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Football MSU Athletics Communications

Former Morgan State linebacker Rico Kennedy seeking chance at NFL dream

BALTIMORE, Md. (April 29, 2021) -- Rico Kennedy will be among a list of hopeful players looking to land on a team by the conclusion of the 2021 NFL Draft.  Round 1 of the draft will take place on Thursday, April 29, followed by Rounds 2-3 on April 30 and finally Rounds 4-7 on May 1.
 
Kennedy was one of the top linebackers in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2019 and although the ongoing coronavirus pandemic hit after his final season with the Bears, he remains hopeful for a shot in the upcoming draft or as an unrestricted free agent.
 
Kennedy is a 6-foot-3, 235-pound Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) product who was a three-time All-MEAC selection and finished 2019 with 105 tackles, averaging 8.8 per game and he also led the conference with 16.0 tackles for loss -- 4.5 of which are sacks. He also added two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery on the year.  
 
His 51.0 career TFLs are the most in Morgan State school history, and he also finished with 19.0 career sacks, which is fourth-place all-time at MSU.

Kennedy was named the 2019 Protect Your Skull National Defensive Player of the Year, FCS All-America by STATS, Phil Steele's FCS All-America Fourth Team, and BOXTOROW All-American Honorable Mention. He was also a finalist for the 2019 Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the national defensive player of the year in college football's Division I subdivision.
 
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Kennedy recently spoke to MorganStateBears.com about his journey to Morgan State and his thoughts as a potential 2021 NFL Draft Prospect.
 
Bring us up to speed. Give us a brief history of your career…
A ball was put into my hands practically fresh out of the womb (laughs). My dad was a football and basketball savant, so growing up at 5-6 years old I was playing football in the neighborhood with my friends down here in Fort Lauderdale. Ever since then I fell in love with the game. 
 
Growing up in Florida, one of the Meccas of football, we just have so many legends and a lot of people who have done it at the highest level.  For me, it was just something that was fun to do with my friends until I got older and started taking it more seriously. 
 
I was a basketball head, but coming up at Dillard High School I was one of the leaders in sacks on the football team. I was one of the leaders in the state in sacks during my senior year along with my best friend Randy Ramsey, who currently plays for the Green Bay Packers. 

Football has always been in my life. Fast forward to college- I went to Army West Point Preparatory Academy and when I left there in 2015, God gave me a second chance to do what I love. It's like he just keeps working in mysterious ways and I thank God for that. 
 
I got to Morgan and put in some work. I just wanted to be the best teammate and best player and leader I could be on the field. Shoutout to all my coaches and teammates throughout all my years at Morgan. I appreciate everybody from the janitors to the lunch ladies, Rev. Keels and my professors. Baltimore showed me so much love and welcomed my family… I can't thank you guys enough. Baltimore is in my heart.
 
Did you ever think about pursuing another sport? How'd you decide on fully focusing on football?  
 
I played the 2 and the 3 on my high school's basketball team. I did my thing. Dillard High was a powerhouse in basketball and football. You can ask about me on Morgan State's campus… three-time intramural champions, two-time MVP of the intramural league (laughs). Basketball was my No. 1 sport. Kobe Bryant was my GOAT. But I'm a realist. I'm 6-foot-3 and I was not going to be out there guarding Russell Westbrook and guys like that. I'd rather be in a draft with 250 than 60… so I just felt football was where I knew I could propel myself further to become a professional athlete. It was definitely a hard decision, and I believe I could've made the basketball team at Morgan, but I wanted to put all of my time and effort into football because I knew I had a greater chance.  
 
Tell us about you as a linebacker… What kind of linebacker are you and what are some attributes you would bring to a team's franchise?
 
I'm a student of the game first. I'm a historian of the game. I always study the greats. A lot of people don't know that my natural talent is coming off the edge. I'm so versatile that I played my last few years at middle, weak and strong linebacker... and grizzly. I played it all. I feel like I can do it all and cover. I can go sideline to sideline. I have sacks and TFLs. I can play off-ball or on-ball. Whatever scheme I need to be in, I can adapt to because I'm so versatile. I'm just a guy who likes making plays within the system and will do whatever it takes to propel the defense and the team to win. I'll play nose guard if a team wants me to (laughs).  
 
This past year was strange with the ongoing pandemic and the changes that came about as a result. Talk about how it affected you or helped you in your process.
 
I feel like it affected me differently because I'm already married and have a family. So it really just gave me more time to spend with my family and figure things out. I graduated with a degree in construction management and minor in business and I'm working as a project manager right now. I was still training as much as I could, it just gave me time to figure out some more things as far as life beyond football. I'm glad I was able to get the experience of working within the construction industry and being around my family more. It didn't affect me negatively, except for when the HBCU Combine was cancelled last year, but it came back around. My family was a big help and support.
 
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Talk about what it meant to be selected to the HBCU Combine in Birmingham and your experience being down there with your teammates Ian McBorrough and Carl Garnes. 
 
