FREE Commitment Report: Cole Mckinney (SMB-2020)

There’s something about high school football teams becoming pipelines for college programs that I really think is special and exciting. The social and athletic dynamics that go into multiple classes of football players from the same high school team committing to the same colleges would make for a very interesting sociological study, but that’s not why we’re here today obviously. Whether you already know of his decision or not from Twitter, the subject of this report is the commitment of SMB Wolfpack stud 6’1, 205 lb. LB/DE Cole Mckinney, and his choice is an exciting one! Mckinney will become the fifth Wolfpack player in the past two years to commit to the St. Olaf Oles in Northfield, Minn. The Oles - who compete in the MIAC and I’m happy to say are my alma - have tapped into a wealth of talent at the Class 4A cooperative program that includes Minnehaha Academy, Blake, & St. Paul Academy and have secured another commitment from an experienced and athletic prep player who has the potential to make a huge impact for an up-and-coming MIAC program. #15 for the Wolfpack totaled 68 tackles, 15 TFLs, and 7 sacks in his 2019 senior campaign, and was a strong, physical, and relentless presence coming off the edge for SMB who presents sky-high potential for the DIII level. He now joins fellow SMB teammate and 2020 Ole commit Deonta Thomas, as well as former teammates and 2019 grads  Siegel Howard Siegel Howard RB SMB | 2019 State MN III, Andrew Mollison, and JP Kilbride. With a 3.4 GPA and a 29 ACT, Mckinney is the epitome of an Ole football recruit, and I’m very excited to watch him #DefendtheHill for my alma mater on Saturday afternoon’s. Check out what Mckinney had to say in-regards to his recruitment, what drew him to the Oles, thoughts on his prep career, and more. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy, and #umyahyah!  Senior Season Highlights #15 off the edge. NFN: Hello and congratulations on the commitment, Cole. Please begin by telling us about your recruitment as a whole. When did you start hearing from schools? You had an NAIA scholarship in the mix and interest from schools at a variety of levels, so please give us some insight into how Olaf factored into the process, as well as what stood out to them about you. Mckinney: "The recruiting process for me was smooth in the beginning but got a little rocky at the end. At the beginning of my senior season I had many D3 reaching out along with some D2 and NAIA as well. During my junior year I also had talks with St. Olaf and Bethel as well. In late towards the end of the regular season this year I was offered an NAIA scholarship by the University of Jamestown. I was really excited as it was my first and only offer and had plans on committing there but after a visit something just didn’t click and I was back at square one. St. Olaf and coach Kilian had always kept in contact and with the help of my coach, Collin Quinn, I was able to get in contact with Olaf and schedule a visit. Once we saw Olaf everything clicked, the family aspect was great and the coaches were awesome and I had some familiar faces on the team as well." NFN: Share a little bit about your senior season at SMB. What were some big and memorable games from your career and what do you have to say about your career personally? Mckinney: "Our season this year was almost perfect, although we came up inches short in the championship, I still had an amazing time with my brothers. My favorite game by far was the BSM game which came down to the wire and really tested us. Stat wise I believe my best game was against providence I came out hitting and kept hitting all night." NFN: I got to cover that Benilde game, it was a crazy section championship that’s forsure. What position will you be playing in college? What kind of player is Olaf getting? Mckinney: "The position I’m playing in college is Defensive End. I seen myself as an edge rusher that likes to cause problems to OTs and collapse the pocket fast making the quarterbacks job difficult." NFN: What is appealing to you about Division III football and what does Olaf offer in particular that is unique as well? Mckinney: "What really stood out about Olaf was the family aspect, everyone there seems to be connected with one another which I like a lot. And the coaches are invested in you and value you greatly. D3 football is appealing to me because it’s a great balance between school and sports and the football is still really competitive." I hope you’re exciting about Mckinney’s potential at the next level, I know I am. Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday’s and thank you for your time, Cole!