Darian Kinnard is an All-America selection. Where does his NFL decision stand?
University of Kentucky offensive tackle Darian Kinnard is an All-American.
Kinnard, a true junior, was named to the Associated Press’s Third Team on Monday. He was the only UK football player named to this year’s edition of the squad.
Last week Kinnard was named to the Associated Press All-Southeastern Conference First Team and the coaches’ All-SEC Second Team.
UK’s offensive line — the “Big Blue Wall,” as it has come to be known — has helped the Wildcats rush for 187.4 yards per game. Kinnard, a former four-star recruit, has started 25 consecutive games for Kentucky dating back to the end of his freshman season, and he has played in 32 contests overall.
Could that streak continue into 2021? Kinnard will play in this weekend’s bowl game but is mulling a decision on whether to enter the NFL Draft. He was one of five underclassmen (the maximum allowed) on whose behalf head coach Mark Stoops solicited pre-draft evaluations from the league, and those official evaluations have not yet been sent back. UK and Kinnard remain in a stage of information-gathering at this point in the process.
“Darian’s been very thorough,” Stoops said Monday. “He’s been trying to talk to as many people as he can. I’ve tried to get him as much information as I can. … I believe Darian will lean heavily on that (NFL) information. I’m not sure. We’ve had talks. I’m not gonna constantly try to persuade Darian one way or another. My job is to get as much actual facts that I can from real people, from NFL people, and not people just telling him everything he wants to hear, because that’s one of the problems that happens with juniors.”
Kinnard, in theory, could play up to two more years of college football due to the NCAA’s blanket eligibility waiver for the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. If he returns for the 2021 season, though, it almost certainly would be his last in blue and white.
“If he decides to come back, in my opinion, he could be a consensus All-American,” Stoops said. “… Everybody deserves that opportunity to play in the NFL. I want them to, and if the time is right, then we give them every blessing. So I don’t know where it’s at. … I love Darian either way. I think he’s a pro either way. That’s his decision and it’s my job to get him real clean information.”
This story was originally published December 28, 2020 at 1:29 PM.
