The reigning Nagurski Award winner as college football's top defender, whose rookie NFL snaps have been scarce so far.
Kyle Kennard is an edge rusher for the Los Angeles Chargers who arrived in 2025 as one of the most decorated defenders in his draft class after transferring from Georgia Tech to South Carolina. Despite a dominant final college season, his rookie year in the NFL has been defined by limited playing time as he works to translate his production to the pro game.
Path to the league
Kennard spent his first four college seasons at Georgia Tech from 2020 to 2023, making 20 starts, before transferring to South Carolina for 2024. Over his five-year college career he totaled 143 tackles, 37 tackles for loss and 24 sacks across 54 games. The Chargers drafted him in the fourth round, 125th overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Kennard's 2024 season at South Carolina was one of the best pass-rushing seasons in the country, as he led the SEC with 11.5 sacks, won the Nagurski Award as the nation's top defender, and earned Second-Team Associated Press All-American honors.
2025 season recap
Kennard's rookie season with the Chargers was quiet, as he recorded just two total tackles and no sacks across the regular season. The gap between his standout college production and his limited rookie-year role reflected the coaching staff's early assessment of his readiness for a full-time NFL pass-rushing job.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Kyle Kennard
- Pro Football Reference: Kyle Kennard
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
5 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | chargers | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- South Carolina
- Hometown
- Atlanta, GA, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
