Eli Huggins Announces Return for Sixth Season with Kansas State

The 2022 Kansas State Wildcats football team continues to take shape as the 2021 season ends.

The 2021 Kansas State Wildcats football team continued their trend of exceeding expectations, despite injuries or lack of blue-chip talent. Success often comes with players staying as long as possible, such as sixth-year senior Skylar Thompson in 2021. Following this vein, defensive tackle Eli Huggins announced he is returning for his sixth year as a Wildcat.

Eli Huggins Announces His Return through Twitter

Taking to Twitter, Huggins’ announcement was met with excitement and approval from the Wildcat faithful. 2021 was arguably Huggins’ best year at Kansas State, earning him a Big 12 honorable mention. In nine games, he totaled 18 tackles, with six tackles for loss and three sacks. The three sacks double his previous season-high, while he was one of two Wildcats with six tackles for loss in less than ten games.

On a family note, Huggins’ brother Jake Huggins is a sophomore walk-on fullback for Kansas State. Playing another year together could have played into his decision to return.  The Kansas State football team becomes family as well and the teammates he has been able to play alongside of plus the coaching staff clearly aided in this decision.

“I chose K-State because when I came out here, it felt like home,” Huggins said in a Dec. 13 interview. “When I came here, it was something new and unique and I absolutely loved it. From the start, it just felt like the right place for me.”

Huggins, along with the rest of Kansas State’s football team, is preparing for one final 2021 season game. The Wildcats face off against the LSU Tigers, closing out the 2021-22 bowl season in the TaxAct Texas Bowl on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.  The game kicks off at 8 p.m. CST from NRG Stadium in Houston Texas and will be televised by ESPN.