Junior offensive lineman Alex Kosinski committed to the University of Arizona on Monday, becoming the first Redwood athlete ever to commit to a Division I college football program while still in high school. A three-star recruit, the 6’5” 280-pound tackle is the sixth member of the Wildcats’ 2015 recruiting class.
Kosinski, a three-star offensive tackle recruit, was the only junior to make the MCAL First Team All-League Offense last season. He also received the Coaches’ Award as a freshman and was the offensive team MVP on varsity as a sophomore.
Other Redwood alumni have played D-I football, but all have either walked on or made stops elsewhere, such as in junior college or Division III, before playing at the D-I level. The last Redwood football player to play above D-III was linebacker Nick King, who graduated in 2009 and went on to play for UC Davis.
Even though Kosinski had offers from the Air Force Academy and Fresno State, and received interest from UC Berkeley, USC, Colorado-Boulder, Vanderbilt, San Diego State, San Jose State, Arizona State, and Oregon State, he decided to sign with the Wildcats because of the coaching staff.
“I feel like I could perform really well under their coaching, especially the offensive line coach,” he said. “Also, the facilities were incredibly nice and the players seemed really happy. I really liked how well the school takes care of its football players and it just seemed like the right fit for me.”
After Kosinski committed, Matt Dudek, the recruiting director for the Arizona football team, tweeted, “Its rollin…ANOTHER BIG PIECE OF THE PUZZLE,” which Kosinski said made him feel ecstatic.
“Matt is a really good guy and really funny,” Kosinski said. “He does a really good job at showing recruits around and it’s good to have the coaches back you like that.”
Kosinski will play left tackle, defensive tackle, and defensive end for Redwood next season. He has also played two seasons of varsity rugby, competing in two national championships and earning team captain honors this past year.
