From Huntsville to Mizzou: Langden Kitchen ready for his turn as a starter

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Standing at 6-foot-6 and 265-pounds, Mizzou defensive end Langden Kitchen is difficult to miss on the football field....and, turns out, even more difficult to block.

"He's been a nightmare for our guys to block," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said.

Kitchen, who is in his second year in the program, is next in line to make an impact on the Tigers' defensive line, as his size, strength and relentless work ethic have drawn attention for coaches and teammates, alike.

"He'll take on two guys at once," fellow defensive end Darris Smith said, "Just [his] strength, the way he is in the run game."

But, the Missouri native's journey to the top of the depth chart was anything but easy.

In fact, it all began about 50 miles north of Faurot Field, in the small town of Huntsville, Missouri. Long before Kitchen sported the black and gold on the field, he grew up a fan of Tiger football, thanks to his parents: Scott and Wendy Kitchen.

"We’ve always been big Mizzou fans since I’ve been a little kid," Scott said. "My stepdad, growing up, used to take me to games. We’ve been fans ever since."

For Kitchen, growing up watching games on his TV, that's when the dream of eventually playing at Mizzou took root. And thankfully for him, he had a hometown example to look up to, as well.

Former Tiger tailback Tyler Hunt also grew up in Huntsville and had a phenomenal career at Westran High School. After graduation, he decided to walk-on at Mizzou and carve out a college football career with the team he grew up watching.

"He was an awesome player to watch,” Langden said. "He showed that it's possible and hard work pays off because like when you go in the weight room at Western, you see all the records and Tyler Hunt's names all over that, and that's all that. I'm like, man, I want to be part of that one day, too." 

At Westran, Kitchen began building his own legacy as a multi-sport star.

He excelled in track and field and basketball, where he score more than 1,500 points and grabbed 1,000 rebounds. But, of course, football is always where his heart was.

Kitchen had an uncommon work ethic to compliment his raw talent, too...all starting with his diet.

"During football season, you had a different mindset, you had a different way, were eating," his mom, Wendy, said. "Here are all these kids are eating school lunch or peanut butter and jelly, and he's eating tilapia and sweet potatoes."

After a two-time all-state career at Westran, Kitchen had the opportunity to continue his football career at Northwest Missouri State, a standout Division II program. His opportunity came thanks to coach Rich Wright, who saw something in Kitchen that few others did.

"He’s like, 'I’m going to make big things out of you,'" Wendy recalled of Coach Wright. "And it was like, okay."

The Huntsville native embraced that opportunity whole-heartedly.

His time at Northwest Missouri State is still an important and cherished part of his story...a chapter which taught him to appreciate what he had.

"Northwest is a very special place to me,” Kitchen said. "[We didn't] have everything we have at Mizzou. You have to decide what I'm going to eat this week, you had a meal prep a lot more and then just decided, like money wise, because you guys do have enough money for this and that." 

After two years tearing it up at the Division II level, an opportunity came Kitchen's way that he couldn't pass up.

Mizzou, the team he grew up a fan of, came calling.

"Once I told everyone I was committed, they were kind of shocked because they didn’t think Mizzou was talking to me at all," Kitchen said.

In his first season in Columbia, Kitchen got into 12 games and tallied 13 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries.

For his parents, seeing him in those Tiger colors was something else, entirely.

"Surreal," Wendy said.

"[It was a] lifelong dream of his,” Scott added. “And now this year, hopefully he gets a lot more playing time, and that’s his goal.”

And now, that goal is within reach.

Kitchen has made it to the top of the depth chart, listed as a starting defensive end for Mizzou, in week one against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. This comes as he enters the season bigger, stronger and more experienced than ever.

"I’d say just being more of a consistent pass rusher over this past year,” Kitchen said, when asked where he's grown the most.

That consistency is exactly what head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company are looking for, too.

"Similar to what Cody [Schrader] kind of went through — being consistent, showing up and demanding of himself — but now having a full year under his belt of exactly what the expectation is," Drinkwitz said.

But the opportunity in front of the Missouri native is abut more than just a starting job. In fact, it's more about proving that a kid from small town Missouri can play big-time college football.

"Just because you’re from small-town, humble Missouri doesn’t mean that you have to go work on a farm or do construction,” Kitchen said. "You can go to college and play college football if you set your mind to it. And you can dream and you can do anything you want to be."

Of course, the numbers will be a part of Kitchen's story this season. But, if you ask him what he wants fans to see when he takes the field, his answer has little to do with statistics.

"I’m a relentless worker. I’m a physical guy and I’m going to give it 110%. No matter what," he said.

Kitchen and the Tigers will kickoff the season on Thursday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.