Loyola junior Leon Kinnard didn’t grow up hoping for a chance to play quarterback in college.

But when Connecticut offered him that opportunity last month, Kinnard reevaluated his collegiate goals.

“Well honestly ... I didn’t think anyone would give me the opportunity [to play quarterback],” Kinnard said. “But when UConn offered me, I felt great about the opportunity, so I just went ahead and pulled the trigger.”

Kinnard, 5 feet 9, committed to UConn last Thursday over Maryland, which offered him as a defensive back. Boston College and West Virginia also expressed interest in Kinnard as a slot receiver.

Should things not pan at quarterback for Kinnard at Connecticut, slot is an acceptable alternative.

“They said, ‘We’re bringing you in to let you play quarterback. The only way you won’t play quarterback is if you prove to us that you can’t -- then we’ll let you play on the offensive side of the ball.’ Some of the schools wanted me on defense, but I didn’t want to play defense.”

Kinnard picked up the Huskies offer in February, before ever setting foot on campus. When he did make the trip up to Storrs, Conn., he was immediately impressed.

“When I went up there, I really fell in love with the school," Kinnard said. "My mom and I thought it would be a good opportunity because they were giving me the opportunity to play quarterback. Them offering early -- it showed me I’m high on their board and they’re really interested, unlike some other schools.”

Still, Kinnard held off from committing immediately. Some encouraged him to hit the summer camp circuit in hopes of attracting additional offers. One of Kinnard’s mentors was told he’d be the kind of player to attract up to 20 scholarship offers if he waited until the summer.

But instead of earning offers just for the sake of earning offers, Kinnard decided to end the recruiting process and pick UConn last week on an unofficial visit to a Huskies practice. According to Kinnard, the UConn coaches had trouble hiding their excitement when he committed.

“[UConn head] coach [Randy] Edsall had this big smile on his face,” Kinnard said. “... Coach [Rob] Ambrose, he gave me a big kiss on the cheek and said ‘welcome to the family.’”

Kinnard, who plans to major in either kinesiology or business, said it’s a relief to have ended the recruiting process early. And he’s excited to have found a school that he thinks has a bright future.

“They’ve only been DI for six years and they’ve already won a Big East championship and they have some of best facilities in the nation,” Kinnard said. “I just think the program is up-and-coming and I want to be a part of history in the making.”

Sun photo of Leon Kinnard by Lloyd Fox