Kevin Dillman: Swedish Native, 5-Star QB Takes First SEC Visits


Kevin Dillman

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Kevin Dillman (La Mirada, Calif. La Mirada) left Sweden to come to America and play football to fulfill his dream of playing college football, and today, that dream started to turn into reality as he took his first college visit.

The five-star quarterback recruit left sunny California for a Friday visit to Nashville where he visited Vanderbilt where the Commodores extended an offer, and La Mirada head coach Mike Moschetti said, “Kevin loved the city, the coaches and was real excited about the offer.”

Dillman is ranked as the No. 3 pro-style quarterback for his class, according to 247Sports composite rankings and already holds double-digit offers from the likes of Ole Miss, UCLA, Clemson and Florida State. From there, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound pro-style quarterback will visit Tennessee and Louisville with his trip culminating with him attending camp at Alabama on Sunday.

In an odd twist of fate, current Louisville quarterback coach Shawn Watson, who is recruiting Dillman, was Moschetti’s quarterbacks coach his senior year at Colorado where he led the Big 12 in pass efficiency in 1999. Moschetti emphasized that it is so early in the recruiting process for Dillman, but that relationship with Watson could be one to watch develop over the next year as the offers pile up for the extremely versatile and athletic Dillman.


Under Watson and offensive coordinator Tom Cable, Moschetti learned the very same principles, nuances and demeanor necessary to succeed that he currently is passing down to Dillman along with La Mirada quarterbacks coach and Arena Football League star Erik Meyer.

When I asked Moschetti about what makes Dillman such a coveted prospect, he spoke for about five minutes it seemed without taking a breath and was full of superlatives about his rising junior signal-caller he compares to Philip Rivers.

“Kevin is such a versatile athlete that will do anything to help his team win football games. We had an all-area quarterback start last year, but Kevin wanted to help the team any way he could. He played safety, defensive end, ran back kicks and played the wildcat.”

His high school journey has been an odyssey of sorts after leaving his home country where he left his family, friends and the only culture he knew for a chance to make a dream come true. After appearing in a few games as a freshman, the complicated immigration issues reared its ugly head and forced Dillman back to Sweden.

Moschetti said that move was made to ensure that there would be no future complications with his Visa and took a little longer than anticipated. However, he returned in time for his sophomore season, although it did not end as he would have liked as he had an MCL injury that ended his season prematurely, but it did not require surgery, and he is 100 percent ready to go for summer practices to get underway.

Despite the limited game action Dillman is dripping with potential and has college coaches from coast to coast asking for film of Dillman who sports a 3.4 GPA. Moschetti said, “Dillman has all the tools to be a special player because of his ability to play in any offensive system, his relentless competitive spirit, off-the charts mental approach, his humility and desire to look in the mirror and challenge himself.”

From Sweden to La Mirada to major college football in a four-year span is pretty special for a pretty special person. He sounds like a 10-star person with five-star talent, and after talking with Moschetti, his prized quarterback should have no problem seeing his dream become a reality.

Patrick’s a college football writer for Rant Sports and radio host on Sportstownchicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickASchmidt and add him to your Google network

Be sure to check out the Rant Sports 100 in 100 Series, a preview of the top 100 College Football Teams for the 2013 Season!



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