McGraw is the starting free safety for the Wildcats, who appear headed to their ninth straight bowl game at the conclusion of this season. He is a probable NFL draft pick. As a fifth-year senior, he is the leader of a defense that ranks consistently among the best in the nation.

McGraw also is the former walk-on from Riley County High School who led his high school FCA Huddle and has served the past three years as the Huddle president at K-State. He is an accomplished violinist and guitar player. He leads worship at FCA meetings. He’s nearly a 4.0 student. And at 6-3 and 200 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes, he is a heartthrob.

"We all see Jon when he’s out in public; the girls are just swarming him," offensive lineman Mike Johnson said. "He doesn’t do any of that kind of stuff; he sets a real good example."

Johnson is a redshirt freshman, who feels like McGraw is the type of guy he could go to with a problem unrelated to football.

"I definitely could go talk to Jon about anything. And he’d take me seriously and try to help me. Just to see him on the field and off, he shows incredible leadership. He knows where he is going; he’s got a plan for his life. I can see God leading him and directing."

Is McGraw perfect? "No," says K-State strength and conditioning coach Rod Cole, who also serves as the FCA Huddle Coach. "He doesn’t have four more years of eligibility."

In his past four years, he has put together quite a resume off the football field. Besides being FCA president, he leads worship by singing and playing his guitar. He’s also done special music at the football banquet. One of his most memorable contributions was at the funeral of teammate Anthony Bates, who passed away during training camp a year ago.

"He played ‘Amazing Grace’ with his violin at Anthony’s funeral," defensive lineman Andrew Shull said. "It was an emotional time, and it said a lot for him to be able to get up there."

Cole says McGraw gets the most attention by not attracting attention to himself. "Jon just goes about his business. Everybody notices and respects the way he conducts himself. By walking his talk and living his life in line with what he confesses and what he believes, he gets people’s attention."

Including his teammates.

Offensive lineman Andy Eby, a fellow fifth-year senior and FCA member, respects McGraw’s leadership. "He’s definitely a leader by his actions," Eby says. "He works the group. He helps with Bible studies all the time. He has a lot a lot of speaking engagements. He’s probably one of the most requested speakers in Kansas; everybody wants him to come and speak to youth groups –especially during the off-season. He’s usually gone every weekend.

"In the locker room he’s not really a vocal leader. But Jon is really a talkative guy, when it comes to his faith. He is very open about it. He is not ashamed of it at all. He feels that it’s a privilege when he gets a chance to express his faith to other people, so he considers them opportunities to share what God has done in his life."

While McGraw has done plenty on the field to brag about, he’s more interested in talking about his faith than football. "Football doesn’t need as much attention from me," he says. "I really do enjoy sharing my faith with whoever will listen."

"He’s just an inspirational person," offensive lineman John Robertson said. "He taught me a lot. I didn’t have the spiritual background that he did. And when you get to the college atmosphere, it’s difficult to maintain a Christian focus. It’s been a big help watching Jon be able to maintain his devotion and his positive attitude. Not only for me, but that’s been inspirational to quite a few guys who have looked at him and the lifestyle he leads and say ‘that’s the kind of person I want to be like.’"

Now that you have the impression that McGraw is every parent’s dream for their daughter, let’s talk about football.

"Before he came, we had a pretty good feeling that he probably could play at this level," Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder said. "We liked all the things about him that we like right now. We were uncertain about the degree to which he could play. As soon as he arrived, we realized we were accurate in our assessment of him at that time."

After walking on his first year, he received a scholarship for his redshirt-freshman year. He started gaining playing time as a sophomore and started in a defensive backfield otherwise filled with seniors when he was a junior.

"To play that position, you have to have some intelligence and the ability to anticipate well," Snyder says. "He has the intelligence and common sense. He has the football knowledge to know where to be, and then he has enough speed (4.4 in the 40) to get there."

McGraw loves making interceptions. He had a big one to protect a late lead last year at Colorado, which he returned 71 yards for a touchdown. He also grabbed one in the regular-season game against Oklahoma and another in the Cotton Bowl against Tennessee. But that’s not what gets him really pumped on the football field.

"The highlights for me are when I can go out and have a game that is near perfect," he said. "Mistakes just drive me crazy. I love to go back and watch films to see where I can improve, and so the games where I came out and made noticeable improvements in areas where I was making mistakes before are really some of my highlights.

"I think some of it is instinct, some of it is good coaching, helping me understand where I need to be and how to read my keys and understand my role on the team. Free safety is a fun position because you get to be wherever the ball is. Whether it’s run or pass. That’s what I love about the position. And Coach (Phil) Bennett has done a tremendous job of preparing me and giving me a knowledge of the game so I can keep myself in a position to make plays."

His ability to make plays has drawn the attention of professional scouts. "Every pro scout that saw him run a 40 in March has him near the top of their list," Cole says. "He is going to have an opportunity to play in the NFL. He’s got all the intangibles you’re looking for in terms of character. I just hope that he has a senior season where he’s injury free and has a chance to play all season. He’s ready. He’s strong. He’s fast. He’s prepared. He’s in condition. He’s a very cerebral, very smart player."

Cole does mention that McGraw is not tied to a day planner. "He just floats along and seems to handle everything in stride. But he gets it all done at an exceptional level. He is just a good student and a student of the game. We’ll finish FCA on a Thursday night at 10:30 and it’s pretty common for him to then go in the video room and watch some videotape before the game on Saturday, getting in a little videotape on Thursday night. He finds a way to get it all done. I don’t know how he does it."

McGraw says that football has taught him time-management skills. But he quickly redirects the conversation back to what FCA has done for him.

"There are a lot of incredible Christian fellowship programs. But with athletics being such a big part of my life, as well as my faith, it’s just been a natural thing for me to go to FCA and use that as a ministry. Coach Cole has done a tremendous job with the FCA here. There are a lot of parallels between athletics and my faith. They compliment each other really well. I think that’s why I enjoy participating in it.

"FCA has given me an outlet for anxiety, tension, nervousness, all that kind of stuff. Especially during the season with school and football, I spend one night preparing for FCA and the next night at FCA. So it takes up a lot of time, but I find that the more I do that, the more a lot of things fall into place and I don’t have to worry about them as much. The Lord will take care of them for me. It’s been a great outlet for me."

According to Eby, McGraw embodies FCA. "Jon McGraw is definitely about influence," he says. "I can’t imagine all the people he has impacted here, just players alone. He probably looks at it like this football team is a mission field for him. A lot of guys come from a hard life and stuff. He can really impact a lot of people."

"Jon is not just becoming a leader, it’s a role he’s evolved into," Snyder says. "He has harbored very positive leadership traits throughout his time here. I think young people in our program, when the need is there, when they choose a player to deal with them in their hardships, Jon is always a good choice."

McGraw likely has many choices once he finishes at K-State, whether in the field of finance or on the fields of the NFL. He’s okay with either, as long as it is God’s will. He has one fan who believes he will be a tremendous success, wherever he lands.

"He just keeps getting better and better and better, not just as a football player, but as a student and as a person," Kansas State president Jon Wefald says. "Jon is going to go on and carve out a great career for himself. We don’t know exactly in what arena, but he is going to be one of this state’s and one of America’s top leaders in the next 20 years."