K-State's Purnell discusses defensive turnaround, playing in home state on K-Nation
MANHATTAN (KSNT) - K-State football's Desmond Purnell has made a name for himself in his his first few seasons in Manhattan.
The Topeka native and Hayden high graduate is now a junior, but had a breakout sophomore season in 2023. Now, he's a cornerstone of the Wildcats' defense that head coach Chris Klieman expects big things from.
Being a Kansas native, suiting up to play for a university in his home state is a dream for Purnell. He joined K-Nation's Caroline Soro for a one-on-one interview following the win over Arizona.
"It's just all love and support even from the coaches here knowing I'm a Kansas kid," Purnell said. "It's really special to me, especially being from the Capital City, coming out here to Manhattan and playing for the 'Cats, nothing else I would wish for."
K-State's defensive approach shifted between a challenged week two game at Tulane and Friday's home matchup against then-No. 20 Arizona. The Wildcats' allowed just seven points to one of the more prolific offenses in college football.
"Just really small," Purnell said of the defense's adjustments between week two and three. "Just the leadership, it doesn't matter if you're a sixth-year guy, or if you're a sophomore, a freshman, everybody's just helping everybody out."
The full interview with Purnell aired in Sunday's episode of K-Nation, and can be watched above.