Darian Kinnard to return for senior season with Kentucky football

LEXINGTON, KY (WTVQ) – In a bit of a surprise, Junior Offensive Tackle Darian Kinnard announces on Monday he will return for his senior season.

https://twitter.com/darian_70/status/1346133716687593472?s=21

Kinnard was named an All-American by multiple outlets this season. Most recently, Sporting News named him a second team All-American. He also earned All-America accolades from the Associated Press (third team) and Pro Football Focus (first team), and was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection by the AP and a second-team All-SEC choice by the league coaches. Additionally, he was a candidate for the Outland Trophy given to college football’s top interior lineman.

Kinnard, who hails from Knoxville, Tennessee, has played in 32 career games with 26 consecutive starts at tackle. He graded at 88 percent in 10 games this season with 40 knockdown blocks and 138 blocks at the point of attack.

This season, behind Kinnard and the “Big Blue Wall,” the Wildcats rank fifth in the Southeastern Conference in rushing at 187.7 yards per game and Kentucky’s offensive line has paved the way for top rusher, Chris Rodriguez Jr., to average 6.9 yards per carry which leads the SEC and ranks 12th nationally. Playing in just eight games, he has totaled 701 rushing yards and a team-high nine touchdowns.

UK has three current players with more than 1,000 career rushing yards (Rodriguez, A.J. Rose and Terry Wilson), with a fourth player nearing that landmark (Kavosiey Smoke). UK also had three 100-yard rushers (Rodriguez, Rose and Wilson) in a single game (vs. Ole Miss) for the first time in school history.

Kinnard also broke the news his buddy and fellow offensive lineman Luke Fortner will be returning. Kinnard has started 26 consecutive games. Fortner started every game this past season.