Koehne keen on getting to Gainesville

When Kyle Koehne and his family leave Indianapolis Sunday to begin their trip to Gainesville and the University of Florida, the Cathedral High School lineman, a member of Florida’s Class of 2009, will see his life forever changed.

“I’ll be excited and a little nervous,” Koehne said. “It’s just a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to it.”

With his departure date nearing, Koehne has been doing his best to soak up his time at home before moving to Gainesville.

“I’m just working out and spending time with family and friends,” Koehne said. “I’m taking it in but excited to move on, too.”

The Koehne family will stop in Atlanta Sunday night before finishing the last part of the 14-hour drive Monday. Incoming freshmen must be on campus by Tuesday for orientation.

Since National Signing Day, Koehne has spent the entire spring working out. The workout plan from the Florida coaching staff helped put him in shape to show up on campus and immediately participate in the team’s workouts.

Koehne currently weighs 286 pounds, thanks to the benefits of the Florida workout routine.

“The plan was real good for me and really helped,” Koehne said. “It’s a 12-week plan and I finished it about a week ago. It was really good and I feel like I’m in good shape going to campus. I want to be in good shape for the training down there.”

Koehne comes to campus as part of a five-man offensive line class. He will be rooming with Jon Halapio and Xavier Nixon, two other key parts to that class. The remaining two freshmen offensive linemen, Nick Alajajian and Jonotthan Harrison, have been in classes since January and participated in spring drills.

Of the five incoming lineman, Koehne is the only one being projected at center. The Florida coaches suggested he spend his time learning how to snap the football, since most of Florida’s spread offense is run out of the shotgun.

“It wasn’t too rough, but I worked hard at it,” Koehne said. “It’ll probably be a lot different when we put on pads and start going live.“

The hard work he has put in learning to snap is something he hopes will pay off.

“I’ve been training for center this whole spring,” Koehne said. “I’ve been working on snapping and I’m getting comfortable with it now. I’ll have some time in Gainesville to snap before we get going in workouts.”

And once those workouts begin, Kyle Koehne intends to be ready.