Alvin Kamara

At 29 years old, Alvin Kamara has this physical status:

Alvin Mentian Kamara (born July 25, 1995) is an American football player for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).

In the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, he played college football at the University of Tennessee and was drafted by the Saints.

Personal life

Kamara owns the Big Squeezy, a Louisiana-based juice and smoothie chain with locations in Baton Rouge, Hammond, Mandeville, and New Orleans. The chain sponsored NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Ryan Vargas and his No. 66 in February 2021. The Daytona International Speedway Road Course features 6 JD Motorsports cars in the Super Start Batteries 188.

NASCAR named Kamara as the Growth and Engagement Advisor on June 20, 2021. He became involved in the sport last year, when NASCAR and its crews took part in racial justice protests, including the removal of the Confederate battle flag from race tracks and Bubba Wallace's Black Lives Matter-themed car.

Following the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas, Kamara was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center for battery resulting in significant bodily harm on February 6, 2022. The shooting reportedly occurred at a local nightclub the night before. Kamara is seen punching a man approximately eight times on video surveillance.

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Early life and high school career

Kamara was born to a Liberian mother. He attended Norcross High School in Norcross, Georgia. He played for the Blue Devils in high school football. He rushed for 1,300 yards with 17 touchdowns as a freshman in 2011. In 2012, he ran for 2,264 yards with 26 touchdowns and grabbed 22 passes for 286 yards and five touchdowns, leading his high school to its first state championship. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution named Kamara as Georgia's Mr. Football, and the Georgia Sports Writers Association named her first-team All-State honors. In addition,, he was selected to participate in the Under Armour All-America Game in 2013.

Kamara was considered one of the best running back prospects in the country after coming out of high school. He had been ranked the No. 1 in the world. In the 247Composite, there was 1 all-purpose back, the No. 105 in the No. 247Composite. In Georgia, there are five players and the No. 1 is Stephen Carter, and there is no. In 2012, the 42-year-old player made his national debut. Kamara was rated as the No. 1 by rivals.com. In Georgia, there is a 6 player.

As a junior in high school, Kamara received a scholarship from Syracuse University. Under head coach Nick Saban, as a senior, he committed to playing college football at the University of Alabama.

College career

Kamara's brief stay at University of Alabama was "a difficult time." He underwent knee surgery during the season and then redshirted as a true freshman after being unable to enroll in a recruiting class with three other future NFL running backs in Derrick Henry, T. J. Yeldon, and Kenyan Drake. Saban barred Kamara from participating with the team and suspended him from playing in a bowl match due to "behavioral problems."

Kamara moved from Alabama to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas in 2014 for his redshirt freshman season. Kamara finished for 1,211 yards (134.6 per game) and led the Blue Dragons with 1,469 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns in nine games. Kamara was selected as an All American by the NJCAA. Kamara was one of the best JUCO prospects in the country thanks to his success with the Blue Dragons. He was given a 5-star rating from Rivals.com and Scout.com recruiting networks. He was drafted by both Tennessee and the Georgia Bulldogs before eventually committing to the Volunteers.

Kamara moved to Tennessee in 2015 to play under head coach Butch Jones. Kamara started all 13 games and shared the backfield with Jalen Hurd and John Kelly as a redshirt sophomore. In his Tennessee debut against Bowling Green at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 5, 2015, he accounted for 144 yards and two touchdowns; his 144 passing yards tied for the most rushing yards in a rookie game. He was the second Volunteer in history with a running touchdown and punt return for touchdown in the same game against Western Carolina, with a two-yard rushing touchdown and a 50-yard punt return touchdown. In the home win over North Texas on November 14, he had 15 runs for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Tennessee defeated #12 Northwestern with a 9–4 record and qualified for the Outback Bowl against #12 Northwestern. He had 53 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Wildcats' victory, 45–6 victory. He finished with 698 yards (53.7 yards/game) and seven rushing touchdowns in the entire 2015 season. He carried an average of 6.5 yards per carry, the third in the SEC. With 34 for 291 yards and three touchdowns, he was second on the team in receptions with 34 for 291 yards and three receiving touchdowns. He had eight returns for 100 yards (12.5 percent) with a touchdown as a punt returner.

