During his sophomore year of high school, Kyle Koehne had a goal of earning a scholarship to the University of Florida. The 6-6, 290-pound offensive linemen recently set himself up to accomplish this goal when he committed to play for the Gators several days after Florida’s rout of LSU earlier this month.
Florida first contacted Koehne as a sophomore and the three-year varsity starter at Indiana’s Cathedral High School became interested right away in the Orange and Blue.
“They were always high on my list,” Koehne said. “I went to their camp as a sophomore and then came back as a junior. I really enjoyed my experience there.”
Koehne’s first experiences in Gainesville were bettered by his trip to The Swamp for Florida’s game with LSU.
“It was the first time that I had ever experienced anything like that,” he said. “It was amazing. It was my first time there to see the stadium full. It was great.”
Florida offensive line coach Steve Addazio also played a big role in Koehne’s leaving the midwest for the South. Koehne said he enjoyed working with Addazio at the Florida camps he attended. He will now have a chance to join fellow 2009 commits Jonotthan Harrison, Jon Halapio and Nick Alajajian in Gainesville. The quartet of incoming Gator offensive linemen are quite impressive and give the SEC power a leg up in recruiting in the state.
For years, Florida has been able to recruit quality depth on its offensive front. Perhaps the best example of this occurred this season when Carl Johnson, a backup left tackle who moved inside to the starting left guard spot where he has become dominant.
Other state schools have lagged behind Florida in getting the best of the best on the line in the Sunshine State. Florida State is littered with underclassmen, while Miami has also struggled to put together a powerful front wall. The Gators, though, haven’t and Koehne said it all starts with the group’s leader.
“[Addazio] is a very good offensive line coach and he knows how to pick good offensive linemen,” Koehne said. “He doesn’t offer many offensive linemen. He knows what he wants. Plus, Florida has a great tradition. Everyone wants to be a Gator.”
Koehne and Halapio will enroll in Florida next summer while Harrison and Alajajian are planning early entry in January.
In the meantime, a final offensive lineman could be in the mix to come to Florida for the Class of 2009. Koehne met North Carolina-based offensive tackle Xavier Nixon at the U.S. Army Combine in San Antonio where they became friends. They have stayed in touch and got a chance to catch up at the Florida-LSU game on Oct. 11. Nixon, who made an official visit to LSU this past weekend, has made quite an impression on Koehne.
“He is a real good player and has very long arms,” Koehne said of the 6-6, 285-pound Nixon. “He is tough to handle in pass protection.”
As for the million dollar question surrounding Nixon’s career at the next level, Koehne said that the big tackle out of Fayetteville’s Jack Britt High School hasn’t tipped his hand where he is going. Both Koehne and Nixon are currently focusing on their senior prep seasons.
Currently, Koehne’s Cathedral High team is 7-2 and will play Greenfield Central High School this week. Last season, Koehne’s squad lost in the state semifinals when a Cathedral receiver was stopped at the one-foot line after a Hail Mary pass.
During his time at Cathedral, Koehne has drawn comparisons to one of the school’s top linemen ever, Jeremy Trubelood, who starred at Boston College and is currently the starting right tackle with the Tampa Bay Bucs. Trueblood (6-8, 320), who was also a prep and college teammate with 2006 NFL draftee Mathias Kiwanuka, spoke with Koehne during the UF commit’s sophomore season.
“He offered advice on what to expect,” Koehne said. “It’s pretty cool to be compared to him.”
Like Trueblood, a mauler in Tampa Bay’s offense, Koehne loves to fire off the ball and plant defenders in the ground from his strong tackle position although he will be moving to a new position at Florida. The Gators have recruited Koehne as a center so he’s already working on snapping the ball and getting the steps down for the spot.
Hard work and dedication have been what has carried Koehne to Gainesville. He began playing football as a youngster and carried it into the high school. Koehne currently bench presses 320 pounds, squats 420 and runs the 40-yard dash in 5.3 seconds.
As a junior, he weighed 310 pounds, but has gotten leaner and quicker since.
“I was working out two or three times per day,” Koehne said. “I played basketball and then I working out for the San Antonio Combine and also with my personal trainer.”
Koehne’s strength took a dramatic jump from his sophomore to junior year, as he upped his bench press from 250 to 300.
Football and hard work are things that are a big part of the Koehne family. Kyle’s father and uncle both played at Indiana State, while his brother Cameron, plays offensive line at Western Illinois. Cameron, who is two years older than Kyle, played defensive end in high school, but has since moved to the offensive line in college.
“He has always supported me,” Koehne said. “He’s a really good bother. He played defensive end in high school and helped me get better.”
With his commitment to Florida, Koehne can now concentrate on the rest of his senior season and getting ready for life in the SEC.
“It’s been pretty cool [since the commitment],” he said. “Lots of people have called me and congratulated me. It has been fun.”