Going Down The Rabbit Hole With KJ Osborn
Tom Woldum
|
If you’re like me, you may be getting just a little bit tired of the football media’s obsession with the players we’re already obsessed with. Really, how much more do we need to debate Kirk Cousins? How many more articles and video segments do we need to vigorously nod our heads at while another pundit suggests that Justin Jefferson needs to be targeted more? It’s time for more KJ Osborn.
I’ve been feeling a need to dig deep into some of the less-often-discussed members of the Minnesota Vikings. By definition, such players don’t have a whole lot written about them, so a simple Google search requires a willingness to go down the rabbit hole in hopes of getting to know a player a little bit better. This week, I went down that rabbit hole, searching for knowledge and enlightenment about KJ Osborn, the up-and-coming #3 wideout.
Osborn has become a legit receiving threat for the Vikings this year—he’s already the first #3 Viking receiver since Jarius Wright (2015) to bring in 30 catches, top 300 receiving yards, and average 10+ yards per carry. His game-winner against Carolina in October invited all of us to hop on the KJ bandwagon, and many of us have stayed there. On top of his clear athleticism and pass-catching prowess, he’s an engaging young man, super smart, loves his dog, and is interesting to boot. In short, it’s very hard not to root for Osborn.
He grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan, starring at Lincoln High School under Coach Chris Westfall. Osborn made an impression during his time there, as evidenced by how Westfall raved to Dane Mizutani of The Pioneer Press back in August about his tools and his character. “Listen, this guy is a football player,” he said. “Some guys run real fast and jump real high and they are sort of freak shows in that way. This kid is a character freak show. He does everything right.”
At this point in the story, we begin to descend down the rabbit hole that is internet research. Prior to his senior year, the young Osborn received an invitation from IMG, a Bradenton, FL prep school that has churned out a dizzying array of professional athletes from current Vikings teammate Kellen Mond to the Timberwolves’ Michael Beasley to a dozen or so members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”913397″ player=”26281″ title=”AdVTHoldingDline” duration=”211″ description=”undefined” uploaddate=”2021-12-03″ thumbnailurl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/thumb/913397_t_1638550550.png” contentUrl=”//cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/19439/sd/913397.mp4″]
His coach at IMG was Twin Cities sports legend Chris Weinke, the Cretin-Derham Hall grad who was Joe Mauer before Joe Mauer was Joe Mauer: excelling at football, baseball, and basketball, earning USA Today high school First-Team All-America honors as a quarterback, and being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the MLB draft. Weinke was recruited by then-powerhouse Florida State as a quarterback, but left the offer letter on the table as he pursued a baseball career. Unlike Mauer, Weinke never made it to the majors, but reinvented himself at the age of 25 by accepting FSU’s offer – seven years later – ultimately becoming the oldest Heisman Trophy Winner ever, taking the trophy at age 28 and leading the Seminoles to a national championship. Mauer, it should be noted, did Weinke one better just a year after Weinke’s Heisman season, by being the only person ever to be selected USA Today High School Player of the Year in two sports, as a quarterback in the fall of 2000 and as a catcher in the spring of 2001.
But back to KJ. After high school, he played three seasons at the University of Buffalo, before entering the transfer portal and playing his senior season at Miami. “I wanted to show I could play on the big stage,” he said of the transfer. What’s really notable is he made the transfer as a graduate student, having completed his undergraduate degree. At Miami, Osborn was just one of two dozen ACC students to be named to the prestigious Hampshire Honor Society by the National Football Foundation.
What’s the coolest thing about KJ Osborn outside of football? It might be that while finishing up his Master’s Degree in social sciences, he began envisioning what he might do after football, and has ambitions that are perhaps the most impressive and fascinating as any Viking since Alan Page: he wants to eventually become an agent for the FBI or a member of the Secret Service.
Or, maybe the coolest thing about Osborn is that he has an English Bulldog named Larry that he has confessed he “talks to more than any human.” They look to be the best of friends, as evidenced by this video.
We are lucky as Viking fans to be able to root for a #3 receiver with finely honed football skills and off-the-charts character who has brains, ties to a previous Minnesota sports legend, owns an adorable dog, and may one day heroically save the life of a sitting U.S. President. What’s not to like?
From here on out, I expect to see an increase in KJ Osborn signs and banners from the purple faithful at U.S. Bank Stadium. He’s a guy who deserves it.
Purple PTSD: Vikings Secondary Remains Shorthanded