Jaxson Kirkland Did His Part, but UW Football Didn't Take Full Advantage

Amid the hiring of a new University of Washington assistant coach, the passing of a Husky legend and the transfer-portal departure of a teammate, all in one Wednesday, Jaxson Kirkland said goodbye.

It was expected, with the big offensive tackle putting five years into the program for what amounted to three coaches after all of the recent twists and turns, but his exit almost went unnoticed in the frenzy of continuous Husky football news.

"These past five years have been nothing but a blessing," Kirkland wrote on Instagram. "Ever since I started playing football it was my dream to put on the purple and gold with deep family tradition."

He thanked all of his coaches and the training staff, and cited the brotherhood that he shared in with his teammates. He was off to the NFL, passing up an allowable sixth college season had he needed it. The farewell social-media message looked and sounded classy. He even put his signature on it.

Yet while the 6-foot-7, 310-pound lineman accomplished a tremendous amount as a Husky football player — twice being named first-team All-Pac-12 — the program didn't love him back like it should have.

Kirkland returned for a fifth season when he easily could have entered the NFL draft last April. He was a legacy player, the son of 1990 first-team All-Pac-10 offensive guard Dean Kirkland, a fiery player in his own time who went out with a Rose Bowl victory over Iowa. The son planned to add to his impressive resume.

However, everything ended for Jaxson Kirkland with a thud. Coach Jimmy Lake got fired. Offensive coordinator John Donovan got fired. The team lost its final four games to finish 4-8 and out of postseason contention.

He played in the 2019 Rose Bowl against Ohio State, but that was it. He missed the Las Vegas Bowl in December 2019 with an injury. The 2020 season ended prematurely when the entire offensive line tested positive for COVID-19 and a bowl was out of the question. And this month, he'll watch all the bowl games on TV.

Congrats gentlemen! What a great honor! Go Dawgs! https://t.co/7NbxIdFGEJ
— Kalen DeBoer (@KalenDeBoer) December 9, 2021

Kirkland deserved better. He came back to make himself a surefire first-rounder, and he still might have done that, but the unexpected Husky slide didn't help his personal crusade.

He missed two games with injuries. He had the only mundane UW game of his career at Michigan, getting beat a couple of times by edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, another first-rounder in April and someone he no doubt wants to face again.

In the end, Kirkland started all 39 Husky outings he appeared in over four seasons. He started at right guard and left tackle, two seasons at each position. He became a captain. He was known as a weight-room legend for the effort he put into it. He played from 290 to 327 pounds before finding a sweet spot at 310.

Similar to his father, Jaxon Kirkland will go down as one of the UW's all-time lineman greats. As someone who sacrificed for the good of the cause yet wasn't utilized properly for ultimate team success. As someone who likely becomes an accomplished NFL player. As another reason this sub-.500 football season will forever be so confounding.

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