After a whirlwind week, Kyle Sweet had a chance to exhale.

"Took my last two finals on Monday," Sweet said, during a phone conversation from his home in Newport Beach, Calif.

Just days earlier, Sweet delivered remarks to his fellow graduating student-athletes at the athletic department's senior celebration, Dec. 6, all the while preparing for fall semester final exams.

It was his first trip back to Pullman since 2018, but as Sweet realized in the six years since he departed, WSU always stayed with him.

So much so, he concluded his speech stating: "You may leave Washington State, but Washington State will surely never leave you."

Memories of the historic 2018 season

As a player on the Cougar football team from 2015 to 2018, Sweet appeared in 50 games as a receiver and also showcased his versatility as a punter and punt returner. 

A member of the legendary 2018 Alamo Bowl championship team that finished with a school-record 11 wins, Sweet completed his career with 139 receptions for 1,454 yards and five touchdowns.

Of all the special memories from the 2018 season, it was one off the field that stands out for Sweet, a memory with his teammates that he describes as "a testament to the community at Washington State."

"Every Monday night, me, Peyton Pelluer, Nick Begg, Max Borghi, and Hunter Dale would all go to dinner," Sweet said.

"One person got to pick the place, and we would call it family dinner," Sweet added. "It was so fun for me to have that really tight-knit group of people that you consider your brothers and just have this special experience every Monday.  "That's what I missed the most about school in general and football is the locker room aspect. You're going through so many tough things together but you're also succeeding together."

A dream job offered, but…

After basking in the Alamo Bowl title, Sweet made the decision to pursue a professional football career, eschewing the opportunity to complete the classes required to earn his degree.

"If I had to boil it down to one thing it would probably be overinflated ego," Sweet explained, "hoping I would make it in the NFL and putting all my eggs in one basket."

Sweet did experience success professionally overseas in the European League of Football for the Barcelona Dragons and Paris Musketeers. In 2022 with the Dragons, Sweet led the league in receptions (115), yards (1,561) and touchdowns (17).

Deciding to return to the United States to pursue life after football in California, Sweet received a job offer from a company.

"My dream job," Sweet said. "I went through the entire process of the interviews and got the offer."

However, the onboarding process hit an obstacle when the company discovered he did not have a degree.

 "It was the first time not having the degree directly affected me," Sweet said.

Sweet described his mindset as in "scramble mode."

He immediately reached out to Associate Director of Athletics, Academic Services Heather Erwin.

"I called Heather that day, hoping (the company) had some wiggle room that if I was enrolled in classes, they would let me keep the job," Sweet said. "It was so quick the way she was able to handle it." 

Unfortunately, there was no wiggle room for the company, and the job offer was rescinded. But Sweet decided to continue his pursuit of completing his degree in humanities.

He took a full course load of classes during the fall semester with 13 credits, studying remotely from California.

The six-year gap of being a student presented challenges for Sweet, and perspective.

"It was defiantly a little bit different," he admitted. "I haven't been to school since 2018 and all of a sudden, I'm a student again.

"Honestly, it wasn't that tough because this is what I wanted to do and wanted to complete it," Sweet added. "I'm a little bit older and realize the importance of it and the significance it can have in my life. I will be forever indebted to Heather and Washington State Athletics for allowing me to do this. I believe everything happens for a reason. Now I have my degree, and I never have to worry about that situation again."

Never left

Sweet's concluding remarks to the seniors, "you may leave Washington State, but Washington State will surely never leave you," were not just words on a piece of paper, it was something he experienced firsthand when Erwin reached out with a request to serve as emcee for the senior celebration.

When Sweet stepped foot on campus and saw athletic department staff, including Erwin, for the first time in six years, he said it "felt like I had never left."

"That's only an experience you get with people who you consider your family," Sweet explained. 

"Having Kyle back on campus as our emcee for our winter graduation celebration was incredible," Erwin said. "It was even more special that Kyle came back to finish his degree. Kyle is a true Coug, and we are even more proud that he is officially a WSU graduate."

A community and family

Having the opportunity to speak to his fellow graduates was one that Sweet embraced. 

"It was really fun for me to be able to do that since I'm graduating too, and to be able to talk to these seniors was really important for me," Sweet said. 

Sweet stressed two points during his remarks.

"I wanted them to know that one, Washington State is everything they think it is with the community aspect and the family aspect," Sweet explained. "It truly is because look at me six years later. I reached out and they took care of me. I really wanted them to know how special it is.

"And then two," he continued, "I wanted them to know they've already succeeded and accomplished so many great things in life and they are so far ahead, but they don't even know it. They won't know it until they get out in the work force and continue on with daily life. I really wanted them to know they already have the qualities and characteristics and all the traits that it takes to be successful in life."

Earning a degree was a significant achievement for Sweet and during the phone conversation, he reflected on another achievement while he was a student.

"Being on scholarship is probably one of the biggest accomplishments I've had in my life in the sense that it affected my family for the better," Sweet said. "It's obviously a big deal, a big deal for my family and for me to focus on football and try to be as successful as I can.

"It means everything to be a Coug," Sweet added. "You're a part of a small group of people who have all been through such a really similar experience and lived in a special place and knows what it's about. I keep finding out, the older I get, how truly special it is.  We all want community and people to be close to each other. You're in a club for the rest of your life."