Thriving on second chances

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This article was published 02/06/2022 (1191 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kenny Randall has four names written in blue marker on his gloves: Casey Brenner, Dean Khoury, Edgar Bozzi and Nicholas Conner.

Those are the names of Randall’s high school teammates and friends that were killed in a car accident on Aug. 20, 2011. Randall, a 15-year-old sophomore at the time, and seven other Mainland Regional High School football players hopped into an SUV to head to a buffet restaurant after their final practice of the preseason.

Only four of them returned to their New Jersey homes as the SUV ended up overturning several times.

“I dedicate my whole career to those boys,” Randall, a 26-year-old defensive tackle trying to earn a roster spot with the Blue Bombers, told the Free Press after Thursday’s practice.

“… Every game I pray for them, and I talk to them every day. I mean, obviously, I think about it every day, which is more than I should, but you know, it keeps me motivated, it keeps me going, and the only reason I’m at this point is because of those boys.”

Randall tore his meniscus and suffered a severe concussion in the accident which sidelined him for the rest of his Grade 10 year. He would recover physically and earn a football scholarship offer from Temple University, but Randall ended up going to a post-graduate school, Milford Academy, for a season before landing in West Virginia at the University of Charleston in 2015.

But that didn’t last long.

A 1.6 GPA led to Randall getting kicked out of the program. He returned home, got a job at Sam’s Club for two years, and gained nearly 100 pounds. Randall was miserable and didn’t like the direction his life was headed, so he worked his tail off to get back in shape and convince Charleston to give him another chance. The school welcomed him back in time for the 2018 campaign and Randall made the most of his second opportunity. Randall was named to the All-Mountain East Conference second team that season and would go on to earn first team honours as a junior in 2019.

“Well, at first, it was kind of just like not wanting to be the loser. I just kind of saw everybody doing the same thing in my hometown and I just didn’t want to fall in that cycle,” Randall said.

“I wanted to get out and make a name for myself. A lot of people had big expectations for me so I just wanted to fill those shoes and kind of prove to myself that I could be bigger than what I was.”

Randall, who stands at 6-3 and weighs in around 290 pounds, skipped the shortened 2020 college season to train for the NFL. His name went uncalled in the 2021 NFL Draft, but the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him to a deal and brought him into training camp. Randall didn’t make the Jags and waited for eight months until another team — the Bombers — called to offer him another shot at pro football.

“A lot of people know I’ve been through a lot. The journey to come here has been up and down. I was telling people if I make the team that I might cry,” Randall said.

In Tuesday’s preseason finale, a 25-16 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Randall had a tackle for a loss and helped Canadian defensive back Cedrick Lavigne bring down Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Dolegala for a sack. With run-stuffing defensive tackle Steven Richardson leaving the Bombers in the offseason to sign with the B.C. Lions, there’s room for a new face in the middle of the D-line.

“He’s big, fast, and seems polished. He’s strong and he can play inside which I think is why he’s here,” said head coach Mike O’Shea of Randall.

Randall is hoping he will be here for a while so he can support his two-year old son, Kainyon, newborn daughter, Reigna, and fiancé, Rochelle, back in West Virginia.

“The team chemistry, the family (atmosphere), I feel like I’d fit in great here. I love everything about Winnipeg, the team, the coach, and the defensive line. I feel pretty good about making the team as far as practice squad or active roster, but I’ll be grateful either way if I’m still here in Winnipeg.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31