In which BracketCat counts down the 32nd day until the 2024 kickoff with a profile of Kansas State linebacker Desmond Purnell.

#32 Desmond Purnell

Redshirt Junior | 6-0 | 236 lbs. | Topeka, Kansas

Position: Linebacker
Previous College: None
Projection: Starter
Status: On Scholarship

Desmond Purnell (b. Jan. 29, 2001) is a speedy, two-star defensive back-turned-linebacker from Hayden High School in Topeka who is majoring in athletic training and rehab sciences.

He redshirted in 2021 as a defensive back and made the transition to linebacker prior to 2022, entering the season as the primary backup strongside linebacker behind Khalid Duke.

Purnell played in every game — including a start against Oklahoma State — during the Big 12 Championship season as he totaled 21 tackles, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

He also returned a blocked punt for a touchdown against South Dakota and had a season-high five tackles at West Virginia, while he carded three apiece against South Dakota, at Iowa State and in the Sugar Bowl against Alabama.

Purnell had two pass breakups at Iowa State, when he was forced to play on a career-high 58 plays due to other injured defenders, and then recovered a fumble against Kansas.

He earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Communicators and was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 performer following the season.

Last season, Purnell ascended to start all 13 games and he earned All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades for his growth.

He finished fifth on the team with 52 tackles to go along with 4.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, an interception, three total passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, finishing the year by tallying at least five tackles in five of his final seven games.

Purnell tied for 19th in the nation in fumble recoveries, while he tied for second in the Big 12 Conference and also tied for second in the league in forced fumbles.

All three of his forced fumbles came during Big 12 play to garner league-high honors.

One of Purnell’s fumble recoveries was returned 15 yards for a touchdown against Baylor.

This roller-coaster enthusiast and cookie lover registered a career-high seven tackles against UCF, a game in which he recorded his first full career tackle for loss, and also had a tackle for loss at Texas and in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State.

Purnell’s one-half sack came against TCU, a game in which he also tallied his first career interception, and he again finished as a first-team Academic All-Big 12 performer.

Along with Austin Moore, he enters 2024 as an experienced cog in the core of the defense:

Des and Austin pay a great deal of attention to detail. They’re always going to be in the right place at the right time, and they’re always going to put themselves into great position. We’re really fortunate to have both those guys. Now it’s just a matter of developing depth.

Those words came from linebackers coach Steve Stanard, who was joined in his praise of Purnell’s leadership by assistant head coach and cornerbacks coach Van Malone:

Desmond Purnell, he came here playing safety and now he’s taken on the role as a linebacker and he’s on my leadership team. Des does a good job of being a proactive leader. He’s in situations all the time where he’s grabbing dudes before there is an issue.

When you talk about leadership, you think of guys who yell when it’s not going right, but we talk about being proactive in leadership. When the group comes over to get a group of water you remind them to get back over there to do A, B and C. Des has done a good job of that.

Purnell prepped under head coach Bill Arnold at Topeka Hayden, where he was viewed as the sixth-best prospect in the state of Kansas for the Class of 2021 by 247Sports.

He was a finalist for the 2020 Kansas Class 3A Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors by Sports in Kansas, while the organization voted him a first-team all-state honoree.

Purnell also was a first-team all-state selection as a senior by The Wichita Eagle as both a junior and a senior, and he earned first-team all-state honors as a senior and honorable mention accolades as a junior from The Topeka Capital-Journal.

He totaled 811 rushing yards, 469 receiving yards, and 22 total touchdowns as a senior to go along with 80 tackles for the Wildcats and was named the 2020 city offensive player of the year for Topeka, a community which still holds a great interest in his career progression.

The EA Sports 83-rated Purnell, who was a late addition to the 2021 class after signing his NLI that Feburary, picked K-State over interest from South Dakota. His lead recruiters were recruiting coordinator Taylor Braet and defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman.

His older brother, Lorenzo, played football at Pittsburg State. Here’s what K-State head coach Chris Klieman had to say about the younger Purnell scion after he signed with KSU:

Desmond Purnell, I was able to go and watch him play [against Manhattan]. I thought he was the best kid on the field that day. He really piqued my interest, and I kept watching clips that were sent to me. When I saw him live, I thought there was a kid that will have an impact on our program.

Following his breakout season in 2022, here’s what Klieman had to say at Big 12 Media Days:

Des had a really good season last season. I love seeing Topeka kids have the success he’s having. He’s one of the core guys on our football team that bleeds K-State and leads our culture of what we’re doing. He split time with Khalid Duke when we moved Khalid to full-time defensive end because I think it’s more his natural position. That does amplify Des’ role tremendously, as well as on special teams. Austin Moore and Daniel Green are the leaders of the linebacker corps, but he needs to be the next guy that’s going to lead when those two guys go, as well as be one of the leaders on special teams.

A budding business leader, Purnell had a neat opportunity in 2022 to attend the Men of Color National Summit at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, South Carolina.