Edwin Wilson Tara Kolenge Reveals College Commitment
The college football word had been awaiting the month of June with anticipation unlike anything seen in the modern era. The NCAA dead period was coming to an end for the first time in 15 months and prospects could hit the road for in-person time with college staffs on visits, tours and camp workouts.
It wasn't the case for Edwin Wilson Tara Kolenge, though. The Canada native, back home in between changing prep programs in America, was unable to make planned trips to Virginia Tech, Boston College and Syracuse because of strict quarantine guidelines in his home country.
Despite the setback, it didn't slow the class of 2022 linebacker prospect's decision-making process. On Saturday, despite not being able to make any visits, he went public with his verbal commitment with Sports Illustrated.
"It's BC!" Kolenge said. "I felt like I was not only wanted, but needed there. Over the last year they've been the most consistent with me. Even Coach (Jeff) Hafley was texting me every day, that was huge to me.
"I did a lot of Zoom meetings with Coach Hafley, too, and it was the only team that had the head coach in the Zoom meetings, which was huge for me."
The 6'3", 217-pound prospect, who played in the 240-pound range in 2020 as an inside linebacker at Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International, picked Boston College as a potential defensive hybrid depending on how his skill set develops over the next year at the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut.
The coach likely to guide the transition in college has quite the unique connection to the newest Eagle commitment.
"The defensive coordinator, Tem Lukabu, has the same background as me," Kolenge said. "We can speak French and stuff, so I was way more comfortable with him. We have a great relationship.
"They say that I will be playing in the box and off the edge. On third downs I can move on the edge and make some pass-rush moves, like hybrid kind of stuff."
In picking the program over Virginia Tech and Syracuse, among a dozen-plus additional scholarship offers, there was a consistency with Hafley's program compared to the approach of others, especially considering the continued reliance on technology due to the lack of visit opportunities coming from Canada.
Kolenge said BC vaulted to the top of the list of favorites in May.
"They were so consistent and made me feel comfortable," he said. "They took care of me, and they like me as a person, too. I just felt comfortable.
"I know it's a beautiful campus but I also know it's kind of a small school. There's like 10,000 undergraduate students, I think, over there. The ratio between teachers and students is small, too. And it's close to Boston, a big city. I like it, it's just perfect for me."
On the field, the rising-senior linebacker isn't lacking confidence in relation to what he wants to bring to Chestnut Hill.
"They're getting a dog," he said. "An aggressive guy who can do almost everything on the field. I can cover, I can pass-rush, I can tackle and I play pretty well in space. Plus I'm a solid tackler.
"I'm excited and ready to work."
Should Kolenge elect to take any prospect visits, including what would be his first to BC, it would likely take place some time in the fall months during the college football season. He returns to the Loomis Chaffee School in late August, where he will compete as a senior.
Boston College now holds 13 verbal commitments in the recruiting class of 2022, the most in the ACC and second-most nationally behind only Notre Dame (15) as of Saturday afternoon. BC opened up at No. 12 in the SI All-American team recruiting rankings earlier this month.
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