Photo Credit // John Sokolowski
Rick Stockstill, head football coach of MTSU, has had some incredible success recruiting quarterbacks in recent years. Most recently, he convinced his son Brent Stockstill to come lead the Blue Raiders two seasons ago, and in Stockstill’s first year of eligibility, he led the team to an appearance in the Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl.
But before Stockstill was quarterback for the Blue Raiders, Logan Kilgore had the reins.
Kilgore, who has since been in the NFL and the Canadian football league, joined MTSU’s football program in 2010, and he was the Blue Raiders’ starting quarterback from 2011-2013. Over his career, Kilgore racked up the second-most passing yards in school history with 7,849. Kilgore only went 19-19 at his time with the Blue Raiders, but he owns the record for most passing touchdowns (53), most career passing yards per game (201.3), most consecutive completions (19 in 2011 against FIU), and he is tied for fourth all-time in wins with 19.
Kilgore spoke with Sidelines about his transition from the college to the professional level, and some valuable learning experiences he has had since he left Murfreesboro.
“It’s not like I was really caught up in the college scene, but I think it was an easy transition [into the NFL],” Kilgore said. “When it’s your profession, and your family’s livelihood on the line, you’re not going to be skipping workouts, or doing anything silly like that.”
After Kilgore’s successful career at MTSU, he decided to declare for the 2014 NFL Draft. Kilgore was not selected in any of the seven rounds, but he was able to sign an undrafted free agent deal with the New Orleans Saints. Kilgore was excited to learn from one of the game’s best, Drew Brees.
“Anytime you’re around a Hall of Famer like Drew [Brees], you try to soak up as much knowledge as you can,” Kilgore said. “That’s what I did. I took advantage of those opportunities to ask questions and try to learn as much as I could, and it’s helped me out in Toronto.”
“It was definitely learning experience [learning from Brees]. He’s such a great guy, he’s such a great professional, and such a great teammate. He really helped me along in my development, just seeing how he prepares and how much attention to detail he has. We train together in the off-season out in San Diego, and to be able to pick his brain any time I can… it’s been great to just continue that friendship. He’s kinda like another mentor for me, and I’m thankful for that.”
Kilgore was only with the Saints through part of training camp in 2014 and has since been in the Canadian Football League playing with the Toronto Argonauts. The Canadian Football League is similar to the NFL, but there are some drastic differences to which Kilgore had to adjust.
“It’s definitely a different game. It’s a lot faster, as the play clock is a lot quicker. The easy things to see are that we have 12 guys on the field, instead of 11, the field is bigger, we’ve only got three downs, but other than that, it’s really just a game where errors are really hard to come back from,” Kilgore said. “It’s a different type game, there’s a lot pressure on the quarterbacks because you throw the ball so much. I’ve enjoyed it, and it wasn’t a tough transition from the NFL, it just took a little bit of getting used to.”
The Toronto Argonauts finished 2015 with a 10-8 record, and they fell just short of making it to the 103rd Grey Cup (The equivalent to the Super Bowl in the Canadian Football League), losing in the East semi-final game to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 25-22. Kilgore mentioned the team’s emotions after their tough loss, and he said what the team’s mindset will be throughout the offseason and into next season.
“We’re transitioning in ownership, we’re getting a new stadium, we’re hosting the Grey Cup in Toronto next year,” Kilgore said. “If you’re not trying to win a Grey Cup, you’re doing yourself a disservice.”
Kilgore keeps up with members of the Blue Raiders and was able to come back to Murfreesboro during his bye weeks in 2015 to watch his former teammates play.
“I talk to a lot of the guys on the team,” Kilgore said. “I played with a lot of those guys. I got to come out to a couple of games during our bye weeks this year, so I was very involved in what we did. I was excited those guys got a bowl game, considering they probably should have gotten one last year.”
For now he’s chasing Grey Cups, but Kilgore has his eyes set on something a little more blue in the long run.
“I talk to Brent [Stockstill] all the time, I talk to Coach Stoc,” he said. “We’re very close, and he knows that someday, when I’m done playing, I’d love to work with him and help him coach [the Blue Raiders].”
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