What a weapon.
Kyle Wilkins was equally dangerous as a quarterback or a safety. On offense his deft ball fakes and occasional long passes made countless defenders look utterly lost. On defense he frequently blasted through ball carriers like a freight train.
Now the 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior at Archbishop Murphy High School is taking his game to the next level. Wilkins has decided to play college football for Eastern Washington University.
Wilkins – who also considered Carroll College (Helena, Mont.) and received interest from Washington, Oregon State and Hawaii – will likely play defense for Eastern, either cornerback or safety. “My guess would be he’ll start as a corner,” Archbishop Murphy coach Terry Ennis said. But “he’s got (talent to succeed at) both places.”
Regarding Wilkins’ hitting ability, Ennis added, “Pound for pound he packs a good wallop.”
Eastern coaches told Wilkins they liked his aggressiveness. “They kind of emphasize the playing style I already have,” he explained.
Wilkins will also be reunited with his older brother, Cole Wilkins, 19, who attended Monroe High before moving to Hawaii (Kyle Wilkins also lived in Hawaii for two years before he enrolled at Archbishop Murphy). Cole is a 6-3, 270-pound defensive lineman who attended junior college before transferring to Eastern.
Following this season’s run to the Class 2A state semifinals with the Archbishop Murphy football team, Kyle Wilkins decided to sit out the basketball season because of shoulder and back injuries, Ennis said. But the Wildcats star, who earned first team Cascade Conference All-League honors on offense and defense, should be recovered in time to begin his next test.
“It’s coming together,” Wilkins said of the injuries. “It’s not anything I’m worried about.”
Wilkins scored 30 touchdowns and gained more than 1,800 total yards during his career at Archbishop Murphy. He also intercepted nine passes and recovered three fumbles.
Most impressive of all, Wilkins was part of an Archbishop Murphy team that won two consecutive 1A state championships and 39 straight games.
“It’s an opportunity that not a lot of people have,” he said, “to come from such a winning program like that, to start something and leave a stamp somewhere. It’s pretty exciting to come from that and move on.”
Wilkins joins a rising Eastern program that went 9-4 in 2004, including a Big Sky Conference co-championship and a trip to the Division I-AA quarterfinals. The Eagles return 13 of 22 starters next year.
“I think this is a very competitive level for him,” Ennis said. “It’s going to be a good challenge.”
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