Kevin Lopina was a well-regarded QB out of De LA Salle in 2005, and he ended up going to K-State. Well, things didn’t work out as K-State did have him as their top practice squad player as a frosh. But in a major upset the Wildcats stole a much-hyped QB recruit from Nebraska at the last second, and all of a sudden Lopina wasn’t going to be “the guy” as was promised when he moved out there from CA. With Snyder stepping down, and Greg Peterson, the new recruiting coordinator from – you got it – K-State, it was a natural deal.
Lopina actually liked WSU somewhat in high school, but K-State had more to offer, including an immediate shot at playing sooner vs. his chance at WSU. Now, he’ll sit out 2006, but he’ll be eligible next year with Brink as a senior. Basically this is a shot to get two years out of him as a starter, 2008 and 2009 since it’s virtually guaranteed he’ll compete for the backup job next year.
This also more or less speaks to what many are claiming is the disappointing career of Arkelon Hall, at least at this point. I’ve read a few things here and there that claim he hasn’t lived up to expectations, and even has had some weight issues. He showed up this spring in great shape, but still the reviews haven’t been good. Makes you wonder how the heck he ended up being the #7 or #8 rated high school QB by ESPN when he signed?? Who knows, as we ALWAYS say, recruiting is such a crapshoot! The list of examples is far too long to get into, but you know what I mean.
Some things to like about Lopina? First of all, size. 6-3, 220, right in the Rosie mold. He’s also got serious quickness, clocked at 4.6 in the 40 and regarded as a great athlete overall. He was regarded as a very huge “get” for K-State, to pluck a QB with his skill set out of CA to come to Manhattan. Had a very productive, all-around senior year for De La Salle, and that’s saying something! He had offers from most of the Pac-10, plus Nebraska and Northwestern. Also regarded as being a very intelligent kid, per Bill Snyder:
“Kevin is a young guy that I think has just got all the potential in so many different areas that quarterbacks truly need,” says former coach Bill Snyder. “I really like his command of the game.”
When it was announced he’d transfer, lots of schools popped into the mix, including Wisconsin, Utah, CAL and ASU. The biggest thing was he wanted to be on the west coast, wanted a chance to compete for a starting job pretty quickly, and wanted to be in the right offense renowed for QB success. And, for some reason, he wanted a smaller campus atmosphere. Sounds like Pullman to me. Some things to note:
His senior season at De La Salle, Lopina threw for nearly 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also piled up 750 yards on the ground, with 10 rushing TDs. Named first team All-CIF, first team all-league and named the No. 2 player in the Bay Area, regardless of position, by the Contra Costa Times and All-Metro by the San Francisco Examiner.
At first glance, not a huge “stat” guy. But, then again, neither was Jake Locker. Just regarded as very gifted, athletic, smart, a leader, and a serious all-around threat that you love to have as your QB.
I’ll throw it out there right now – Kevin Lopina WILL start whenever Alex Brink is gone from Pullman. (I say whenever Brink is gone, because IF he has just a gigantic season this year, certainly not out of the realm of possibility, and with the guaranteed loss of Jason Hill, Chris Jordan, probably Bumpus, and Cody Boyd, it’s at least worth the conversation that Alex Brink will turn pro after the 2006 season?? Call me crazy, but come November the speculation might really build).
Finally, CollegeFootballNews.com has a decent preview on the Cougs for 2006. Not earth-shattering, but they do say that we have a real shot at contending this year based on the schedule alone. The best Pac-10 opponents are in Pullman this year, for the most part. A good analysis of what went wrong in 2005, and a good look at the depth for this year. And they also point out the Oct. 7th game at OSU as being the key game of the season (didn’t we say last year 10/1 was the biggest game of the season?? Sounds familiar).
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