Holyoke Lineman Scores Syracuse Scholarship

Holyoke junior DL/OL Kevin Jourdain Jr. is up to 8 scholarship offers.

There are plenty of colleges high school prospects can receive scholarship offers from, but Kevin Jourdain Jr. was focused on one in particular and when it didn’t come, he was disappointed.

But the 2021 lineman from Holyoke High School wasn’t discouraged. He continued to work and eventually he achieved it.

After camping at UMass multiple times over the years, the 6-foot-4, 255-pounder didn’t land an offer immediately, but on the way home from a different camp last summer, Jourdain received the news via phone that his time had arrived.

“I was very grateful for that, super happy,” Jourdain recalls. “I couldn’t be happier.”

But while it represented the achievement of a defined goal, it was really just the beginning of his recruiting process.

In the months that followed, Jourdain would add scholarship offers from Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, Penn, Fordham and Holy Cross.

“They obviously have the best academics and they also have great football programs that can bring you to the next level, like the NFL,” says Jourdain of the Ivy League offers. “It’s kind of like the best of both worlds.”

Last week, Jourdain’s recruitment went to a new level, when he received a scholarship from Syracuse, his first Power-Five offer.

“It shows that I can play ACC football,” he says of the offer from the Orange. “It shows that I actually am that good.”

While most schools are recruiting Jourdain to play defensive line, Syracuse offered him as an offensive tackle.

“I’m very versatile,” Jourdain says. “I can play both sides of the ball. I just love the game. I’ll play wherever I need to to win the game.”

Holyoke head coach Joe Dutsar lauds Jourdain for the work he’s put in on and off the field and believes his best football is still ahead of him.

“Kevin has really put in the time and effort to become the best football player he can,” Dutsar says. “On top of the rigors of offseason training, he has maintained excellent academic standing, which makes him even more attractive to college recruiters.

“He really has untapped ability. We are really are excited for him and are very proud of him”

A large part of that offseason training has come with Excel strength and conditioning coach Chris Ferrara.

“I have a great trainer,” he says of Ferrara. “He’s amazing…It’s two hours, very high intensity. There are no breaks. We lift, we run and then we’re out.

“He gets it done. He’s very smart with it and he knows what he’s doing. He’s a great guy.”

Ferrara played his college ball at Syracuse and vouched for Jourdain with his alma mater.

“The kid will never show up late, never cheat a rep,” Ferrara says. “He has a high motor in the weight room and is a great character guy.”

Jourdain started working out with Excel Sports Academy last summer and has seen the benefits.

“I started going to their camps, going to their Skill camps for d-line,” he says. “It’s helped me work on my technique, work on my craft, work on my footwork and just see the other guys who are good around Western Mass, to see where I stack up.”

One player Jourdain has been able to measure himself against is Central defensive lineman Terry Lockett, who recently committed to Syracuse.

“It’s just great competition going against each other,” he says. “Excel is a great program.”

Jourdain is proud to be a part of a growing crop of players from Western Mass. receiving attention from major college football programs.

“It’s just good to put New England on the map,” he says. “When you think of high-level football, you don’t really think of Massachusetts or Western Mass., in general. It’s just good to help put us on the map and show that we can play. We have a lot of talent, it just doesn’t get seen a lot.”

He calls Excel co-founder Steve Martin “a great guy.”

“He shouts my name out a lot,” Jourdain says of Martin. “He’s just a great dude. I love Excel.”

The feeling is mutual.

“Over the last year, getting to know Kevin and his family has been a gift,” Martin says. “His work ethic, character and drive are contagious. I feel like he is only starting to crack his true potential.”

Jourdain is being recruited by Orange offensive line coach Mike Cavanaugh.

“He really likes me,” Jourdain says of Cavanaugh. “He likes my build, my height, my weight and how lean I am and how I’m a great athlete. I like to play the game, hard-nosed.”

The Purple Knight is a presence on the other side of the ball, which is why so many college coaches want him to play defense.

“They like my explosiveness,” says Jourdain. “They like that I’m very disruptive. They like my motor and my high intensity. They like how I fly around to the ball. I don’t just tackle the guy, I try to bring him down fiercely. They see that I know how to play defense.”

In addition to the offers he already has, Jourdain has also been in communication with schools like Boston College, Wake Forest and Villanova.

He was hoping to take some college visits this spring, but the NCAA instituted a dead period which prevents in-person recruiting in response to COVID-19 concerns. Student-athletes won’t be allowed to visit college campuses until June at the earliest.

Jourdain says he isn’t focused on choosing a school just yet.

“I’m just trying to get a good SAT score and then just keep working,” he says.

But he has a good idea of what he will be looking for when commitment time comes.

“I’m just looking for a good fit, that’s the main thing. Obviously, all of these schools have pros and cons. I’m just looking for the best fit and if somebody is neck and neck, it’ll come down to the coaches.”