KFBCA Top 11: Joe Otting

The Kansas Football Coaches Association picked their All-State teams on December 4th and 5th, including the All-Class Top 11. Kansas Pregame is providing capsules for each of the Top 11 selections. Check out Hayden offensive and defensive lineman Joe Otting's capsule below, one of 13 total KFBCA Top 11 capsules for 2022 due to a pair of ties in voting.

Joe Otting, OL/DL, 6-4, 275, Hayden

Hayden senior Joe Otting has been a key link in the Topeka-Hayden trench-chain over his four-year career starting on the line for the Wildcats, helping to oversee a 35-8 record with two top-four finishes in that span.

While Otting’s primary position on offense is tackle, the versatile 6-4, 275 pounder lined up wherever head coach Bill Arnold needed him during his career. 

According to Arnold, much of that flexibility comes from a combination of factors.

“First thing that comes to mind is his footwork and agility, for a guy his size, moves very well,” Arnold said.

As a senior, Otting’s work on the offensive line helped the Hayden offense average 372.1 yards per game and post a 10-2 record en route to the Wildcats reaching the semifinals of the 3A playoffs.

On the other side of the ball, Otting made a significant impact as well, lining up at defensive end, where he recorded 81 tackles for a defense that held six opponents to two touchdowns or less.

As a junior Otting recorded nine sacks, two forced fumbles, and 14 QB hurries, and through his career posted 171 tackles and 14 sacks.

“I thought Joe competed very well every game, not sure I can say one (side of the ball) more than the other,” Arnold said.

Otting’s ability to deliver nightly was something other coaches noticed on both sides of the ball as well, perhaps most notably Silver Lake head coach Logan Pegram, a former all-conference Division I offensive lineman at Northern Illinois.

“Joe is a generational talent from Kansas,” Pegram said. “His ability to disrupt a game defensively and dominate his position on the offensive line on Friday nights was impressive. His explosiveness, feet, and anticipation for the offensive line were a couple of things I thought he did that separated himself from kids I’ve seen over the years up front.”

And it’s not just skill and athleticism that sets Otting apart, with his leadership abilities seeing a metamorphosis as he entered his senior season.

“Joe has developed into more of a vocal leader in the last year,” Arnold said. “Prior to that he was a leader by example.”

Basketball is another arena in which Otting excels, last season earning All-State honors with a 15-point, seven rebound per game average. From that 2021-22 team that finished the last half of the season strong, winning seven of their final 10 games and making the state tournament, the Wildcats have back four starters. Entering the winter break, Hayden was ranked third in 4A.

While Hayden basketball coach Dwayne Paul says Otting certainly passes the "eye-test," he emphasizes it's more than just his height and powerful frame that contribute to his success between the white lines and on the hardwood.

"What that eye-test does not show is Joe’s dedication both on and off the field and court," Paul said. "His dedication to taking care of his body, lifting, running, stretching is amazing to see. The amount of training he puts in with his trainers and position coaches are what makes him a 4-Star player. But what separates Joe apart from other people in his position is the ability to have great hands and impeccable football footwork. He can get nasty in the trenches or he can get outside and pull and make blocks 10 to 12 yards downfield."

His efforts were not lost on some of the top college football programs in the country.

After concluding his senior year this May, Otting is headed to South Bend to play football for Notre Dame. The Wildcat standout will play on the offensive side of the ball for head coach Marcus Freeman after choosing the Fighting Irish over offers from Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska, and many others.