MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Athletics) – Kansas State senior left guard Cooper Beebe, one of the top offensive linemen in all of college football, has been named one of three finalists for the 2023 Outland Trophy, the Football Writers Association of America announced Tuesday.
Beebe is the first ever Wildcat finalist for the Outland Trophy – presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman – and the first finalist for one of the 20 on-field National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA) honors since then-quarterback and current offensive coordinator Collin Klein was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Davey O’Brien Award in 2012.
A product of Kansas City, Kansas, Beebe is joined on the finalist list by Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt and Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat. The recipient of the 2023 Outland Trophy will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards, live on ESPN on Friday, December 8 at 6 p.m. The official presentation to the winner will be made at the Outland Trophy Awards Dinner sponsored by Werner Enterprises and produced by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee in Omaha, Nebraska, on January 10, 2024.
Beebe finished out the regular season helping the Wildcats rank 12th nationally and sixth in school history by scoring 37.7 points per game, while their 446.1 total yards per game ranks 23rd in the nation and second in school history. A veteran offensive line unit led by Beebe also helped K-State rank 14th nationally with 199.7 rushing yards per game, while its 4.86 rushing yards per carry ranks seventh in school history.
A career 47-game starter to rank fifth among Wildcat offensive linemen since 1990, Beebe has allowed just one sack among his 1,224 pass blocking snaps since the beginning of his sophomore season in 2021. He has started every game this season at left guard, seeing time at 759 snaps while also filling in at right tackle (106 snaps) and left tackle (20 snaps).
In addition to being a finalist for the Outland Trophy, Beebe is also one of 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, often referred to as the “Academic Heisman.” He was also a semifinalist for the Lombardi Award.
Kansas State finished the regular season with an 8-4 overall record and a 6-3 mark in Big 12 play to tie for fourth in the league. The Wildcats will learn of their bowl destination on Sunday.
