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UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Kirkland is Living Out Trey Adams' Dream

The left tackle seeks the football glamor and riches that eluded his former teammate.
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As Jaxson Kirkland prepares for the upcoming football season, the University of Washington offensive tackle wears labels such as first-team All-America selection and top-10 NFL draft pick who could go as high as fourth overall.

The 6-foot-7, 310-pound Kirkland has become another Trey Adams, only completely healthy. 

He's living out the football dream snatched away from his once gifted left-tackle predecessor, that of a tall, mobile and motivated Husky headed for ultimate riches and surefire greatness.

Adams had it all well within reach until knee and back injuries made him mortal and took it all away.

Kirkland, a junior from Vancouver, Washington, easily checks off a lot of things the NFL is seeking in its offensive tackles.

He could have submitted his name for the recent NFL draft, same as the four Huskies who got their names called. Yet he came back for a fifth and final UW season to ensure that he's a first-rounder and to share in more college glory. 

"It's so awesome to see guys like [Joe] Tryon, Levi [Onwuzurike], [Elijah] Molden and [Keith] Taylor all drafted," Kirkland said. "It's definitely motivating, too. That's my goal from day one. I couldn't be prouder of those guys. They worked their butts off for that. I definitely would love to be there next year and I'll do whatever it takes to get there."

Going down the roster in numerical order, this is another of our post-spring assessments of all of the Husky talent at hand, gleaned from a month of observations, as a way to keep everyone engaged during the offseason.

Kirkland wears No. 51, which he shares with freshman outside linebacker Jordan Lolohea. The number also belonged to Dean Kirkland, Jaxson's father, the UW's first-team All-Pac-10 offensive guard in 1990 and a Buffalo Bills' draft choice.

As the accolades pile up, Kirkland has been the perfect UW leader, putting his team responsibility on equal footing with his personal needs.

He's a co-captain and a role model for an offensive line that returns intact from 2020 and will be the largest in school history, with the starters collectively measuring 6-foot-5 and 323 pounds per player on the average.

If he stays on course, Kirkland will finish up as one of the Huskies' all-time great ones. He's started all 29 games he's played in, with his first two seasons coming as a dominant player at right guard. 

He made the seamless transition to left tackle once Adams left and he possibly could be the highest-drafted modern-day UW lineman if he bypasses Lincoln Kennedy, who was taken ninth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 1993. 

Kirkland is a man driven to do great things. He graduated from the UW this past quarter with a 3.6-point grade average. He practically lives in a home weight room during the offseason.

He's radically changed his physique, dropping from a high of 327 to 295 and back to 310, always seeking the perfect playing weight. 

"For me, it's just settling in, building confidence and getting comfortable," Kirkland said of left tackle. "As we ended spring ball, I was feeling great at the end. To me, it's still a new position because I only had four games last fall. I see myself still settling in there and I'm learning my craft as I go."

Husky team leader, first-team All-American and NFL first-round draft pick, who's to deny him?

Fate got in Adams' way and kept him from even getting drafted, and he's out of football now. Kirkland is just getting started, shoving all obstacles out of the way.

Kirkland's 2021 Outlook: Projected left-tackle starter

UW Service Time: Played in 29 games, started 29

Stats: 2 tackles

Individual Honors: 2020 first-team All-Pac-12

Pro Prospects: 2022 NFL first-rounder

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