By: Mike Still (@mikestill94)

Feature photo: Tye Kitzman sizing up a receiver. Photo by the Okanagan Sun.

There’s no mistaking defensive back Tye Kitzman’s love for football. For evidence, look no further than the graduate of Clarence Fulton Secondary’s high school responsibilities, where he went both ways as quarterback and safety. 

“It’s something I’ve always loved and I didn’t really want to come off the field,” the product of Vernon, BC says. 

“Having a small roster we had a lot of guys come up from the junior level to play on the senior team and we weren’t the powerhouse of the league by any means, but I loved being able to play and hopefully take it to the next level.”

Originally intent on heading to either UBC or an NCAA Division II school following graduation in 2015, a message from a coach whose camp he’d previously attended changed his mind. 

It was mentioned to him that Shane Beatty with the Canadian Junior Football League’s (CJFL) Okanagan Sun was looking for more defensive backs. He reached out to the head coach, who offered for him to come to indoor practices in the spring and winter. The rest is history. 

“I made a bond with [Beatty] and it went well, so it made it an easy choice because it was so close to home and would make the transition a bit easier coming out of high school.”

Kitzman was injured during his rookie year, however he still vividly remembers the run that his squad went on in 2015, going 12-0 en route to a Cullen Cup championship. Beatty was a big part of Okanagan’s resurgence, completely changing the image of the program and expectations while bolstering a defence that included British Columbia Football Conference (BCFC)  all-stars such as Brennan Van Nistelrooy, Matt McConnell, Cord Delinte and Jonas Gering. 

“I think [Beatty] totally turned the program around,” Kitzman says. 

“He made a big change with his intensity, focus and knowledge of the game. You could obviously see with the record, he was very successful. With the Sun we always preach family and in my first year there was a huge family vibe. Everybody got along but there was also always competition. It was definitely a place that guys wanted to be.”

The following year there was a switch in leadership, as Beatty departed and Ben Macauley stepped in. The team will still quite strong defensively however, with Kitzman earning the team’s Most Improved Player award after recording 23 tackles and three interceptions. 

“I never honestly played corner or had real training at DB until I came to the Sun,” he says. 

“My second year there I just kind of got the hang of it and started to improve my game a bit. By the end of the year I had confidence in what I was doing.

Kitzman – who stands at 6’2” and over 200 pounds – loves to use his physicality to disrupt receivers from their routes at the line of scrimmage. This strategy continued to pay off in his third and fourth year with the Sun, where he tallied a combined nine interceptions, 15 pass defenses, a fumble recovery and two scores. He was also honoured as a BCFC all-star in both years as well as being named a CJFL All-Canadian in 2017. 

“Coming into my third year, I knew I could step up my game. I didn’t want to just be another name on the roster. I wanted to make a name for myself and excel,” he says. 

“I busted my ass and put the work in every day. Having a great coach like [defensive coordinator] Nathan Mollard who really knew I was there to put in the work, he pushed me to be great and every day I was looking for something to improve on. I was watching a lot of film, doing everything I could to be the best and it turned out well for me that year.”

At the end of the 2018 season, Kitzman knew he wanted to move onto the U SPORTS level. He talked to a lot of schools, one of which was Brian Dobie from the Manitoba Bisons, who came out every year for a recruiting trip. He vibed with Manitoba’s bench boss and the two kept in touch. Not too long after in the new year, it was a done deal that he’d be taking his talents to the 204. 

The move also made sense logistically. While Kitzman played corner for the Sun, his likely landing spot with Manitoba would be either strong side linebacker or safety due to his tacking abilities, physicality and range. 

“I made my trip out there and immediately loved it. I sat down for a few hours with the DC and we started connecting and talking about the playbook and what he wanted from me. It was a really good connection between all the coaches and their facilities are amazing. It just seemed like the best opportunity to excel in the position I’d be coming into with their SAM and safety leaving.”

Kitzman is also coming into camp with the right attitude He knows he’s already used up two years of his university eligibility and wants to find the field right from the jump. 

“I don’t want to come in and just be on the roster and sit on the bench for a couple of years. I don’t have that kind of time. I only have three years so I want to be able to come in and make a difference right away.”