Frustration has melted into determination for Kevin Kooyman.

Walking the Washington State University football sidelines wondering what could have been – or what likely should have been – can do that to a guy who possesses an inner drive nearly as big as he is.

These days, however, Tahoma High’s former three-sport star is all about looking forward instead of looking back.

Which is a good thing for the Washington State defense.

And a reason for the Cougars’ Pac-10 opposition this upcoming season to be plenty afraid.

Kooyman, a 6-foot-6, 242-pound junior defensive end, has been on the cusp of great things on the Palouse the last two years.

As a freshman, when he was expected to redshirt, Kooyman worked his way into playing time and showed flashes of the dominance and tenacity that he took out on South Puget Sound League North Division foes just a handful of years earlier.

Anticipating a big breakout last season as a sophomore, the big man instead was riddled with two separate injuries: one to the ring finger on his left hand and the other to an ankle, ultimately limiting Kooyman’s time on the field.

Finally healthy, Tahoma’s former defensive stalwart is set to make his mark this season, which begins on Aug. 30 at Qwest Field in a non-conference game against Oklahoma State.

How important is this football season to Kooyman, a two-time state wrestling champion for the Bears?

“Tremendously,” said Kooyman, who also was a track and field and wrestling standout at Tahoma. “It’s really important for me. I get to start all the way through and hopefully prove myself.”

Of course, that’s something to which Kooyman has become accustomed.

As a junior in high school, few gave him a chance to capture the state wrestling title at 215 pounds. Competing roughly 10 to 15 pounds under his listed weight class, Kooyman accomplished the feat in typical methodical and, at times, dominating fashion.

The trend continued for Kooyman as a senior, when Everett’s Justin Boyce was pegged to give Kooyman a run for his money in the championship match.

Didn’t happen.

Instead, Kooyman outmuscled Boyce for a 7-5 decision that was nowhere nearly as close as the final score indicates.

“Kevin has always found a way to get it done,” said Tahoma wrestling coach Chris Feist.

Making others believe

But even on the football field, where Kooyman clearly was head and shoulders above his SPSL North counterparts, there always was a matter of having to prove himself.

Matter of fact, despite earning first-team All-SPSL North Division honors on both sides of the ball and being named to Washington’s All-State team as a senior in high school, some still questioned whether he had the talent to compete at the Pac-10 level.

“I was scratching my head,” admitted Tahoma football coach Tony Davis. “It worked out well. But I was surprised there wasn’t more attention given to Kevin out of high school.”

Stanford showed tepid interest. But the University of Washington, a school in Kooyman’s own backyard, didn’t bother calling. Nor did most other Pac-10 schools other than Washington State.

“At the time, I was pretty frustrated that Washington didn’t recruit me. But now, I am happy where I’m at,” said Kooyman, a business major. “People didn’t think I was good enough to play. Coming in, I wasn’t recruited by very many schools. People thought of me as this skinny guy from Maple Valley that not a lot of people knew about.”

They found out in a hurry in Pullman.

In fact, in just the second game of Kooyman’s freshman season – what was supposed to be that redshirt season – the quick but agile big man recorded the first sack of his collegiate career in a 56-10 blowout of Idaho at Martin Stadium.

“I was the only one to get a sack that game,” Kooyman recalled. “I was pretty excited because the coach was talking about (how) no one on the team had a sack yet and I had to get one.”

The sky seemed to be the limit.

And Kooyman was racing to that level last year as a sophomore, too, making the first start of his collegiate career in Week 4 against then top-ranked USC. And in typical Kooyman fashion, he rose to the occasion, recording a pair of solo tackles and a sack, his third of the season, which, at the time, led the team.

Through Washington State’s first four games, Kooyman had six tackles, a fumble recovery, a pass break-up and the team-leading three sacks.

No doubt, he clearly was making those who didn’t recruit him pay.

Tahoma coach Davis knew the talent was there all along.

“That’s the tough part about recruiting. You can’t decide for them,” Davis said. “For me, you knew it was going to work out someplace because there’s so much talent.”

Double trouble

But even talent-laden athletes have setbacks.

And Kooyman certainly endured his share last season.

During practice, less than two weeks after his first collegiate start, Kooyman jammed his the ring finger of his left hand on a teammate’s shoulder pad. He thought little of the throbbing digit at the time.

The reality, however, was much worse.

“I thought it was just a dislocation,” Kooyman said. “I thought I could put it back in, but it wouldn’t go. The trainer took my glove off, and my bone was sticking out of my finger. It was all the way out.

“I was wide-eyed. My face got a little white.”

Kooyman returned two weeks later against UCLA, only to suffer a severe ankle sprain.

Season over.

“It was very, very frustrating because I finally got my chance to start and I was doing well,” he said. “Everything was going perfect.”

Which brings Kooyman back to today, when he’s 100 percent healthy other than a ring finger on his left hand that he figures never will quite look or feel the way it once did.

Optimism and determination remain paramount in Kooyman’s thought process as he braces for this season, a pivotal one by all accounts when considering the possibility of a future in the NFL.

“(The NFL) is always in the back of my mind,” he said. “I’ve heard the possibility that I have a chance to go there.

But right now …

“I want to go out and show I can do something.”