Kennedy and Adams named First-Team All-Americans
By Mike Pilosof
Photo by Adam Shrimplin
Garden City, KS-Adding to an indelible list, defensive back Keylon Kennedy and left tackle Isaiah Adams were named to the NJCAA All-America first team on Tuesday.
Kennedy, a two-time All-American and the Jayhawk defensive player of the year, will go down as one of the best shutdown corners to come through the Garden City program. The Fort Hays State transfer produced 20 tackles and one pick, which was a spectacular one-handed interception in the season-opener vs. Fort Scott. And while his numbers don't jump off the page, his impact was far more impressive as the sophomore became the first two-time All-American since wide receiver Brandon Snell in 2013 and 2014. He along with the rest of Aaron Cheatwood's unit morphed into one of the top defenses in the country, finishing seventh in yards allowed, third against the run, and 21st against the pass.
"Keylon was as consistent a player as we've seen come through here," Head Coach, Tom Minnick said. "He's as good a corner as you're going to find. His attention to detail is second to none, and his awareness is off the charts."
On the other side of the ball, Adams, who recently signed with the University of Illinois, transformed from raw Junior College product into the nation's top recruit, garnering 17 Division-I offers. He also helped pave the way for the nation's ninth-best passing attack. They finished 18th on the ground.
"The left tackle is the most important position on the field," Minnick stated. "Isaiah grew leaps and bounds from the spring to where he is now. And that's why guys come to Junior College; to get a chance to move on to a Power-5 school. And this guy is as smart as it gets."
Adams transferred to Garden City from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada. During the spring, he earned second-team All-Conference honors, starting all eight games. The 6-5, 315-lb. prodigy has also excelled in the classroom earning All-NJCAA academic honors.
Kennedy and Adams become the 148th and 149th All-Americans in program history.