The HBCU combine was great. There were only 45 players there. I was selected as one of these 45 players, a year removed from football, and I was still being thought of. The Combine was a great experience. The comradery once I got there was great and I'm like 2-3 years older than the guys who were there. It was great being there with Ian [McBorrough] and Carl [Garnes]. It's like we just picked up where we left off from Morgan – great stories, great times and just being able to experience it with both of them was just such a blessing and I wouldn't trade that for the world.
 
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Morgan State teammates and NFL hopefuls Rico Kennedy, Carl Garnes and Ian McBorrough
How was the exposure at the HBCU Combine?
We received good exposure and were introduced to the history of some of the pioneers who paved the way for us to play this game. Not just on an HBCU level, but as a black man trying to play football as a professional athlete like Doug Williams, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Willie Lanier. I got the pleasure to meet Mr. Doug Williams and I posted it on Twitter. It was great to just talk to him and feel his aura and energy. It was a great experience and great times.
 
I saw you were mentioned on TV during the HBCU Combine? 
I was outside on the phone when the guys were like 'man you were just on ESPN.' They said the analyst was talking about me playing at outside linebacker and coming off the edge. I feel like I'm not one-dimensional and wherever a team wants to see me, I'll be ready to perform. 
 
 
Share something about the guys you played with at Morgan – 
The list is so long to sit here and name those guys… they're all my brothers. You got Ian McBorrough, Malachi Washington, Lamont Hill, Carl Garnes, Donte Small, Jai Franklyn, AJ Agbelese, Chris Fatogoma, Antoine McCray, Tre Revell…  It was just great times. Those guys definitely helped me get through a lot of things. I just loved playing with them. You put the stats and the film on … you tell me that we didn't have a 3-headed monster. Ian McBorrough, Damare Whitaker and myself. We had the speed, the size… we could just do it all. 
 
Most memorable football moment from your time at Morgan State?
It was definitely getting a sack against Army. It was a sack-fumble with Malachi Washington who picked up the fumble. It was just so big… with the crowd and the atmosphere and I was playing for my fallen brother and friend – cadet Brandon Jackson, who died in a single-car accident. My wife and daughter were there… it was just really big in front of that crowd. And my family and friends got a chance to see it on tv – that was big.
 
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Rico with his parents Art and Yolanda Kennedy
Tell me something about Morgan State and why it is so special to you?
There's just so much history that the average person wouldn't know. I didn't even know about some of the history myself until I was able to matriculate through the school and graduate. There's just so much history and it's like a big family there. Everybody welcomed me in with open arms and I just tried to show love to everybody. 
 
Outside of football what are some of your interests or hobbies?
I like to try different things when I cook. Cooking makes me happy and it's going to come out good. A lot of people say I can't cook, but I like to cook the things that I like to cook and eat how it tastes to me. You'd have to pay me to make something that you like to eat (laughs). I'm also getting into real estate and just trying to expand my mind and do different things.
 
Before we close out – the why question – why do you play football and what's your motivation?
You don't have to be at a big school to think that you made it. I just play to contribute to the game and I do it to touch others. I feel like I was put on this Earth to be a servant and I just try to serve others as best as I possibly can and I just love the game of football. I love being out on that field. The hustle of it, the mind games… I feel like I'm out there playing chess and trying to make plays. I also love the brotherhood of the game. Football is in my blood and I just love it.
 
Overcoming adversity is what defines character, what was the hardest moment in your life to overcome?
 
Just this past year. Realizing that in 2019-20 that Covid pretty much shut everything down. I felt that I had a good career, but I thought football might be done. I had to come to that realization. I'd been training my whole life… and doing this at the highest level… it was just the realization that football might be over with. That was hard to overcome, but I got through it with the help of my wife and family.  
 
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The Kennedy Family (Left to Right) - Rico, Ayanna, Ava and Destinee

 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 126 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Chris Fatogoma

#55 Chris Fatogoma

LB
6' 1"
Senior
Carl Garnes

#2 Carl Garnes

DB
6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
Lamont Hill

#51 Lamont Hill

LB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Rico Kennedy

#28 Rico Kennedy

LB
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
Ian McBorrough

#5 Ian McBorrough

LB
6' 2"
Junior
Donte Small

#1 Donte Small

DB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Malachi Washington

#10 Malachi Washington

DE
6' 2"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Chris Fatogoma

#55 Chris Fatogoma

6' 1"
Senior
LB
Carl Garnes

#2 Carl Garnes

6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
DB
Lamont Hill

#51 Lamont Hill

5' 11"
Sophomore
LB
Rico Kennedy

#28 Rico Kennedy

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
LB
Ian McBorrough

#5 Ian McBorrough

6' 2"
Junior
LB
Donte Small

#1 Donte Small

6' 0"
Sophomore
DB
Malachi Washington

#10 Malachi Washington

6' 2"
Senior
DE