Kyle Padron Explains Reason for Transferring to EWU - Spokane, North Idaho News & Weather KHQ.com

Ex-SMU quarterback Kyle Padron confirmed the news on Thursday that he will, in fact, enroll at Eastern Washington this summer and compete for the starting job in fall camp.

Rumors had been flying among EWU and SMU circles ever since Padron visited Cheney at the end of February. Padron himself spoke to SWX's Sam Adams by phone Thursday night and explained why he chose the Eagles.

"I thought it was in my best interest to move on from SMU," said Padron. "I had a great time here – through the season and just my experience on and off the field. I'm excited about the new chapter."

Padron admitted to being influenced by former Eagle quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who spoke highly of Eastern, coach Beau Baldwin and the Eagles' offensive system. Ironically, it was Padron who replaced Mitchell at SMU, though the two remain friends.

"He told me he was looking at some places, and he needed to set a plan," said Mitchell. "So I told him [EWU] is a great place to fit in. We come from the same place, we know the same offense, and obviously that came into it."

There were also other factors that went into the decision. Like the famous playing field.

"The biggest thing is The Inferno, that's the big talk around the country, really," said Padron. "But I know from my research that on the offense you have a lot of guys coming, and the receiving corps is really going to be something special. The offense, from what I can tell, is going to be strong and it should be a good fit for me to come in there, compete and hopefully contribute to the team."