At 5 feet 10 inches tall and 160 pounds, Tyler Lockett didn’t boast the intimidating frame of many football players when he arrived at Kansas State. He thought he would redshirt his freshman year in an effort to add some mass and become a more complete wide receiver.

But Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder thought Lockett would be of far more use to the team on the field.

“I thought about redshirting and that’s one thing that I really wanted to do, but sometimes it wasn’t necessarily what’s the best, and I had to trust coach and trust my dad,” Lockett said. “Luckily, everything worked out for the good.”

Snyder’s decision paid off. Lockett was named a consensus All-American as a return specialist in addition to earning a spot on the first team by Sporting News and the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

Lockett is the latest in a line of elite return specialists at Kansas State that dates back to 1993 when Andre Coleman was named a second-team All-American. The tradition of excellence also includes Lockett’s uncle, Aaron Lockett, who still holds the Big 12 record for single-season punt return average.

And for most of these return men, their statures haven’t held them back. Darren Sproles was just 5 feet 7 inches tall and 170 pounds as a senior. Brandon Banks came into the NFL at 149 pounds — making him the lightest player in the league — and is now in his third season with the Washington Redskins.

“With the smaller guys, we’re a lot quicker, we make a lot of guys miss,” Banks said. “We’re pretty fast, it all comes together. … I wouldn’t say it’s an advantage, I wouldn’t say it’s a disadvantage.”

The key to the Wildcats success is Snyder’s intense focus on return specialists. Banks said Snyder emphasized special teams more than any other coach he had played for.

Lockett also feels he’s benefited from the head coach’s approach.

“We practice it over and over and over,” Lockett said. “We don’t just practice for four or five minutes, we really practice it over and we look at it in the film room because we want to be a great offensive team and defensive team, but at the same time, special teams helps the offense out.”

Apparently the emphasis of special teams runs in the family, too.

Snyder’s son, Sean Snyder, was an All-American punter for KSU in 1992. After going undrafted in the NFL, he joined his father’s coaching staff as a part-time assistant coach in 1994. Snyder remained with Kansas State even during his father’s retirement from 2005 – 2009. In 2010, he was promoted to special teams coordinator, and the unit hasn’t missed a beat.

Sean Snyder’s perspective as a former punter has also added a new dimension to the team’s punt return game.

“He was a punter and also he watches a lot of film, so he knows exactly where the punter’s going to punt it, how he’s going to punt it,” Lockett said. “We don’t just look at the games this year, but we look at the games last year and the year before and stuff like that.”

This year, Lockett and junior wide receiver Tramaine Thompson give the Wildcats arguably the most dynamic duo of return men in the nation.

In KSU’s season-opening 51-9 victory over Missouri State, Lockett reeled off a 43-yard punt return, but it was Thompson that stole the show with an 89-yard punt return touchdown on his only attempt.

Thompson has benefited from the proud tradition in special teams at KSU, keeping in contact with Banks for advice.

Lockett gets similar advice from former Wildcat stars. His father, Kevin Lockett, is K-State’s all-time leading receiver.

“He knows a lot of things that I don’t know and he’s able to see things especially when he watches the game,” Lockett said. “Just being able to listen to him because he’s been through it, he’s been through the system and stuff like that.”

But the one constant for all of Kansas State’s special teams success isn’t the presence of a Lockett on the roster, but the elder Snyder. Aside from four seasons of retirement, Snyder has been the Wildcats’ head coach since 1989. During that span, he’s produced eight special teams All-Americans, including four return specialists or all-purpose players.

“Coach Snyder’s focus is mainly discipline and consistency because that’s the biggest things,” Lockett said. “He wants us to be very disciplined and to start off strong and be able to finish strong.”