Raising standards may be catching on
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M junior receiver Christian Kirk knows body language is important when setting an example for his younger teammates. Like not grimacing when he adds liver to his daily shakes.
“There are a lot of vitamins and minerals in it; it’s one of the best things you can eat,” Kirk said. “I put a couple of tablespoons in my smoothies.”
Kirk added, rather unconvincingly, at least concerning the first part, “It’s not that bad. I’ll do whatever it takes to be the best.”
The last part is undeniable, and Kirk is the unquestioned leader of an A&M squad bent on bettering its three consecutive 8-5 finishes.
“Without a doubt, he’s one of the better guys in the country with the ball in his hands, and being a leader,” said A&M coach Kevin
Sumlin, who’s not prone to grandiose statements. “Nobody prepares harder, nobody takes care of themselves better, and nobody works harder in the game than Christian Kirk.
“He’s a great example for all of our good young players, but particularly at wide receiver.”
Kirk (5-11, 200) does everything for the Aggies outside of play defense, and he’d probably excel at that if asked to do so. Sumlin is more than pleased with Kirk’s contributions on offense and special teams and he’s developed into one of the SEC’s top all-around weapons.
Record breaker
Last year, Kirk set a school single-season record and led the nation with three punt returns for touchdowns, and he was the only SEC player to top 80 receptions (83 for 928 yards). He became the first A&M player to collect at least 80 catches in consecutive seasons, and he’s tops among active players nationally with a 23.1-yard punt return average.
Incredibly, he’s also scored on five of the 27 punts he’s returned, a clip of 19 percent and plenty of reason for punters to never kick the ball his way. From the first time he set foot on the A&M campus more than two years ago, Kirk has led by example — outworking older, entrenched receivers from the start and ignoring some of their cues to take it a little easier, on and off the field.
Now, with quarterback Trevor Knight and defensive end Myles Garrett off to the NFL, all Aggies eyes are on Kirk to lead this team, and ideally for A&M to snap the 8-5 funk that has led to middling to lower finishes in the SEC West the past few years.
“As a leader, you have to set the standard; every day, you have to set the standard,” Kirk said. “We’re big on body language, like (don’t) have your hands on your hips, because you don’t want to show your opponent weakness. It might sound annoying, but I’m going to ride (the young receivers) every single day, until nobody has their hands on their hips.
“I’m making sure they’re being held to a higher standard, because if I’m not doing that, they’re not getting better.”
Kirk easily led the Aggies in number of catches last season, but then-senior Josh Reynolds outdistanced Kirk and all others with 1,039 yards on 61 receptions. Four of A&M’s top five receivers are gone from last season, including Reynolds, Ricky SealsJones, Speedy Noil and Jeremy Tabuyo.
Could go early
Kirk, who’s likely to turn pro following this season and projects as a firstround selection in the NFL draft, is serving as mentor to talented but unproven freshmen Jhamon Ausbon, Roshauud Paul, Quartney Davis and Hezekiah Jones, among others.
“They know we have a lot of catches that need to be filled, and they all know they’re going to get some playing time,” Kirk said. “It’s on me to make sure those guys are going (hard) during camp, and to make sure they’re ready for the opportunity.”
The end goal? What every college football player hopes to achieve — a title — but the Aggies haven’t even won a conference championship since 1998, when they were in the Big 12. Kirk won three state championships at Saguaro High in Scottsdale, Ariz., so he was quite accustomed to winning — and winning big — prior to his arrival at A&M.
“I just want to win a championship,” he said. “I was fortunate to win championships in high school, and it’s the best feeling in the world. I want to get to that point, and I want to make Texas A&M proud.”