Before Dalton Schoen was K-State’s top receiver, he had to talk his way on the team
Whenever a teenage Dalton Schoen closed his eyes and imagined what his college football career might one day look like, he pictured himself catching touchdown passes at a Division II school or making tackles on special teams with a bigger program.
With enough hard work he used to think that maybe — just maybe — he could live one of those dreams.
Schoen chuckles as he recalls those memories now. The senior Kansas State receiver has surpassed his wildest expectations with the Wildcats. When he plays his final game at Bill Snyder Family Stadium against Iowa State on Saturday, Schoen will do so as the team’s alpha pass catcher. Since being elevated to scholarship status as a sophomore, he has been Skylar Thompson’s most dependable target and is currently leading K-State with 34 catches, 568 yards and four touchdowns this season.
“He runs great routes, really precise routes,” K-State coach Chris Klieman said. “He has a great rapport with Skylar and is such a great competitor. He finds a way to make big plays. He’s a great football player for us.”
Schoen is the latest in a long line of walk-on success stories at K-State.
Not bad for someone who had to beg his way onto the team.
Walking on
Schoen’s modest football dreams started to become reality when he was a high school senior at Blue Valley Northwest and he caught 12 passes for a state record 380 yards and four touchdowns in his first game. He really started to believe after that.
As his confidence rose, so did his courage. When few schools were looking at him, he took control of his own recruitment and sent highlight videos to coaches at his dream school — Kansas State.
Alas, the Wildcats bluntly informed him that he was setting his sights too high with a response that amounted to: That’s OK, we don’t really need you.
“I just want to walk-on,” Schoen pleaded.
No dice.
But Schoen didn’t let that stop him from dreaming … and working. He contacted then receivers coach Andre Coleman and quarterbacks coach Del Miller when he kept having big games. Eventually, they evaluated him. Eventually, he got on their radar. They told him they thought he could help the Wildcats as a walk-on, but only if they had roster space.
So they left Schoen in limbo for several months while he considered other options.
As spring arrived in 2015, Schoen narrowed his college choices to a handful of Division III schools with good engineering programs, and Oklahoma State, which surprisingly wanted him as a walk-on. But once the Cowboys showed interest, the Wildcats decided they couldn’t let Schoen play against them and invited him to join the team.
After about two seconds of thought, Schoen said: “Yes, I would love to play here.”
Earning a scholarship
K-State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham wishes he had more time with Schoen.
He has only coached Schoen for one season, but he has been a sneaky good receiver for the Wildcats by finding ways to get open against any coverage, particularly on third down. Thompson uses him like a security blanket, targeting him almost every time he needs to make an important throw.
It’s hard for Messingham to believe that kind of player was once ignored by college coaches.
“I would have never of guessed that just because of how he goes about his business,” Messingham said. “It shows that he’s put himself in position to be successful. He’s a guy that, every night after practice, he’s out there. He’s still one of the last guys coming off that practice field … He’s been tremendous for us.”
Added K-State receivers coach Jason Ray: “Dalton is exactly what you want in a team captain. His worst day is better than everyone else’s best day.”
Had more coaches known about his daily routine in high school, he might have been offered a scholarship right away. Schoen didn’t just play football back then. He was a three-sport athlete. And he focused on all three year round. He set his alarm for 5 every morning and found time to visit the weight room, the basketball court, the football field and the batting cage on top of his academic schedule.
He typically stayed up until midnight, getting just enough sleep to work hard again the following day. No wonder he earned all-state honors in all three sports as a senior and was voted The Kansas City Star’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
In some ways, college football was easier for him than high school. He definitely got more sleep.
His challenge with the Wildcats was proving he could get open and catch difficult passes just like his scholarship teammates. That wasn’t easy for him at first. Schoen has good size (6-foot-1, 209 pounds) and good hands, but he only has average speed and his first step could be described as slow.
He recently challenged freshman teammate Joshua Youngblood to a 100-yard race and lost so decisively that Youngblood crossed the finish line with his back turned, flashing a peace sign.
“A lot of people will never say I am a deep threat, because of my speed or whatever reason,” Schoen said. “But over my career I feel like I have had a lot of long touchdowns and other long passes. I guess I just find a way to get open. People may just leave me open, I don’t know. I find a way to get open down field.”
Saying goodbye
Schoen’s first big step toward playing time began while he played on K-State’s scout team as a freshman. That’s where he built a strong bond with Thompson. They would stay late after practice and throw, trying to come up with new ways to make the starting defense “look bad” the following day.
When they succeeded, he began to wonder if he might have a future within the offense. Much like in high school, he started to dream.
Then he started as a sophomore, made plays a junior and became a captain as a senior. Along the way, he mastered this offense. That’s why he has been particularly successful on third downs this season, knowing exactly where to run and move the chains with an improbable catch.
That’s also why Klieman didn’t panic when the Wildcats lost two key receivers during the offseason. He had confidence in Schoen.
As his football career winds down, Schoen hopes he has set an example that other young players can follow.
No matter what happens during his final home game, his college football career was wilder than some of his dreams.
“That is going to be a crazy moment with a lot of emotion going on for me,” Schoen said. “Feeling like I grew up here honestly being here every weekend for games and then to exceed expectations and actually get on the field and play in games and contribute and have a way better career here than I ever thought possible. It’s going to be a real special moment for me.”