DALLAS -- The notification on his phone caught Stanton Weber off guard.

Seeing he had been added to the Big 12’s list of media day attendees was unexpected for Kansas State’s special teams ace.

“When are we flying out? Nobody tells me anything,” Weber wondered.

Yet there his name sat alongside Big 12 preseason offensive player of the year and potential Heisman candidate Trevone Boykin of TCU and alongside Big 12 preseason defensive player of the year and meme king Shawn Oakman of Baylor and the rest of the conference’s top athletes who hold their teams’ destinies in their hands.

“This is special,” Weber said. “To have an opportunity to be one of the guys selected for this is really special.”

K-State coach Bill Snyder’s decision to bring Weber to Big 12 media days tells you all you need to know about his Wildcats program.

“It just reinforces how he appreciates what I bring,” said Weber, whose father Stan quarterbacked at K-State and has been KSU’s color commentator since 1987. “The media might not see me out there on Saturdays scoring touchdowns but the guys in the film room say ‘Wow Stanton, you graded out 99 percent today on special teams, you were special teams player of the week, we needed you making all those key blocks. We appreciate you blocking.”

People outside of the program may not value or see Weber's contributions each Saturday. But inside the program, his contributions were just as important as Tyler Lockett’s in 2014.

“Us players and Coach Snyder take pride in Stanton and the work he puts in,” offensive tackle Cody Whitehair said. “Stanton’s a great guy, great leader. A guy like Stanton who is a leader on special teams. If you look throughout the country and see what special teams does to the game of football, it’s crazy. It’s just like offense or defense. You’ve got to have every part of the game to win games and Stanton takes pride in that. He gains tons of respect from all of us.”

Most programs wouldn’t even think of bringing a former walk-on-turned-captain to Big 12 media days, instead opting for their starting skill position players and/or their biggest names.

Instead, everyone saw the lists of names when the Big 12 announced the attendees and recognized nearly everyone until they landed at K-State’s list. Right next to its top defensive back (Dante Barnett), its big-play cornerback and kick returner (Morgan Burns) and its top offensive lineman (Whitehair) was Weber’s name.

“I think it gives the media and everyone else a true belief that Coach Snyder really does believe in that,” Whitehair said. “He takes value in that, he respects the guys who sometimes are recruited just to play special teams.”

Selection of his media day representatives are just the surface sign of Snyder’s approach. Everyone is held to a high standard, expectations change for nobody, everyone is on equal footing, garnering the same respect for doing their job well.

“What’s great about Coach Snyder, if you don’t buy in, we don’t need you,” Weber said. “If you look back on players, and I don’t want to talk bad about anybody but (look at) Bryce Brown. John Hubert was less talented but he bought in. Bryce Brown, he went on Monday Night Football and ran for 150 yards and he couldn’t make it at K-State. Coach Snyder didn’t baby him, ‘We’re going to make an exception for him.’”

More than buying in, Snyder has expectations that challenge his players. For Weber, it started during their first meeting.

“He saw in me something that I didn’t see in myself,” Weber said. “My goal coming in was down here, (holding his hand below his chest) when I had my first meeting with Coach Snyder he was thinking way up there (holding his hand above his head). It’s almost like, ‘Are you kidding? I don’t see it.’ I bought in, trusted the system and I’ve gone farther than I ever expected.”

Weber’s career stats on offense (one reception, 21 yards) would represent a disappointing drive for a receiver at Baylor. Yet his leadership, commitment and trustworthiness make him a superstar in Snyder’s eyes, worthy of sitting alongside the Big 12’s elite in Dallas.

“I’m not a superstar athlete for him,” Weber said. “I haven’t won us any games, I’ve probably hurt us on more occasions than I’ve helped us but he appreciates the example that I’ve set. It means the world to me and it means the world to all the guys right behind me who say I want to be in the position Stanton is one day.”