A pair of Eastern Washington University football players with eligibility remaining have decided not to return to EWU for their senior seasons in 2013, Eastern head coach
Beau Baldwin has confirmed.
Two-time All-America wide receiver
Brandon Kaufman signed with an agent on Sunday (Jan. 6) and will pursue opportunities to play professional football. Baldwin also said quarterback
Kyle Padron, who transferred to EWU last fall from Southern Methodist University, is not enrolled for winter quarter and presumably will pursue his own opportunities at the professional level.
“We respect their decisions and wish them nothing but the best in the future,” said Baldwin, whose 2012 team finished 11-3 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs. “They both have the talent it takes to succeed at the next level, and we will be excited to see their progress. We are saddened not to have them back for next fall, but we are excited about the opportunities it provides other players in our program, and future players as well.”
As he prepares for the NFL Draft in April, Kaufman will train in Orlando, Fla., along with fellow Eagle wide receiver
Greg Herd, who was a senior in 2012. Kaufman is just 20 credits shy of graduating from EWU, and said he will continue to take classes this winter online. Kaufman and Herd are being represented by Cameron Foster and the Foster Easley Sports Management Group of Seattle.
Besides Herd, several other Eagles who were seniors in 2012 are also pursuing opportunities in professional football. They include wide receiver
Nicholas Edwards, who is expected to play in the Casino Del Sol College Football All-Star Game in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 11. Linebacker
Zach Johnson, whose twin brother Matt Johnson was drafted in the fourth round by the Dallas Cowboys a year ago, is also a pro prospect, as well as a trio of 2012 FCS All-Americans -- offensive tackle
Will Post, defensive end
Jerry Ceja and kicker
Jimmy Pavel.
The trio of Kaufman, Herd and Edwards combined for 139 games worth of experience at Eastern (103 starts), and had collective totals of 601 catches for 8,713 yards and 83 touchdowns.
Kaufman and Padron are the second and third EWU players in the past three years to depart early for the pro ranks. Running back Taiwan Jones left after his junior season in 2010 and was a fourth-round draft choice by the Oakland Raiders. He has rushed 24 times for 94 yards, caught four passes for 36 yards, returned 10 kickoffs for an 18.7 average and has 17 total tackles in 24 career games for the Raiders.
A fourth former Eagle running back,
Jesse Chatman, also left early after the 2001 season and spent seven seasons in the NFL with three teams as an undrafted free agent. Chatman was a NCAA non-qualifier out of high school, but was on track toward completing his degree to enable him to receive a fourth year of collegiate eligibility.
More on Kaufman . . .
Kaufman, who is from Denver, Colo., and is a 2009 graduate of Heritage HS, finished his 42-game career with 221 catches (third in school history, seventh in Big Sky history) for 3,731 yards (second all-time at EWU, fourth in the Big Sky and 19th in FCS) and 33 touchdowns (second in school history).
He earned the 2012 FCS Wide Receiver Award from College Football Performance Awards (CFPA), and was selected to All-America teams picked by College Sports Madness (first team), Beyond Sports College Network (first team), The Sports Network (second team) and Associated Press (second team). An All-American in 2010 as well, Kaufman was a first team All-Big Sky Conference selection in both 2012 and 2010.
Kaufman broke the FCS record for single season receiving yards in EWU’s 45-42 loss in the FCS Playoffs to Sam Houston State on Dec. 15. He finished the season with 1,850 yards (93 receptions and 16 TD) to break the record of 1,712 previously held by Eddie Conti of Delaware in 1998. Kaufman averaged 19.9 yards per catch with a long of 93 yards, and ranked second in FCS in receiving yards per game (132.1) in 2012.
Kaufman finished the Sam Houston State game with nine catches for a career-high 215 yards and three touchdowns, with his yardage ranking fifth in school history. A week earlier, Kaufman broke the Big Sky Conference record for single season receiving yards during EWU’s 51-35 victory over Illinois State. He finished with nine catches for 191 yards and three touchdowns, and his 17-yard TD catch in the third quarter gave EWU a 38-17 lead and broke the previous Big Sky record of 1,525 set by Weber State’s Tim Toone in 2008. Earlier in the game, Kaufman broke the school record of 1,453 set by Eric Kimble in 2004.
On single season lists, Kaufman’s 93 catches ranks second in school history (behind the school-record 95 that teammate Nicholas Edwards had in 2011), fifth in the Big Sky and 28th in FCS. His 16 touchdowns are third all-time at EWU and his average of 19.9 yards per catch was fifth in EWU history. In his last four games of the season, Kaufman had 37 catches for 741 yards (20.0 per catch) with six scores. Kaufman went over the 100-yard mark 11 times in the 2012 season and 19 times in his career.
Because of hand and knee injuries requiring surgery, Kaufman received an injury redshirt in the 2011 season after playing in the first four games of the year. He caught 76 passes for 1,214 yards and 15 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2010 to help EWU to a 13-2 record and the NCAA Division I Championship.
More on Padron . . .
The Eagles finished second in the league and seventh in FCS in passing offense (318.9 per game), as quarterbacks
Vernon Adams and Padron combined to lead EWU to the school record for passing yards.
The Eagles finished with 4,469 yards, breaking the previous record of 4,102 yards in 2005. Both quarterbacks averaged at least 191.9 yards of total offense per game (Padron 229.8 and Adams 191.9).
Padron, who started five games and played six others as a sub, completed 59.1 percent of his passes for a team-leading 2,491 yards, 17 TDs and seven interceptions, and ranked 29th in FCS in passing yards per game (226.5). Adams ranked fourth in FCS in passing efficiency (160.80), and was the only freshman in the top 24 of the rankings. In nine games as a starter and three as a sub, he completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 1,961 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
In back-to-back games in the FCS Playoffs, each had a school-record six touchdown passes -- Padron versus Illinois State in the quarterfinals and Adams against Sam Houston State in the semifinals.
Originally from Southlake, Texas, Padron was a 21-game starter at Southern Methodist where he passed for 5,902 yards and 41 touchdowns in his 24-game career. In his freshman season in 2009 at SMU, he was MVP of the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl after passing for a school-record 460 yards and two TDs in SMU's 45-10 win over Nevada.