Kirkland Completes Impressive Run as Dominant Husky Lineman
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Jaxson Kirkland is finally done with college football, finished after spending six seasons at the University of Washington, going out on a triumphant note after sharing in a 27-20 victory over Texas in the Alamo Bowl.
On Thursday, the 6-foot-7, 340-pound senior offensive guard from Vancouver, Washington — wearing his familiar smudged black eye that makes him look even more intimidating than for simply being a giant man in football pads — was deeply satisfied with how it ended.
Texas, while missing its top two running backs for this game, had all of its superb defensive linemen ready to battle. And they did.
“We worked so hard for this thing,” Kirkland said, surveying the postgame celebration one last time before heading to the locker room. “That’s why it’s not really a fluke why we’re here.”
Kirkland leaves the college game after appearing in 49 games for the Huskies, all starting assignments, and three different head football coaches.
He walks away from the UW after becoming one of the school’s most decorated players in its football history, earning first-team, All-Pac-12 honors on three separate occasions.
No, you can’t tempt him to find some kind of loophole that would enable him to pull on the purple and gold once more. The National Football League is beckoning.
“It’s going to be pretty special next year, but six years is pretty long,” Kirkland said. “I’m ready to move on.”
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Early indications are he will be a second- to fourth-round draft pick, this after drawing considerable first-round attention in the mock drafts the year before and prior to him injuring an ankle last season that eventually required surgery.
For now, the big lineman feels that he did his part in helping put the program in a good place going forward for his returning teammates.
“The confidence is high morale,” Kirkland said. “It’s all in front of them. It just what they’re willing to do in putting in the work. They have all the tools, the pieces.”
Well, the Huskies will have one less ingredient in the dependable and often dominant Kirkland, who will gladly be watching what they do without him while he chases NFL dreams.
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