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February 1, 2011Thursday, Feb. 3
February 3, 2011
It won’t be iron-clad until a little later today when he officially signs his name on his National Letter of Intent, but former Vandebilt Catholic standout Daren Kitchen has made up his mind once and for all about his collegiate future.
He’s going to be an SMU Mustang.
The local cornerback formally ended his recruitment and gave his verbal pledge to SMU coach June Jones earlier this week.
From there, he made the trek to Dallas this weekend to visit his soon-to-be home on an official visit to the area.
“I just felt like SMU had a stable coaching staff,” Kitchen said when asked why he picked the school. “I felt like I could come in and make an early impact, as well.”
Kitchen said he chose the Mustangs’ program after fielding committable offers from Pittsburgh, Michigan, Nebraska, Louisiana Tech, Kansas and Southern Mississippi.
He made his decision less than a week before National Signing Day, which means he’s been courted by schools for close to a full calendar year now.
He described the recruiting process as “tiring” and said he’s glad that he has the ability to enjoy a few weeks of being a normal high school teenager again.
“I’m really relieved,” he said. “I was always nervous before not knowing where exactly I’d end up going. I’m glad it’s over and I can just relax and have some peace of mind.”
The road to SMU was somewhat of a surprise to some around Kitchen, because the school wasn’t always one of the hottest on his trail throughout his recruitment.
Kitchen said they were one of the first programs to jump onto his board, but they fell back during the season, before coming back in recently and snagging his verbal pledge.
“They were always there early in the process,” Kitchen said. “But we kind of fell off. But they came back in lately and showed a lot of interest, so I just know they’re really excited and I’m really excited and I’m just ready to go.”
Being in Dallas was also a big factor in the decision, according to Kitchen who said he’s not a stranger at all to his future home and also has family glittered throughout the area.
“I’ve been to Dallas a lot throughout the years and everything, because we go there during the hurricanes,” he said. “I have an Uncle there, too, so I’m definitely familiar and comfortable in the area. That was a big plus for me.”
At SMU, Kitchen said he’ll “most definitely” be a cornerback.
He just might have the opportunity to play sooner, rather than later, too.
Several of the Mustangs’ top defensive backs will graduate from the program this year, something Kitchen said could open the door for some freshman or definitely sophomore playing time down the line.
“That’s what we’re hoping for,” he said. “But whatever they ask me to do, of course, I’ll do it.”
That process, he said, begins now, as he plans to work out every day in between now and August to get his body ready for his first-ever college football season.
“I’ll basically be working to get my strength and to put on a few more pounds,” the 6-foot-1, 170-pound prospect said. “The coaches there, they really like my height and they say I’m coordinated for my height, so I’m looking to just add some mass to my frame to go along with that.”
Kitchen added that he’s not fully academically qualified to be a collegiate athlete yet, but said there’s no doubt he will be before he graduated high school, saying he just needs one final core class in his last semester before college.
“I will most definitely be qualified,” Kitchen said. “There’s no doubt.”
So with the grades in order and the decision made, all that’s left is the name “Daren Kitchen” on the dotted line of an SMU scholarship.
That will come sometime during the day today.
That will be the final icing on the cake of what Kitchen said is a dream come true in his life.
“I always dreamed of this since I was a little kid,” Kitchen said. “I’m just grateful and have nothing but thanks to God. When I’m signing on that line, I’ll be the happiest man alive, I promise you.”
The second happiest just might be the SMU community who endured a year of waiting, but eventually got the Tri-parish flare they were looking for.
Former Vandebilt Catholic cornerback Daren Kitchen readies himself for a play during a victory game against Ellender last season. He will sign his collegiate scholarship with SMU today. CASEY GISCLAIR I TRI-PARISH TIMES
