“He came and had a good spring, a good fall camp, and just to see it all translate so far this season, the goal is to sustain that. We know that he will based on his habits and preparation,” said safety LaMiles Brooks.
The Yellow Jackets knew they’d have to fill a major void at defensive end following the departure of White, Kennard’s inaugural podcast guest. The task became even more arduous after senior Sylvain Yondjouen suffered a season-ending knee injury against Louisville.
In three seasons at Tech, Kennard had been durable – his 31-consecutive games played are the most of any Tech defensive player – but not always disruptive. His production through two games suggests he’s up to the challenge. And he says he’s grown thanks to a skill he unwittingly picked up from podcasting.
Listening.
It began with taking advice from White, who finished with a team-high 14.5 tackles for loss en route to earning all-ACC honors last season.
“He definitely was like a big bro to me,” Kennard said. “Probably the most important thing he taught me was about the process – having a process before a game, after a game, the following weekend.”
In his first couple seasons, Kennard realized he didn’t share that same meticulous approach – to his recovery, to his film study, to getting his mind and body tuned for game day. He saw how White parlayed that process into a breakout season.
“I had no sense of direction. I wanted to see who to look to, and Keion was definitely a huge person to look to,” he said.
That increased maturity hasn’t gone unnoticed by Marco Coleman, who recruited Kennard out of nearby Riverwood High in Atlanta and has now reunited with him as Georgia Tech’s defensive line coach.
“Kyle [is] not only taking the coaching, but applying it and being very intentional about going out and doing the things that we’re trying to get done,” Coleman noted.
Kennard, in turn, has appreciated his coach’s blunt style.
“He cuts no slack. He wants us to get it done the same way, every time,” he said.
If Kennard considers White a big brother, then he likens Coleman to another family member.
“I joke around with people and tell people that I view [Coleman] like my uncle,” he said. “He’s definitely a great man to have in your life, as a coach and as a man and mentor.”
He added, “I’d run through a brick wall for that man.”
For now, Coleman will be content watching his defensive end run through blockers rather than brick walls. He says his eye discipline, while not completely there yet, has come a long way since he worked with him in 2020 and 2021.
“That’s allowed him to be able to attack plays a lot more aggressively, and not sit and wait like he was doing in the past,” Coleman said.
Perhaps it’s best reflected in this: through two games, Pro Football Focus ranks Kennard as the top defensive end in the ACC with an 85.0 overall grade. It may be a small sample size, but it’s a far cry from last season, when his PFF grade through five weeks landed him among the lowest in the Power 5.
