Alvin Kamara is a professional American football player who plays in the running back position for the New Orleans Saints of the NFL. A third-round 2017 NFL draftee, Kamara surpassed expectations for his rookie season winning the 2017 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in addition to Pro-bowl and All-pro honors. This talented youngster is well on his way to NFL stardom.
Alvin Kamara Bio
Alvin Mentian Kamara was born on July 25, 1995, in Norcross Georgia. Born to a Liberian mother, Kamara has African-American roots. He schooled at Norcross High School where he lettered in football.
Playing for the Norcross High Blue Devils football team, Kamara had 1,300 rushing yards with 17 touchdowns in his junior year. As spectacular as that performance seemed, the talented youngster surpassed it in his senior year when he rushed for 2,264 yards with 26 touchdowns, with an additional 22 receptions for 286 yards and 5 touchdowns. His senior year performance helped the school to its first state championship. Among numerous accolades, Alvin Kamara won the Georgia Mr. Football and the 6A Player of the Year Awards. He also earned first-team All-State honors and was named in the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game.
By the end of his high school stint, Kamara was rated among the top running back prospects of the class of 2013 and also received offers from numerous prestigious college football programs. He originally committed to the University of Alabama, however, he had an unpalatable one-year stint with the Alabama Crimson Tide which was marred by a preseason injury as well as several weeks of suspension for “behavioral issues”.
Alvin Kamara switched to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas as a redshirt freshman in 2014. He also had a one-year stint with the Hutchinson Blue Dragons during which he rushed for 1,211 yards with 18 touchdowns in 9 appearances. After his brilliant season with the Dragons, Kamara moved on to the University of Tennessee in 2015 where he spent the last 2 years of his college career.
Alvin Kamara featured in all 13 games of his redshirt sophomore (2015) season. Splitting backfield duties with Jalen Hurd and John Kelly, he rushed for 698 yards and 7 touchdowns in addition to 291 receiving yards with 34 receptions and 3 touchdowns. He also had 8 punts returns for 100 punt-return yards with a touchdown. As a redshirt junior, he was limited to 11 games in the 2016 season in which he accounted for 596 rushing yards with 9 touchdowns in addition to 40 receptions for 392 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns. Forgoing his redshirt senior season, Alvin Kamara declared for the 2017 NFL Draft in December 2016.
Alvin Kamara NFL Career
Alvin Kamara was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft as the 67th overall pick of the draft. For his rookie season, Kamara was ticked to share the backfield with Saints veteran Mark Ingram. He marked his NFL debut on September 11, 2017, in the Saint’s season opener against the Minnesota Vikings which also marked the beginning of a stellar rookie season for the talented running back. He made history as the first player in 3 decades to record 500 yards rushing and receiving yards in the first 11 games of his career.
In December 2017, Kamara was named to the 2017 Pro Bowl alongside teammate Mark Ingram and the duo made history as the first running back duo from the same team to receive the honors. Kamara and Ingram also finished the season as the first running back duo to each record 1,500 yards from scrimmage in a single season. Alvin Kamara finished the season with 728 rushing yards (third among rookies), 826 receiving yards (first among running backs), and 81 receptions (first among rookies and second among all running backs). His impressive stats earned him the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award and he was equally named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
Family
Alvin Kamara was raised in an American-Liberian household. His mother Adama Kamara was born in Liberia, however, she fled the country for the United States in the wake of the First Liberian Civil War. There is barely any information regarding Alvin’s father. He was raised alongside an older sister named Garmai K. Momolu.
Just like the NFL star, Alvin Kamara’s uncle Kevin “Coach K” Lee is a former college basketball player. Now a music executive who has managed music acts like Gucci Mane and Migos, Coach K served as Kamara’s manager under the sports management arm of his label.
Height and Other Body Measurements
Alvin Kamara is 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) tall and he has a bodyweight of 98 kg (215 lbs). Despite this relatively “small” frame, Kamara has the burst, balance, power, speed, quickness, and vision which make him highly efficient in the backfield of the New Orleans Saints.
