During his first full weekend in Manhattan, Mekhi Mason fought by way of windchills of 16 levels under zero. One day, he struggled to navigate his automobile by way of snow on the best way to follow. Another day, he took a brisk stroll with teammates to the indoor follow facility carrying solely his grey t-shirt and purple shorts. Each morning, there have been two-hour exercises, conditioning workouts, and college.
There’s an adjustment interval… after which there’s an adjustment interval. On December 5, Mason, a local of Pembroke Pines, Florida, entered the switch portal after concluding his junior season as an All-CUSA Second Team linebacker at Louisiana Tech. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder arrived at Okay-State on January 18. Now this? He’s slapped within the face with frozen fingers within the Midwest?
“There’s no doubt in my mind I made the right choice,” Mason says, chuckling. “I really like this. Everything has been nice — the coaches, the services, the college, and my teammates and I get alongside rather well. The snow? I drove to the ability within the snow for follow.
“It wasn’t very smart.”
When the sector thaws at Bill Snyder Family Stadium and scorching temperatures signify the beginning of soccer season in September, Mason, who was listed because the 26th-rated linebacker within the switch portal by On3, intends to placed on a present with the Wildcats.
“I’m a dawg, honestly,” Mason says. “K-State and the Big 12 is definitely a higher level, but my mindset doesn’t change from playing at Louisiana Tech. I have to be as hungry as before. I’ll actually be hungrier now. I definitely want to be first team all-conference, try to earn the Butkus Award, and help us get to the College Football Playoff.”
Mason had 96 tackles, together with 18.5 tackles for loss with 4.5 sacks, and 5 passes defended in two years at Louisiana Tech, together with 68 tackles with 14.5 for loss with 3.5 sacks and 4 passes defended in 2025. He ranked twenty ninth nationally in sort out for loss en path to incomes his all-convention honors.
Mason’s efforts included a standout efficiency in Louisiana Tech’s 23-7 loss at No. 3 LSU on September 6 when he had a profession-excessive 11 tackles, together with 1.5 tackles for a loss and one sack towards the Tigers in entrance of 101,667 followers at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
“The game actually started earlier in the week when they said the point spread would be 60 and they were barely practicing for us,” Mason says. “I took that game very personally. I had to let it be known.”
He took out his aggression on LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier.
“My big third-down sack on Garrett was my favorite play,” Mason says. “I dropped in coverage and saw Garrett rolling out, and I didn’t know if he was going to throw or run, so I went after him. I was going so fast that when he tried to make a move it didn’t work, and I tackled him. It definitely lit a fire.”
That fireplace continues to burn in conferences with Okay-State linebackers coach Nick Toth, who was employed on Collin Klein’s teaching workers on December 22. At Texas A&M, Toth oversaw the event of 2010 Butkus Award winner Von Miller, who turned the No. 2 general decide within the 2011 NFL Draft. At Fresno State, Toth coached All-American security Phillip Thomas, a finalist for the 2012 Jim Thorpe Award. At Oregon, Toth coached All-American defensive finish Kayvon Thibodeaux, a finalist for the 2021 Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and who turned the fifth general decide within the 2022 NFL Draft. At Air Force, he coached security Trey Taylor, who gained the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award.
“Coach Toth develops guys and has multiple award winners,” Mason says. “He’s going to develop me in one year into the player I want to be.”
And what may that be?
“My mindset,” Mason says, “is to attack.”
Mason, who enters his ultimate season of faculty soccer, does not but know precisely which linebacker place he’ll occupy on the sector, however he is an enormous fan of defensive coordinator Jordan Peterson and the plans that he has put collectively for the season forward.
“It’s definitely an NFL defense, for sure,” Mason says. “It’s an exotic defense. You’ll never know what we’re running based off what we’re showing.”
As for what may Mason present?
“I attack each and every play,” he says. “You want to play angry, but not too angry, and be in control of your emotions, but I’m trying to get to the ball every play. My versatility stands out the most. I can play inside and outside the box. I can cover pass catchers. I bring a lot of things in the toolbox. I’m trying to bring some leadership to the room since this is my last year.”
Three phrases first roll off the tongue when Mason thinks of Okay-State soccer.
“I think about, ‘College Football Playoff,'” he says.
For now, the times are consumed by Mason’s exercises at 8:30 a.m. for baseline power and conditioning testing and dealing on the pace operating program to achieve optimum operating kind to extend pace and explosiveness beneath the steerage of Director of Strength and Conditioning Jeremy Jacobs.
“Coach Jacobs is the best strength and conditioning coach I’ve had in my career,” Mason says. “The big thing that he’s told us about is being more explosive and using our hips and our glutes. I just absorb his knowledge.”
The preliminary theme for Klein’s first season as Okay-State head coach is “Family Business,” and it did not take lengthy for Mason to choose up that vibe on his early January go to to Okay-State, which he made after first visiting UCF.
Why, it was new Okay-State defensive backs coach Jeremiah Johnson who phoned Mason first after he dropped into the portal. Johnson served as Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator in 2024.
“The coaching staff is like a family, basically,” Mason says. “Coach Johnson was an enormous half in me selecting Okay-State. It was nice to have anyone I aware of once I was within the switch portal. It was good to listen to his voice. We had loads to speak about.
“He talked about how valuable I’d be at K-State. I know K-State’s brand of football is they’re a disciplined team in the Big 12 and always have a good defense.”
Already, Mason is pumped up for the season opener.
“What’s going to be going through my mind? Angry thoughts,” he says. “I’m not going to lie. There’s going to be anyone throughout the road, and I’m making an attempt to feed my household identical to him. He’s going to try to be higher than me. I do not like that. I take that personally.
“I’m going to have angry thoughts.”