New Jersey Class of '21 Kevin Wigenton Discusses His Spartan Offer

East Lansing, MI— Princeton (NJ) Hun School 2021 offensive lineman Kevin Wigenton, one of the top players in the state of New Jersey, picked up an offer from Michigan State on Sunday as he continues to see his recruitment rise over the past few months.

Wigenton spoke with Spartan Nation about his offer from the Spartans and said that after initially hearing from Michigan State offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic last Tuesday, he was in regular contact with him throughout the week and received news of his offer on Sunday.

“Coach Kap, the offensive line coach followed me on Twitter on Tuesday and told me to give him a call, and we had a pretty long conversation and just talked about how he was interested,” he said. “He said he wanted to stay in contact and he said he was going to have the head coach, Coach Tucker, watch the film. So we talked for a couple of days, and on Sunday, Coach Tucker watched it, and Coach Kap told me to give him a call, and he told me I had an offer.”

After speaking with Kapilovic on an almost daily basis and having the chance to watch some of Colorado’s games from the 2019 season when Kapilovic was the offensive line coach for the Buffaloes, Wigenton said, that he likes what he’s seen so far.

“I really like Coach Kap, and he’s communicated with me a lot since Tuesday, we’ve been talking everyday pretty much,” he said. “Everything he’s said, and I’ve gotten to watch a couple of Colorado games and see how he coaches the offensive line, and I love everything I’ve heard and seen from him so far.”

Wigenton said that he was excited after hearing about his Michigan State offer. Considering the Spartans were a team he watched growing up and also added that he knew Michigan State head coach Mel Tucker from his time as head coach at Colorado.

“I was excited,” he said. “I’ve been following Michigan State for years, and growing up, I’ve seen them play a lot. For them to offer me, it meant a lot. I’ve known Coach Tucker from when he was at Colorado, so when they offered, it meant a lot.”

“It just shows that they have a lot of faith in me as a player and that they think very highly of me, and that means a lot,” Wigenton said of Tucker and the Spartan staff following and keeping in contact with him during their transition from Colorado to Michigan State. “When I get close to sitting down and figure out what schools I want to visit, that plays a huge part into it.”

While on-campus visits aren’t permitted because of the NCAA’s recruiting shut down because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Wigenton said that he is interested in taking a visit to East Lansing in the future.

With a Michigan State offer in hand and familiarity with the Spartan coaching staff, Wigenton said that he knows the Spartans have a history of success and knows that Tucker will set the bar high in East Lansing, which is something that appeals to him.

“They have a long history of a winning tradition, not just in football, but all sports,” he said. “I know going there with Coach Tucker; the expectation is going to be to win a Big Ten title every year. I definitely want to win in college, so I love every part of that. I know their academics are outstanding, they have very good pre-law, and they have a good business school.”

Wigenton added that he would like to study business in college.

A big, physical offensive lineman that stands at 6-foot-6, 290 pounds, Wigenton is a dominant offensive lineman that is capable of playing guard or tackle.

Wigenton described his style of play as ‘violent’ and added that he has a good blend of size and agility to go along with his physical, aggressive style.

“Very violent, very, very violent,” he said. “I would just say I have the perfect combination - you put size, the ability to move, the will power, and aggression. All of that put together.”

In addition to his Michigan State offer, Wigenton has also been offered by Indiana, Pittsburgh, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee, who offered on Monday.

“It’s very rewarding, and I’m very thankful,” Wigenton said of the recruiting process. “It’s a lot to process and a lot to sort through, but it’s been very rewarding.”

While he has plenty of options to choose from and will likely have more, Wigenton said that he’s thankful for the opportunities in front of him, but noted that his focus remains on his academics and preparing for his final year of high school football.

“It’s a very huge blessing,” he said. “Not a lot of kids throughout the country have that opportunity to have so many schools interested and ready to accept your commitment. Right now, I’m just trying to focus on school and get ready for my senior season, that’s what I’m focused on.”

The Spartans kick off the season on September 5, 2020. They will be hosting in the Northwestern Wildcats with a rare, season-opening Big Ten game.

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