The Lockett family is wide receiver and special teams royalty at Kansas State. They have been a part of some of the most iconic moments in Wildcat football history and were all coached by legendary head coach Bill Snyder. The trio of Locketts has filled the media guide, breaking records that the other ones established.
As a freshman, Kevin Lockett was a crucial part of Snyder’s second winning season at K-State. Kevin was the leading receiver for the Wildcats with 770 yards and four touchdowns, including a 30-yard touchdown in the Copper Bowl. Kevin would be the leading receiver every year as a Wildcat and led the Big 12 Conference in receiving touchdowns with 13 in 1995.
In 1996, as a senior Kevin had 882 total receiving yards. The next closest on that 1996 team was Andre Anderson, with just 309 receiving yards. He finished third in the Big 12 in receiving yards in 1996 and was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press as well. Kevin was also a two-time Academic All-American K-State.
Kevin is second all-time in career-receiving yards at K-State with 3,032 yards, he is one of just two players to have over 3,000 receiving yards in K-State football history. He holds the record for consecutive games with a reception at 44, which is at least one reception in every game within his four-year span.
Kevin Lockett was the 47th overall pick in the 1997 NFL draft, taken by the Kansas City Chiefs. Kevin also played with the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets.
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Aaron Lockett, brother of Kevin Lockett, created his own outstanding career at K-State and was part of the dominant 1998 team. In his freshman year, he was second in receiving yards with 928 yards while recording six touchdowns. He went on to lead the Wildcats in 2001 with 357 receiving yards. He is fifth all-time in total receiving yards in school history with 2,400 receiving yards.
Aaron was a return specialist and finished his collegiate career with 4,023 all-purpose yards, which is third in school history. He is second all-time in career punt return yards with 845. In 2000, Aaron had three return touchdowns which is the second-most in a season in school history, the second-most in the NCAA that year, and his 22.8 yards per punt return in 2000 was the best average in the NCAA that year.
Aaron was a three-time Big 12 north champion and was named a Playboy magazine All-American in 2001 — yes, that Playboy magazine. He, along with Darren Sproles and Martin Gramatica, are three of the seven Wildcats who have received the nod by Playboy. He also was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press in 2000.
Aaron was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the 254th pick in the 2002 NFL draft. Aaron also played for the San Francisco 49ers and spent time with the Ottawa Renegades and British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League.
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It is a valid argument to say that the style of college football changed from 1996 or even 2001. Still, Tyler Lockett was dominant at K-State and proved to be one of the greatest receivers and threatening return specialists in K-State history.
Son of Kevin Lockett, Tyler led the NCAA in yards per kickoff return averaging 35.2, and his two kickoff return touchdowns led the Big 12 in only nine games as a freshman in 2011. After his freshman year, Tyler quickly became one of the most reliable receivers on the team.
He proved to be a valuable receiver and had 687 yards and four touchdowns his sophomore year in 2012, helping the Wildcats win the Big 12 Conference Championship for the first time since 2003.
After a disappointing loss in the Fiesta Bowl, Lockett’s 2013 season was one of the greatest seasons in K-State history. In only 12 games, he notched 1,262 yards and 11 touchdowns in receiving alone. It was the first time a receiver had over 1,000 receiving yards since Brandon Banks in 2008 and the first wide receiver to have 10+ touchdowns since Jordy Nelson in 2007. Tyler finished with 29 receiving touchdowns in his career at K-State, which is the most in school history.
In 2014, he had 1,515 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, which was the second-most in a season behind Jordy Nelson’s 1,606 yards in 2007. Tyler Lockett holds the record for most receiving yards in K-State football history with 3,710 yards.
Lockett continued to thrive on special teams, Lockett holds the record for most return yards in school history with 2,196 yards. After his sensational freshman year, he again led the Big 12 in yards per kickoff return and touchdowns in 2012, averaging 32.8 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler also led the Big 12 in punt return yards in 2014 and was second in the NCAA that year. Tyler finished with 6,586 all-purpose yards, which is second all-time in K-State history behind Sproles.
In 2014, Lockett became the tenth all-time Consensus All-American in school history and was the first All-American in all of his four years at K-State. In those four years, Tyler earned All-American nods in Sports Illustrated, Associated Press and the Football Writers Association of America. Like his father, Tyler was named a scholar-athlete in his time at K-State.
Tyler was drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks and was named a first-team All-Pro in that same year. Tyler was also named a second-team All-Pro in 2016 as well as in 2017.
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There are countless records that the Lockett family shattered at K-State and each spent time as a captain under Snyder. It is safe to say that the Lockett family played an important part in making K-State football relevant again.
