Northeast Conference (NEC) Offensive Player of the Week after the Hawk’s second game of the season, fifth year senior Kyle Frazier, has proven that he has one thing on his mind this season, an NEC Championship ring.
Coming back this year after a season-ending knee injury against Bryant, Frazier has restored not only his knee, but also his mentality to strive for a winning season. “It was one of the hardest times of my life,” Frazier described after his ACL surgery. But with a few months of rehab and a lot of determination, he was able to work his way back up to where he was before his injury.
Now into his fifth year on the Hawks, Frazier first started playing football at the age of seven. Given the choice at a young age to play either soccer or football, Monmouth’s quarterback clearly made the right decision. Along with playing football, Frazier also tried baseball and basketball but realized playing football is what he wanted to continue with.
Frazier knew that he wanted to come to the University as soon as he visited the campus. He described how much he loved the coaches, other players and the area. “This has been the best time of my life,” explained Frazier. “I have no regrets of coming here. I made a lot of new friends and have enjoyed playing football.”
After red shirting as a freshman, Frazier came out his sophomore year starting seven out of the 11 games of the season. He finished off the year with 1,453 yards and 10 touchdowns. Frazier was named NEC Rookie of the Week for his success against Sacred Heart. As a junior, Frazier started all 11 games and ranked within the top five quarterbacks from Monmouth for completed passes in a season. He led the NEC and ranked fourth in Hawks history by completing 61.3 percent of his passes.
Frazier’s senior year started off well. He was ranked second in the NEC with an average of 233 yards per game in total offense. During the sixth game of the season, Frazier tore his ACL, which ended his season short causing him to miss the final five games. Although Frazier was unable to finish the season, he still ranked 10th in total offense in the NEC with 1,398 yards.
The fact that Frazier was able to push through rehab and rebuild his strength for this season only to come out and be recognized as the Offensive Player of the Week is a true testament to his dedication. Many athletes are unable to come back as strong as Frazier has this season.
Despite being singled out for his amazing accomplishments, he re-mains humble and does not forget that he is part of a team. “It’s cool to get recognized,” explained Frazier, “But I’d rather have the award at the end of the season with the ring.”
Looking forward to this upcoming season, the Hawks are looking better than ever. “We have a lot of experience coming back on both sides,” portrayed Frazier.
So far this season the team has started off with a 2-1 record, as Frazier threw for 138 yards and a pair of touchdowns to beat Wagner 38-17 last weekend.
MU hosts Sacred Heart Saturday at 1 pm.
PHOTO COURTESY of MU Photography
