The countdown to kickoff continues with just 26 days until the Kansas State football team takes on Stanford at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 4. The Collegian now looks at the two players wearing No. 26 on the roster — Elliot Ollenburger and AJ Moss.
Elliot Ollenburger is a 5 foot 10 inch, 177-pound junior wide receiver from Hillsboro, Kansas. Ollenburger was a three-year letter winner at Hillsboro under head coaches Lance Sawyer and Devin Metzinger before missing his senior year because of an injury.
He lettered three times in basketball and four times in golf, making the state tournament three times as well.
Ollenburger walked on at K-State after his senior year in 2018 and redshirted that year. He saw playing time in two games his sophomore year in 2019, playing at the end of blowout wins against Nicholls State and Bowling Green.
Although he didn’t see any game action in 2020, he made waves over the team’s Twitter account with a highlight during fall camp leading up to the 2019 season.
Sound on 🔊 #KStateFB ⚒ Fall Camp '19 pic.twitter.com/gbKZvogNd5
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) August 13, 2019
His hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed, earning him Offensive Scout Team Player of the Week honors in 2019.
Scout Team Players of the Week ⤵️
Offensive: @chris_herron19 and @Ollen_4
Defensive: @JoeFlax and @strahm_elliott
Special Teams: @CoomesKirk and @gabehoover25
#KStateFB ⚒ Pound The Stone pic.twitter.com/RSTunPkN1Z— K-State Football (@KStateFB) November 5, 2019
With receivers Malik Knowles, Phillip Brooks, a hopeful Chabastin Taylor and others ahead of him on the depth chart, it might take some time before Ollenburger sees significant time on the field.
Related:
Countdown to Kickoff: 27 days away with defensive back Cameron Key, fullback Jake Huggins
The second player on today’s countdown is AJ Moss, a freshman defensive back from Cave Springs, Arkansas.
Moss was a two-year starter for Bentonville West High School under head coach Bryan Pratt before coming to K-State. During his high school career, he tallied 59 total tackles, four tackles for loss, five pass breakups, one interception and five forced fumbles over his last two years as a Wolverine.
Moss’ play on the field earned him all-state honors his senior season from the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Moss excelled in track and field as well, becoming the state champion in the 110-meter hurdles.
Moss officially committed to K-State through Twitter on April 20 earlier this year.
Officially official📝 @KStateFB #kstate25 479➡️785 pic.twitter.com/I3SatHa8TM
— AJ Moss✊🏽 (@AJmoss05) April 20, 2021
With defensive backs like Ekow Boye-Doe, Tee Denson, Jahron McPherson and more incoming transfer players, it will likely be a while before Moss sees significant time on the field.
