Koy Detmer Jr. does not live in his father’s shadow, he stands in the light. Detmer was offered a scholarship to join the Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) football team and described the transfer to TAMUK as one of the best decisions he’s made so far.
“The great tradition that comes with the town, school, and most importantly the football program, [TAMUK] just felt like the right place to be,” Detmer said.
Head coach Daren Wilkinson is no stranger to the Detmer family. Wilkinson relieved Detmer of his Cougar uniform for Javelina blue and gold.
“I’ve known Koy for a long time and his family even longer. In fact, I played against his dad. He wanted to leave BYU and gave me a call and it worked out. We are happy to have him,” Wilkinson said.
Last Thursday, Detmer made his debut as the quarterback in the game against Texas A&M University-Commerce. Commerce, last year’s Division II National Champions, was highly favored in the matchup against TAMUK. Everyone blew off the game and assumed the Javelinas would be trampled by the Lions, but by halftime, the Javelinas were up 13-0.
By the third quarter, the Lions came roaring back, eventually catching the Javelinas to force the game into overtime. One Javelina mistake allowed the Lions to pick up the victory, 37-36.
Overall, Detmer threw for 321 yards, going 33-46, with two rushing TDs in the Commerce game. Despite the close yet disappointing loss, Detmer is optimistic about the season.
“I feel like we set ourselves up to have a [really] good season. I don’t think a lot of people expected us to do so well and we really don’t care. We’re just working every week to be 1-0 and compete at a high level. I think we really found out what we have after this first game and it will set us up for a great season,” Detmer said.
Detmer previously was a walk-on during his 3 years at BYU and played in two games. As a freshman in 2015, Detmer completed 3 passes in the blowout game against Wagner. In 2017, Detmer entered the game against Utah State after Beau Hoge suffered a concussion. He went 7-20 for 91 passing yards and threw three interceptions. Detmer’s career at BYU may not have been noteworthy, but his potential to break out was noticed by TAMUK recruiting staff, and Coach Wilkinson, who has tremendous faith in Detmer.
“I think the number one thing that you get out of Koy is how intelligent he is on the field. He understands offense and defense. He knows where to go with the football. He’s got a strong arm. He anticipates things well with his throws. We expect him to get even better,” Wilkinson said.
The Javelinas next game is at 7 p.m. Saturday at Javelina Stadium vs. Texas Wesleyan University. It is the team’s home opener.