Byron Pringle, a Kansas State wide receiver, has decided to skip his senior season to pursue a career in the National Football League.
Before he was a Wildcat, Pringle played one season as a Grizzly at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kansas.
While at Butler, Pringle caught 28 passes for 432 yards and nine touchdowns. He registered a longest kick return of 93 yards for a touchdown.
Pringle spent two years at K-State. During those two seasons, he hauled in 69 passes for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns.
His 2017 campaign was certainly better in terms of receiving. As a junior, Pringle racked up 724 yards and six touchdowns through the air, versus 631 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore in 2016.
This season, Pringle averaged 24.1 yards per reception, first in the Big 12 conference.
Despite having spent just two seasons in Manhattan, Pringle’s 1,355 career receiving yards are good for 21st in school history. His 10 touchdown catches have him tied for 10th in school history.
Pringle was not only a solid target in the passing game, but he also was a threat returning kickoffs.
He returned 39 kickoffs for a total of 1,076 yards as a Wildcat. Twice he returned a kickoff for a touchdown, one in each of the last two seasons. Pringle joined teammate DJ Reed as one of just four Big 12 players to return a kickoff for a touchdown in 2017.
His return touchdown this past season was part of K-State upsetting then-No. 13 Oklahoma State.
With 8:38 remaining in the second quarter, Pringle caught the ball on the left side of the field. After getting a key block from his teammate that busted a hole wide open, he sprinted off. He sidestepped the kicker and was off the races down the sideline. Eighty-nine yards later, he was in the end zone, and the Wildcats were up 21-13. K-State would go on to win 45-40.
That game in Stillwater, Oklahoma, this past November was arguably Pringle’s best career game. Along with that kickoff return touchdown, he caught three touchdowns of 46, 47 and 60 yards.
His 166 receiving yards and three touchdowns were both single-game career highs.
Keep an eye out to see if Pringle performs at K-State’s Pro Day this spring and to see if he gets an invite to the NFL Combine.
The 2018 NFL Draft is scheduled for April 26-28 and will air on ESPN.
