BLYTHEWOOD – University of South Carolina senior defensive lineman Kyle Kennard, who is one of four finalists for the 2024 Lombardi Award, was on hand at Bethel-Hanberry Elementary’s after school program to oversee the distribution of hundreds of turkey dinners with all the trimmings for the families of children who participate in the program.
The after-school program has been facilitated by the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands for almost five years.
“Kyle’s management group came to us about two weeks ago to say he wanted to do something to give back this Thanksgiving, so, since we oversee the after school program here at Bethel-Hanberry, we thought this might be a good starting place,” said Troy Thames, Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands. Senior Consultant for the Clubs James Brown was also at the program to help distribute the dinners.
The 6’5″ Kennard, from Atlanta, GA, leads the SEC and ranks fifth in the country with 10.5 sacks and leads the SEC and ranks fourth in the country with 14.5 tackles for loss. He is second on Carolina’s single-season top-10 sacks list, 2.5 sacks shy of Jadeveon Clowney’s school record of 13.0.
The Lombardi Award is presented to outstanding linemen who best epitomize his values of leadership, courage, performance and discipline on and off the field.
In addition to being a finalist for the Lombardi Award, which will be presented Dec. 11, Kennard is a semifinalist for the Nagurski Award, the Bednarik Award and the Walter Camp Player of the Year. He was named to the Sporting News midseason All-America team and was named the nation’s 14th-best player by ESPN.
