Purdue Football: 20 Year Countdown – #98 Kai Higgins

Purdue Football: 20 Year Countdown – #98 Kai Higgins

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Purdue Football: 20 Year Countdown – #98 Kai Higgins
IOWA CITY, IA. – OCTOBER 19: Purdue Boilermakers defensive end Kai Higgins (98) gestures as he takes the field before a Big Ten Conference football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Iowa Hawkeyes on October 19, 2019, at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Kai Higgins

Bio

Career: 2017 – 2020

Position: Defensive End

Height:6’4”

Weight: 260

Hometown: Pomona, California

High School: Bishop Amat

Career Stats

Games Played: 36

Games Started: 22

Tackles: 50

Tackles For Loss: 6.5

Sacks: 2

Interceptions: 2

Notes

Chaffey College (JuCo)

  • Higgins was a qualifier out of high school, but spent a year at Chaffey College to improve his offers
  • Recorded 25 Tackles and 3 sacks in 9 games.

Purdue

2017

  • Appeared in 11 games as a reserve

2018

  • Started all 13 games
  • Intercepted a pass vs #23 Boston College
  • 6 Tackles vs Wisconsin
  • 6 Tackles vs Auburn in the Music City Bowl

2019

  • Started 9 of 12 games
  • Recorded 2 tackles for loss in Purdue’s 31-27 victory over Nebraska

Highlights

Hammer and Rails Staff Memories

Drew:

Jeff Brohm brought Higgins in as a junior college transfer in his initial 2017 recruiting class. He needed a solid defensive end, and that’s exactly what Kai provided. Brohm brought Purdue back to a bowl game in 2017, no small feat after the Hazel debacle, and needed to continue the momentum in 2018.

Kai wasn’t a star, but he was serviceable in his role. Not to bring up old wounds, but he did everything in his power to prevent the Eastern Michigan loss, recording 2 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and an interception. He would go on to pick off another pass against Boston College, which was a must-win game after the Boilermakers started the season 0-3.

Picking up undervalued players like Higgins helped Brohm get things back on the tracks in West Lafayette.

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