With the lack of recent success in UCLA football program, they show signs of hope with the recruitment of 4 Star Athlete, Devin Kirkwood. He has the skill set and talent needed to become the Bruins’ next potential star, both on and off the field.
Devin Kirkwood is in his senior year of High School and he’s already starting to attract the attention of various colleges for both his skills as a football player and as a person. Devin started at an early age when it came to football, after his mother put him in the sport as a kid which he didn’t take to at first. He himself states “My mother had threw me into football when I was like 5 as like a punishment. At first I didn’t like playing sports, so it just grew on me over the years and I actually just started liking it a lot more and I just felt like I could go to college playing it.”
Eventually his love of football did take off and his skills started going with it as he was able to earn the rank of 25th on 2021 top recruits in California. His work ethic backs up that ranking as he says “I’m always trying to better myself everyday. I feel like if you don’t get better everyday then you basically wasted day. I was raised to give 110% at every time on everything I do.” This definitely shows that he has the ability to work hard and that he doesn’t just simply take a day off just because he feels like it. He’s going to work to get better at his game in any way that he can. However, it isn’t just his skills at his position that make him valuable, it’s also his ability to see what football has taught him as a person.
“Football has taught me to be a better team person, better communications skills with other people, football is a team sport, it also taught me to stay humble.” He had mentioned that he’s always aware that his spot on the teams is never guaranteed which is why he’s dedicated to getting better at his craft not only as a player, but as a teammate. Of course his skill as a player is there within him as he’s listed as a ATH which means he can play multiple positions and he does have a preference “I like playing Corner because it’s fun to like lock people up, talk trash, and then get an interception and then run it back. Everybody can play offense, not everybody can play defense.”
That’s the type of skill that UCLA headcoach Chip Kelly can use once he’s on his team and it seems that the connection of the school and Kirkwood fit well. “I talked to them everyday, they asked me how my school is and how my family is. They just don’t ask me about football, they ask about academics, the community and how I carry myself on a daily basis.” Devin also accredited the school with making sure that he’s going to be good after a life of football which is something that should be important in every player’s career.
While having a plan for the future is important for every player, there’s one particular player that comes to Devin’s mind when he thinks football… “My favorite player that inspired me was Deion Sanders because he always stood out. He was always that player that played with a chip on his shoulder at all times and didn’t really care what people thought about him.”
His favorite player could also be a good comparison to him on how he plays the game as the way he described his style of game is similar to Deion in that Kirkwood plays hard and likes to take down his competition, just like Sanders.
Competition, that is the one thing that stood out when speaking with Devin as that seems to be the ultimate driving factor for him. When talking with UCLA and their coaches, it seems they value what he wants to accomplish and who he is as a person. He’s clearly level headed as he mentioned and his community and coaches keep him that way as the grind of the sport and daily life can be wearing. All of the statements he made show that he’s not only just in it for the play on the field, but the long term investment as a person in which he can grow and help put UCLA back on the map in terms of competition.
Devin kirkwood is an all out great person that isn’t just in it for the quick success and fame of becoming a football star. He’s shown how he can grow as a person and as a player by working with the community that he’s been raised with and has helped him be the person he is today. He’s going to be a very important player and role model when he goes to UCLA which is something the college can appreciate and help put them make on the map in terms of success. If UCLA is going to start turning things around and become a threat in the upcoming future in the PAC-12, then they can start with Devin Kirkwood.
