Loyola quarterback Leon Kinnard has been offered a football scholarship by the University of Maryland, he told DigitalSports on Tuesday night.
Kinnard said the Terps want him as a defensive back, the position he once enjoyed as a hard-hitting player during his pre-high schools days with theColumbia Ravens.
“Because of NCAA rules, they can’t call us yet. But I was in religion class
[on Tuesday] at around 1 p.m., and when class ended around 1:30, Coach [Brian] Abbott walked in
with a letter from UMD asking me if I had seen it yet,” said Kinnard, who is 19-2 as a Loyola starter.
“I told him ‘No,’ and I
read it. It said the University of Maryland is offering me a full football
scholarship, which includes tuition, room, board, and fees,” Kinnard said. “I was excited
because I had no idea it was coming. But my recruiting coach is Chris
Cosh, who is also the defensive doordinator. He offered me for DB.”
Kinnard, previously, had been offered a scholarship to the University of Connecticutt as well, for the position of quarterback, he said.
The 5-foot-10,
185-pound junior has quarterbacked the Dons to the past two
Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference titles.
At UCONN, Kinnard’s versatility could make him a valuable player at other offensive positions, Kinnard
said.
“They said they didn’t care about
my size, and they said I have to prove to them that I can’t play
quarterback. If not, then they have a backup plan for me,” Kinnard
said. “Head coach Randy Edsall says they are serious about me playing
QB, and said that if I feel that it
isn’t working out at QB, then I can switch over to slot-receiver. They
want to
keep me on the offensive side of the ball because I make plays and they
want the
ball in my hands.”
Kinnard has been particularly dominant during the Dons’ Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl rivalry games agianst Calvert Hall, totaling seven touchdowns, six of them rushing.
In this year’s 33-10 rout of the Cardinals at the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium, Kinnard scored his eighth, ninth and 10th rushing
touchdowns from 1, 2 and 3 yards out, and threw for 177 yards and his
13th scoring pass — a 60-yarder to Brandon Floyd as the Dons went 9-1.
Kinnard, who, in last year’s 26-0 rout of the Cardinals, rushed for
three first-half touchdowns on nearly 80 yards, and passed for 141
yards, totaled 466 rushing yards and 1,491 passing yards last fall.
Last year, Kinnard rushed for 11 scores and passed for 11 others,
leading the Dons through a single-season school record victory total at
10-1.
Kinnard as well as former Columbia Ravens’ teammates Michael Campanaro and
Jordan Love of — of River Hill and Gilman, respectively, have all been
offered full athletic scholarships.
Campanaro
has received one from Wake Forest, and Love, from both Wake Forest and
Penn State, they informed DigitalSports.
Kinnard, a 5-foot-10,
185-pound junior who has quarterbacked the Dons to the past two
Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference titles, is
being considered as a quarterback, although his versatility as a player
could make him a valuable player at other offensive positions, Kinnard
said.
The 5-10, 180-pound Campanaro, DigitalSports’ Player of
The Year for Howard County, led the Hawks to an unbeaten 14-0 season
and the Class 2A state title this past fall.
“They offered him
as a running back or a slot back,” said Campanaro’s father, Attilio,
who is also an assistant to the Hawks’ head coach, Brian Van Deusen.
“We have visited twice, and it could be a great fit for Mike on and off
of the field.”
The
University of North Carolina “also has stated that the offer is in the
mail,” his father said, adding, “so Mike now has Wake, UNC,
Northwestern, Akron and Towson” offers.
Syracuse, Connecticut, Maryland and Duke also are high considerations for Campanaro.
Love, a 6-foot, 180-pound corner back recruit, has a 40.5-inch vertical
leap and a 4.49-second 40-yard dash.
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