San Marcos senior defensive back Kannon Webb had ambitions of becoming the next Johnny Manziel coming into high school. Webb had no clue he’d become the school’s all-time leading tackler.
Webb entered Friday’s game at Austin Westlake needing just three tackles to break the program record. He hit the mark by the end of the first half, then added another four in the second half to set the bar at 231 and counting. The defensive back didn’t realize he had reached the total until after the game.
“Tremendous accomplishment for one of the most tenacious players I’ve ever had the honor of coaching,” San Marcos recruiting coordinator Marvin Nash said.
Webb’s total tops that of his mentor, former San Marcos safety and current Texas Lutheran sophomore defensive back Therrance Soto. The two shared text messages after Webb found out, saying someone had to break Soto’s tackle record.
“(Soto) was a guy I really looked up to as a sophomore and he really helped me out. So just, you know, being able to break his record is kind of ironic, but you know it feels good,” Webb said. “I sent him a text saying, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry,’ and he told me he was proud of me.
“It means a lot. What he did for me was really big. I credit a lot of what I did in football to him and my father,” Webb said. “So I’m just hoping that whenever I graduate, I can say the same about me, that I had that same impact on some of these freshmen and sophomores. So I’m just trying to reciprocate what he did for me.”
Webb played quarterback and safety for the Rattlers’ freshman team in 2017 while Soto was enjoying his first year with the varsity squad as a junior. They worked out together throughout the season and eventually got the chance to share the field in spring ball, creating a must-watch defensive core.
Then-defensive coordinator Gilbert Rodriguez Jr. took the two under his wing and taught them the skills needed to be elite defenders. After Webb found out he would be playing defense his sophomore year, he took the time to study some of the greats at his position in the NFL including Pro Bowlers Earl Thomas and Tyrann Mathieu.
Moving Webb to defense full-time proved worthwhile for the program. The safety’s made a lot of memorable tackles throughout his career since the switch. One stands out to him, though.
“We played at Laredo United last year and it was the first play of the game. I remember they ran a sweep and I came down hill, and I cut the guy he kind of flipped over me,” Kannon explained. “I got up everybody was just looking at me, and I was there like ‘OK, that’s the type of game it is going to be.’ And it turned out to be a good game.”
Kannon’s father, San Marcos safeties coach Bryan Webb, has been there for each stop.
“I mean, one ball game he had 24 tackles against (Buda) Hays and another game, he had 17 tackles,” Bryan said. “And then all of a sudden these tackles started accumulating and, before I know it last week, one of the coaches here that had been on staff said ‘You know he’s fixing to break the record?’ And I didn’t even know he was close to it.”
Bryan is extremely proud of Kannon, of course, both as a dad and a coach, but doesn’t want to think too much about his son’s accomplishments until the season is over with. Heading into his senior year, Kannon had two goals for himself: make the playoffs and find a place to play college football.
Bryan has seen firsthand the effort Kannon has put in to reach his targets. Kannon added 12 pounds of muscle over the summer. His dad had to buy him a new weight set at home just to keep up.
“He absolutely just enjoys going out and doing it every day. I don’t have to tell him to get up to go do it. I don’t have to ask him if he did it,” Bryan said. “Sometimes I had to go tell him to come in because, you know, he was out there for two and a half hours pulling tires.”
Now Kannon continues to build on his legacy. He’s up to 39 tackles through four games this season. New San Marcos head coach John Walsh has given the defensive back the chance to live out his dream as a quarterback. Kannon got the chance to line up behind center in some wildcat looks this season and has made plays as a wide receiver as well, catching nine passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
His season is far from over and the senior has more goals in mind for the rest of his career in the purple and white.
“So we have five games left,’’ Webb said. “I’m trying to at least get to 300 (tackles), get us into the playoffs, try to extend from there.”
Webb and the Rattlers host Buda Hays this Friday inside San Marcos Toyota Rattler Stadium in the first of its last two home games of the season.
