Mason Aaron Barta (b. Dec. 16, 1997) is an in-state product whose father played for K-State as part of Bill Snyder’s first team. Mason originally signed his National Letter of Intent in 2016, but deferred his enrollment to spring and redshirted in 2017.
He played in all 12 games in 2018, primarily on special teams and in short-yardage situations, and helped the offense to finish third in the Big 12 by averaging 182.6 rushing yards per game, which included a 184.2-yard average in conference games to rank second.
A four-year letter-winner for Holton High School under his head coach and father, Brooks Barta, Mason was rated the top outside linebacker in the state of Kansas for the class of 2016 by Scout.