Gig Harbor senior receiver Olson-Urbon commits to Eastern Washington

All-area receiver Kyle Olson-Urbon and his Gig Harbor High teammates utilized an up-tempo offense that produced plenty of high-scoring games.

Things might not change very much for Olson-Urbon at the next level.

The senior announced his verbal commitment to Eastern Washington University in a tweet on Tuesday afternoon.

Olson-Urbon, a senior at Gig Harbor High School, received the offer less than two weeks ago and made his commitment quickly.

“It’s hard to pass up a program like that,” Olson-Urbon said. “It’s a good situation for me, being so close to my family. For my grandma to be able to come support me — she’s a big part of my life.”

Olson-Urbon, who finished his senior season with 63 catches for 1,125 yards and 18 touchdowns, visited Eastern in the summer, along with teammates Davis Alexander (committed to Portland State) and Noah Samsen.

“That really sealed the deal for me,” Olson-Urbon said. “I looked into all my other options. I just felt like it was the best fit for me.”

EWU head coach Beau Baldwin and his staff were reviewing film of players from the state of Washington recently, and Olson-Urbon caught their attention again. Baldwin visited Gig Harbor High School and formally offered Olson-Urbon.

Eastern, a Football Championship Subdivision school and member of the Big Sky Conference, has established itself as one of the conference’s premiere football programs over the past decade. Their offense isn’t dissimilar to Gig Harbor High School’s, meaning Olson-Urbon will have plenty of chances to make plays. Last season, the Eagles averaged 34.6 points per game.

“It’s a wide receiver’s dream,” Olson-Urbon said. “They throw the rock. They have so many weapons, they can really sling it. I’ll have the opportunity to thrive and be in a similar offense to what we ran (at Gig Harbor). I just (appreciate) the excellence they’ve been through and the way their program works and the work ethic they have.”

Depending on how things shake out, Olson-Urbon could wind up playing against two of his former high school quarterbacks. Olson-Urbon, who played his first three seasons at Peninsula High School, could face Peninsula grad Robert Kvinsland, who redshirted this season at Idaho State. Gig Harbor High senior quarterback Davis Alexander is currently committed to Portland State, another Big Sky school.

As far as playing against Alexander, Olson-Urbon is excited for the opportunity.

“It’ll be good to see him during the year,” he said. “I know how dangerous and explosive he is. I’m super excited for him and to see where he goes in his career. I’m super excited to play him again and hopefully get bragging rights when we go home.”

This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 11:31 AM with the headline "Gig Harbor senior receiver Olson-Urbon commits to Eastern Washington."