This K-State player is making the same transition as another star from his alma mater

College football can be a beast, and it was for Brock Monty.

Monty was an All-State player as a high school senior at Wichita’s Kapaun Mt. Carmel. He was a four-year letterman who threw for more than 5,000 yards and ran for over 2,800 more. Monty scored 80 touchdowns.

Now he is a redshirt sophomore backup defensive back for the Kansas State Wildcats. But Monty is still finding his way on the field.

In 2017, he played in all 12 games for K-State and became a fast learner on special teams. He tied a team-high with three tackles on the punt team and helped out on the Wildcats’ other special teams units.

Coach Bill Snyder has made a living on special teams, and Monty could be the next in line to take the leap.

“We have some young guys that really, genuinely show me that they care,” Snyder said. “We’ve got a lot of execution issues and technique and fundamental issues to clean up a great deal, but when we talk about our coverage units, I’m more concerned about the passion for being on special teams.”

The switch from quarterback to defensive back could be strange, and it was for Monty, too.

At Kapaun, Monty said he looked up to former Crusader Tysyn Hartman, who made the same transition from the same high school to the same university. The Kansas City Chiefs signed Hartman as an undrafted free agent in 2012.

Watching Hartman go through the switch must have made it easier on Monty, but there were still challenges, he said.

“I didn’t know anything about special teams,” Monty said earlier in the summer. “I didn’t know anything about defense. I had to spend a lot of time in the film room learning what to do.”

Monty was given a choice between linebacker and safety. At 6 feet and 202 pounds, he said safety seemed like a better fit for his size. Now, he said he loves the position.

“It’s better to be the hitter than to be hit,” he said. “You’re not as sore the next day. That was a little bit of an adjustment, because I never hit anybody when I was a quarterback. But it’s been awesome.”

Monty will likely be called upon to do a lot of hitting in 2018. The Wildcats’ special teams units are going through a lot of changes at kicker and punter. At K-State Media Day, Snyder said no specialist had made an outstanding impact.

“After day one, I was very convinced that we were going to run it or throw it on fourth down,” Snyder said. “After the second day, I thought, ‘Well, maybe we can slip a punt in there. And after the third day, I thought, ‘Maybe we have a chance.

“The key element is they’re getting better collectively.”

With that changeover, Monty could provide stability, experience and — most important to Snyder — passion to the third estate.

“Special teams is not about one guy,” Snyder said. “It’s not about that punter or that kicker, it’s going to be about 10 other guys as well.”

Monty said this spring was extremely valuable for him. He learned more in those few weeks than he had during his first two years in Manhattan.

With that new knowledge and a winning mentality, Monty’s stock is going up at K-State.

“Right now my focus is how I can contribute every day,” he said. “As long as that is your mindset everything else will fall into place.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 2:20 PM.