Lake Stevens’ Kinchen plans to wait until February to sign LOI

Lake Stevens High School three-star cornerback Kasen Kinchen said he plans to wait until February to sign his national letter of intent, instead of during this week’s early signing period.

In the current NCAA Division I college football recruiting landscape, high school seniors have the option of signing during a three-day window in mid-December or waiting until the traditional early-February signing date.

This is the third year that college football has featured a December early signing period. According to 247Sports, 77% of last year’s Football Bowl Subdivision prospects signed their letters of intent in December.

The early signing period begins Wednesday and runs through Friday. The traditional signing period begins Feb. 5.

Kinchen, the highest-ranked senior recruit in the Snohomish County area according to 247Sports, has Pac-12 scholarship offers from Oregon and California. He also holds offers from Mountain West schools Air Force, Hawaii and Utah State, as well as Football Championship Subdivision offers from Eastern Washington and Montana State.

“I’m still trying to take some of my official visits, so I’m probably gonna be signing in February,” Kinchen said Tuesday. “I still just want to check out some of the schools and just see if anything else comes through. I’m just trying to wait to see how my options (turn) out and just figure out what works best for me.”

Kinchen, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 16 overall senior recruit in the state, was a two-way standout for the Vikings as a lockdown cornerback and dynamic wide receiver.

This past season, Kinchen totaled two interceptions, 10 pass breakups and four tackles for loss while helping anchor a smothering Lake Stevens defense that posted five shutouts and allowed just 10.2 points per game. The 5-foot-11, 170-pound cornerback also had seven interceptions during the 2018 season while helping the Vikings reach the Class 4A state title game.

Kinchen also excelled on offense with 55 receptions for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns this past season. He also rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns and returned a kickoff for a score.

Despite his offensive playmaking talents, Kinchen said colleges are primarily looking at him as a cornerback.

While Kinchen is waiting until February to sign, two local senior standouts plan to ink their national letters of intent during this week’s early signing period.

Lake Stevens offensive lineman Devin Kylany plans to sign with Washington State this week, according to Vikings coach Tom Tri. Kylany, a three-star recruit, committed to Washington State in April. The 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 18 overall senior recruit in the state.

Kylany was a powerful force at left tackle during Lake Stevens’ 2018 state runner-up campaign, but played only one game this season. He missed the Vikings’ first 10 games while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he suffered in wrestling. He then returned for their first-round state-playoff win over Union, but missed their state quarterfinal loss to Mount Si because of a one-game suspension.

Monroe receiver Efton Chism III plans to sign with Eastern Washington this week, according to former Bearcats coach Michael Bumpus. Chism III, a three-star wide receiver, committed to Eastern Washington in June. The versatile 5-foot-11, 186-pounder is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 71 overall senior recruit in the state.

This past season, Chism III accounted for 1,232 yards of offense and 14 total touchdowns while doing a bit of everything for Monroe. He caught 54 passes for 801 yards and eight touchdowns. He ran for 275 yards and four scores. He completed five passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. And he made an impact on special teams, returning a punt for a score.

Chism III also excelled at defensive back, intercepting two passes and totaling seven pass breakups.