Darian Kinnard ranked No. 67 player in country by ESPN

Kentucky is going to start the 2021 season with one of the best players in the country and his name is Darian Kinnard.

He’s already earned several preseason All-American and All-SEC honors while making multiple watch lists, so it’s not a huge surprise to see Kinnard here, but it’s always exciting to see a Wildcat make these rankings. On Monday morning, the ESPN staff released its top 100 college football players for the 2021 season and Darian Kinnard came in at No. 67.

A 345-pound senior, Kinnard is a ferocious run-blocker for the physical Wildcats’ offense, and he’s nimble in pass protection — he allowed only three sacks all season while committing zero holding penalties.

ESPN

Kinnard was unranked at the beginning of the 2020 season.

The starting right tackle for Kentucky will hold down a massive front line that could be one of the strongest and deepest in the history of the Big Blue Wall. Kinnard, a senior who has started the previous 26 games at offensive tackle for the ‘Cats, returned for another season in order to improve his NFL draft stock.

Already this offseason, Kinnard has received preseason All-American honors from ESPN, CBS Sports, USA Today, Athlon Sports, Pro Football Focus, and Phil Steele. He’s also been named to the Outland Trophy Watch List, which is handed out to the nation’s top interior lineman on offense or defense. Kinnard is a runaway favorite to make an All-SEC Team once again, as well.

“I think Darian has already established that he’s one of the best tackles in the game,” Kentucky offensive line coach Eric Wolford recently said.

In the same ESPN rankings, Kinnard is the third-highest offensive tackle, behind Alabama’s Evan Neal (No. 4) and Mississippi State’s Charles Cross (No. 52).

You can check out the entire top 100 here.