Well, the family plan hit its first snag when Kevin graduated from Hudson
High School in Hudson, Ohio. Kevin’s grades weren’t as good as he would have
liked, and physically he wasn’t ready to play Division IA football. Plan B
included a one year stop at Grand Rapids Junior College in Grand Rapids,
Michigan. While in Michigan, Kevin was the #2 tackler on a team that went 9-2
and won the Graphic Edge Bowl. He had gained some weight, and his grades had
improved. Now he was ready to become a Redhawk, or was he?
Kevin surprised his entire family when he went to Plan C. “I was planning to
go to Miami all along since my brother and sister had played there. A lot of the
family wanted me to go there. At the last second there was a discrepancy between
me and some of their coaches so I started talking to some of the coaches here. I
ended up loving it here, a lot more than I liked it up there. This is a good fit
for me.”
This April, Kevin seems determined to spring yet another surprise. Despite
playing in only two games last season, Kevin is pushing Leo Morgan for the
starting inside linebacker’s position. A year in UC’s defensive system has
really helped. “I’m playing a lot faster than I played last fall. I know the
defense a lot better, and that allows me to get to where I need to be without
thinking. I’m just doing a better job of finishing plays.” That fact was not
lost on Coach Dantonio during Tuesday’s practice as Kevin earned praise from the
head coach for his pass coverage.
Despite the loss of so much experience from last year’s team, Kevin feels
this team has other attributes. “We may be a young team, but we’re also an
enthusiastic team with a lot of good attitudes. There’s so much more enthusiasm
out here compared to last year. We also have some playmakers. Those freshmen
running backs last year helped lead our team, and our offensive line is solid
too.”
Here’s where Kevin delivered another surprise. After asking him about the
biggest game on next year’s schedule, I expected Miami to be the hands down
winner, but it wasn’t. “For sure Miami’s a big game since my brother played
there, but Louisville’s a big game. We’ve already talked about it. None of us
have ever been on a team that lost like that, 70-7. It left a really bad taste
in our mouths. We have something to prove.”
The discipline in practice this spring has been impressive. No profanity or
fights go unnoticed or unpunished. Kevin believes that type of discipline has
helped in a couple ways. “From what I understand, it was looser with the
previous coach, and with it being Coach’s first year last year and all the
seniors, it was harder to be strict. But this year the system is more firmly in
place, and it helps us to be respectful and have a good attitude. Those are
things Coach Dantonio preaches to us. Even when a fight breaks out on the field,
they’re immediately disciplined, and those players have to run the steps. It
really brings us closer as a family.”
The young, thin linebacker from Hudson High has added 45 pounds to his frame
and transformed himself into a solid 240 pound linebacker. It was that player
that got Jamar Enzor’s attention last year. “Jamar used to call me Simba. I was
the young lion compared to him. A lot of the guys on the team call me that.”
This young lion, like Disney’s Simba, may be ready to lead this pride of
Bearcats into the Big East Conference.