey.”

Dishon started his high school career playing offensive and defensive line, but moved to tight end on offense. That must have been fun for opposing defenses.

“He had about the best hands on our football team,” Dowell said. “At 300-plus pounds. He caught the football for us. Quite a few footballs, in fact.”

Dishon has an intriguing mix of skills and power. He’s become a K-State starter faster than anyone expected and now the real fun begins.

This story was originally published September 14, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "K-State’s Trey Dishon lifts his way into lineup."