Kentucky All-American Darian Kinnard forgoes NFL Draft to return for 2021 season
University of Kentucky offensive tackle Darian Kinnard is coming back for one more season with the Wildcats.
Kinnard, a true junior, announced his decision during a video news conference Monday following Kentucky’s win over North Carolina State in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. He has started 24 straight games at right tackle and 26 since his first year on campus in 2018.
Before taking questions, Kinnard read from a speech written on his phone. Much of it was dedicated to his mom, who works as a nurse in Lexington and raised Kinnard as a single mother while pursuing higher education herself.
“I’ve played this game since I was 5 years old and my mom instilled in me a strong work ethic,” Kinnard said. “She also taught me that hard work and dedication will reap its rewards. She’s the definition of tough and she means the world to me. My mom had me before she had her GED. She sacrificed and worked extremely hard to attend college. … She taught me in life, you better finish what you start.”
Coming out of high school, Kinnard was considered a four-star recruit and the 101st top player in the country by 247Sports. He’s lived up to the hype: last week the Associated Press (Third Team), Sporting News (Second Team) and Pro Football Focus (First Team) named Kinnard to their All-America teams following a regular season in which he helped Kentucky generate 187.7 rushing yards per game. Kentucky’s top two running backs as of Monday led the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per attempt; Chris Rodriguez averaged 6.6 yards per carry while A.J. Rose managed 6.28 per rush.
Kinnard waited for feedback from the NFL’s underclassmen evaluations before making a final call. He said he was projected as a second- or third-round selection in the 2021 draft; he has his sights set on becoming one of the top players picked in the 2022 edition.
“I just wanted to be able to come back and improve on all the feedback that I got from the NFL, and make sure that there were no holes in my game and there was no reason for me not to be a lottery pick next year,” Kinnard said. “I’m just gonna come back, bust my a--, play for this team, and continue being the best teammate I can be. …
“I’m so close, but I know there’s some things I’ve got to work on to stay in the NFL for a long time.”
Kentucky’s “Big Blue Wall” will lose two seniors to the draft in Drake Jackson and Landon Young, but brings back guards Austin Dotson and Kenneth Horsey, both of whom made multiple starts in 2020, along with Quintin Wilson, a junior-to-be who played in every game this season, and Naasir Watkins, who sat out this season due to injury but has played in 24 games at UK.
Kinnard during his video session also announced that senior guard Luke Fortner, who’s started 23 of Kentucky’s last 24 games, will be using the additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five other UK seniors — receiver Josh Ali, specialist Zach Johnson, defensive back Quandre Mosely, tight end Justin Rigg and defensive back Davonte Robinson — announced via Twitter over the weekend that they would do the same.
“He’s kind of an old man,” Kinnard said with a laugh. “He doesn’t like to tweet out or say much, so he kept it to himself and gave me the go-ahead to tell everybody after I made my statement.
Fortner soon after the news became public shared a statement.
“Can’t wait to play for Coach Stoops another year,” he wrote on Twitter. “Best around.”
Juniors Josh Paschal and DeAndre Square, both starters in the last two seasons, also have said they’ll be back in 2021.
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 11:03 AM.
