Austin Kendall (born January 21, 1998) is an American football quarterback who last played for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs.
Early years
Kendall attended Cuthbertson High School in Waxhaw, North Carolina. He committed to the University of Oklahoma to play college football.[1]
College career
Oklahoma
2016–2018
As a freshman at Oklahoma in 2016, Kendall appeared in two games as a backup to Baker Mayfield, completing 16 of 22 passes for 143 yards with two touchdowns.[2] After redshirting in 2017, Kendall appeared in six games and made one start as the backup to Kyler Murray.[3] For the season, he completed 12 of 17 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown. In 2018, he played in four games where he threw for 122 yards and one touchdown.[4]
West Virginia
2019
Prior to the 2019 season, Kendall was expected to be a contender for the Sooners' starting quarterback. However, he entered the NCAA transfer portal shortly after Jalen Hurts transferred to Oklahoma.[4] Kendall transferred to West Virginia University before the start of the season as a graduate transfer.[5][6] Initially, Oklahoma was not willing to grant Kendall immediate eligibility to play at West Virginia, citing an NCAA rule giving them such power if he transferred to another school in the same conference (both Oklahoma and West Virginia are members of the Big 12 Conference). However, after some media backlash, Oklahoma acquiesced and Kendall was granted immediate eligibility with the Mountaineers.[7][8]
In his first year at West Virginia, he was named the starting quarterback. However, Kendall had an inconsistent play, and led the Mountaineers to a disappointing 5–7 record.[9][10]
2020
Kendall came into the 2020 season competing with fellow quarterback transfer Jarret Doege. Doege eventually won the starting position, and Kendall was demoted to the backup position. He saw little playing time throughout the season, and did not see significant playing time until the 2020 Liberty Bowl against Army. He would lead the Mountaineers to a 24–21 comeback victory over the Black Knights.
Louisiana Tech
2021
Kendall transferred to Louisiana Tech for the 2021 season. He won the starting position. In his debut, Kendall went 20-for-36 on pass attempts, threw for 269 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception in the 35–34 loss to Mississippi State. He won his first game with the Bulldogs in a 45–42 win over SE Louisiana. However, Kendall struggled with inconsistency, and was replaced as starter during the season. He had a 2–7 record as starter in his first year with Louisiana Tech.
Personal life
Kendall's father, Brian, played quarterback at Georgia and his brother, Ryan, was a wide receiver at Kentucky.
References
- ^ Johnson, Chris (April 7, 2015). "Austin Kendall, 2016 four-star QB, verbally commits to Oklahoma". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ Bailey, Eric (August 11, 2016). "Oklahoma football: True freshman Austin Kendall forced to grow up fast during fall camp". Tulsa World. Berkshire Hathaway. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ Palmateer, Tyler (August 23, 2018). "OU football: What's next for Austin Kendall?". The Norman Transcript. CNHI. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Reynolds, Vic (September 14, 2019). "OU football: Austin Kendall throws 3 touchdowns in West Virginia's win over NC State". OU Daily. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ Palmateer, Tyler (January 18, 2019). "Austin Kendall announces transfer to West Virginia". The Norman Transcript. CNHI. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ Trotter, Jake (January 18, 2019). "Ex-Sooners QB Austin Kendall commits to Mountaineers". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ Litman, Laken (January 16, 2019). "Blocking Austin Kendall's Transfer Was a Stance Oklahoma Had No Way to Defend". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Forde, Pat; Thamel, Pete (January 16, 2019). "Oklahoma's hypocrisy laid out in full view with shameless Austin Kendall decision". Yahoo Sports. Verizon Media. Archived from the original on January 20, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Associated Press (August 20, 2019). "West Virginia names grad transfer Kendall QB". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.
- ^ Hickey, Alex (August 20, 2019). "West Virginia names Austin Kendall starting quarterback for 2019". West Virginia MetroNews. West Virginia Radio Corporation. Archived from the original on August 21, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2019.