Recruiting Report: Kevvan Anderson (SMB-2021)
When people will look back on the dominance of the 4A SMB Wolfpack of the late 2010’s names like Suggs, Johnson, Howard, Mcdonald, and Lockett will be synonymous with the state title runs of the Wolfpack. However, there is one recruit whose impact…
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Continue ReadingWhen people will look back on the dominance of the 4A SMB Wolfpack of the late 2010’s names like Suggs, Johnson, Howard, Mcdonald, and Lockett will be synonymous with the state title runs of the Wolfpack. However, there is one recruit whose impact on those championship campaigns is vastly underrated and under-appreciated: Kevvan Anderson.
Leading the charge at the Bank.At 6’0, 296 lbs., Anderson is heading into his senior year as possibly the best 3-tech/DT in the state of Minnesota, and has been a nightmare in the backfield of opposing QB’s and RB’s since his prep debut three years ago. After posting 52 tackles, 15 TFL’s, 6 sacks, a FF, and an interception in his 2019 junior season, Anderson’s recruiting will be soon entering “prime-time” as he heads into his final prep season, and he was kind enough to give Northstar Football News some of his time to answer some questions about SMB’s unreal run over his time at the program, the crazy Benilde-St. Margaret’s, Hutchinson, & Rocori games of 2019, and what he’s looking for in a potential college program. Enjoy! Junior SZN
NFN: Hello, Kevvan! Thank you for your time and congrats on your 2019 season. Begin by telling our readers a little bit about yourself and when you began playing football.
Anderson: “Im from the Eastside of Saint Paul but my family’s from Arkansas. I started playing football when I was ten years old and I didn’t really think I was going to be good at football, so I stuck with basketball until I changed my mind my freshman year. Football’s always been a thing my family loved, I used to watch NFL and College games with my dad all the time. It also kept me out of alot of trouble and taught me alot about life. Im 296lbs, 6’0 tall, my max bench is 260, max squat is 400lbs and my 40 time is a 5.40. Last season I had 52 tackles, 15 TFLs, 6 sacks, 1 Forced fumble and an interception.”
NFN: Awesome. What was your 2018 sophomore season like in which you and the Wolfpack won the 4A MN state championship, of which you played an integral role?
Anderson: “Our championship season was the year we decided we weren’t going to be denied. We didn’t end the way we wanted to the season before so we came together hungry for a state title. One of the highlights of that year was when we played BSM for the section title, because we knew Benilde had just as much talent as we did. So it was a test to see which team wanted to win the title more and we came out on top.
Anderson with a big tackle.The only low I can remember about that season was when we played Delano in the WORST weather possible, that was the coldest game I’ve ever played in. But the 2018 season for me was a very good season and it taught me the value of a state championship and how hard work can really pay off. Our goals from 2018 didn’t change, we wanted another title for our seniors and also to make a statement to the people who were doubting us.”
NFN: No doubt. So what was your 2019 junior season like? Obviously it didn’t finish how you wanted, but what were expectations like before the season began? Also, walk us through the regular season of ’19 and what it’s like playing football for the SMB program.
Anderson: “I had very high expectations for myself and my teammates. I wanted them to play at their best 100% of the time and I held them accountable to that in practice and in the weightroom. We knew what we had to do to make it to the state finals and so we came into the season with the same hunger and fire we had the previous year. In the offseason I wanted to fine tune my game. I looked at my film and worked on the things that I noticed were weaknesses in my game, like hand placement, quickness, firing off the ball, reading blocks and tracking and chasing down the football after getting into the back field. Our first eight games weren’t as easy as everyone thought. We played against some good teams that really made us have to give a fight to win. Like Saint Croix Lutheran, Mound Westonka, Bloomington Kennedy, Providence, Spectrum & Saint Paul Central. But there were also games where we showed our dominance on the scoreboard. Kaden, Jalen, Craig and Terry were the guys I looked up to since I joined SMB. They all led the team in the right direction either vocally or by example and its great to have guys on your team that can have that impact on everyone to be successful and i’m glad to say that those guys are and forever will be my brothers. Our program is big on the concept of Brotherhood even though we all are from different schools. Every player on our team is valuable to us.”
NFN: Well said. The BSM game in the section semifinals was obviously a tremendously emotional game, and the Hutch game was somehow even crazier, can you give some insight into getting those wins? Also, whatever details about the state championship game you feel like sharing please feel free!
Anderson: “Our game versus BSM this year was some of the best football I’ve played in. The crowd was amazing and so was the adversity of it. What made it a personal game for us was the fact that after we beat them the year we won the championship, we built a rivalry with them, so we were talking about the section finals since November of 2018 so we had high expectations to live up to. It was truly anyone’s game throughout the whole thing and thats what made it so much sweeter to win that game and advance to state. Hutchinson was a very long and physical game, we had to give 110% every play to stop their power running.
Anderson in the big Benilde game.They wanted to win just as bad as we did and it came down to the wire like the state championship game this season. I feel like we beat ourselves in the championship, once we got there we felt like we had already won. We were cocky and Rocori came out firing on us. And there was a lot of miscommunication and other things that played in us losing. But overall this season was nothing but great. I wouldn’t change anything except the last game. We made a statement this season and we plan to do that again next year.”
NFN: Also well said. So last but not least, what’s good with recruiting? Who are some teams you’re interested in/have been in contact with and what are you looking for in a program?
Anderson: “Im interested in both D1 and D2 football, but I’m leaning more to the D1 side of the equation. I’ve been to some D1 and D2 schools like Iowa State and Bemidji State, but I don’t really know what specific teams I want to play for. I’ve been contacted by South Dakota State, Western Illinois, Iowa State, UMD, UND and Bemidji State. Im planning to visit Iowa State, SDSU and UND but hopefully more schools can invite me on some junior days. I been to the U of M camps the past two summers and the Northwestern one as well as the Bemidji State one. I’m planning to go to more camps around the midwest this summer. What I look for in a college first, is the kind of education they have and if they have any classes that I can make a career out of that I’m interested in. Second is the culture of the team, how it is and if I feel like I can thrive in it and make the team better. The last thing I look for is the feeling of home away from home. I want to be apart of a team thats going to make me feel an extension of home. So as long as I have those things, you’ll have my attention.”
I’d expect to find Anderson’s name on some preseason awards list folks, stay tuned.