In 2016, Kamara was a key contributor for the Volunteers in his redshirt junior season. The running backs remained the same as the previous season for Kamara. In the 45–24 victory over Virginia Tech, he had six touches for 34 yards and one touchdown. In a 28–19 win over Ohio on September 17, the Vols' first game in his career as a sprinter. In a 38-28 victory over #19 Florida, he had 79 all-purpose yards, six yards on two runs, 12 yards on one tackle, and six punt return yards on a single play. In a 34-31 victory over #25 Georgia, he had 138 all-purpose yards, including a receiving touchdown. In a 45-38 2-OT loss to #8 Texas A&M at Kyle Field, he played his best game in a career-best game the following week. He ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns while throwing eight receptions for 161 yards and a receiving touchdown. Kamara set a school record of 312 all-purpose yards in the loss, surpassing a record set by Chuck Webb in 1989. He was restricted to eight carries for 21 yards in the next game against No. 1 Alabama, but the Vols had a lone touchdown in the 49–10 loss. Due to his injury, he missed some playing time. In a 49–36 victory over Kentucky on November 12, he returned on November 12 in a 49–36 victory. He had ten carries for 128 yards and two touchdowns against the Wildcats. In the 63–37 victory over Missouri, he had 55 passing yards and two more rushing touchdowns. In the 45–34 loss, he had three touchdowns (two running and one receiving) and 141 scrimmage yards. In the victory over #24 Nebraska in the Music City Bowl in the last game of his collegiate career, he had seven carries for 31 yards and seven receptions for 46 yards. For the 2016 season, he came in third place in the SEC in touchdowns.

Following the conclusion of the 2016 season, Kamara decided not to return his redshirt senior season and instead enter the 2017 NFL Draft. He played in only eight of 24 games as a Volunteer, but he gained almost 2,000 yards from scrimmage and averaged a touchdown per game in his two seasons as a Volunteer.

Professional career

Kamara received the highest Wonderlic test score of running backs in the NFL Combine this year. He attended Tennessee's Pro Day but chose only from positional routes, the short shuttle, and a three-cone drill with 19 other teammates in front of officials and scouts from every team. He attended five private workouts and visits hosted by the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and Philadelphia Eagles. Draft experts and analysts rated him as either the fourth best running back (by NFLDraftScout.com, ESPN, and NFL analyst Mike Mayock) in the draft, fifth-best (Bucky Brooks), or seventh-best (by Sports Illustrated).

In the third round, the New Orleans Saints selected Kamara, the 67th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the second of six Tennessee Volunteers to be selected that year. He was the fifth running back to be selected. He also serves as the Saints' emergency quarterback as of 2021.

Kamara stayed backfield with Mark Ingram II through the 2017 season, with less carries but more receptions than his teammates. On Monday Night Football, Kamara debuted with seven rushes for 18 yards, four receptions for 20 yards, and one kickoff return for 26 yards in the Minnesota Vikings' season opener. In Week 2 against the New England Patriots, his presence in the passing game soared with three receptions for 51 yards; he also had three kickoffs, but not one more until Week 16 of the season. In Week 3 against the Carolina Panthers, Kamara scored his first professional touchdown. He had 96 yards from scrimmage in Week 4, with ten receptions for 71 yards and a 12-yard touchdown catch. In Week 5, ten carries for 75 yards and 107 yards from scrimmage were all over the Green Bay Packers. In a dramatic victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kamara had a touchdown against the Chicago Bears and then 68 passing yards, including a 33-yard touchdown. Kamara completed 101 receiving yards and 87 rushing yards, including a 74-yard touchdown on Week 12. In his first 11 games since Herschel Walker in 1986, he was the first non-quarterback to post 500 yards per game, his first non-quarterback to average over 7.0 yards per carry in 12 weeks. Kamara rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns, as well as 5 passes for 66 yards in Week 13, marking his fourth 600/600 rookie in NFL history, and tying Todd Gurley for the highest number of touchdowns with 11. Kamara sustained a concussion and missed the majority of the game on the first drive of the Week 13 match against Atlanta. He made his return to the Jets this week with 44 passing yards, 45 receiving yards, and a touchdown. On December 19, 2017, Kamara was named as a rookie alongside Mark Ingram II, marking the first-ever pair of running backs from the same team to win the award. He was selected to the NFL All-Rookie Team. After 32 offensive yards in a Week 16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the season's finale, Kamara had a 106-yard kick return for a touchdown, 44 rushing yards, and another touchdown, as well as 84 receiving yards.

His 728 yards passing and 826 yards receiving was the first 700/700 season by a Saint, third by an NFL rookie, and the 11th 700/800 season by any NFL player. His 728 passing yards ranked third among rookies, behind rushing leader Kareem Hunt and Leonard Fournette. His 81 receptions were first in the league and second in second, behind Le'Veon Bell, and his 826 receiving yards were second among running backs. In the same season, Kamara and Ingram became the first running back duo in NFL history to reach over 1,500 yards. His 6.07 yards per rush was the most by an NFL rookie among non-quarterbacks with 100+ carries. It was also the third most by any Saints player since 1980, behind only Jamaal Charles (6.38 in 2010) and Barry Sanders (6.13 in 1997).

The Saints won the NFC South in 2017 after finishing 11–5 on record and winning the NFC South. In the 31–26 victory over the Carolina Panthers, Kamara had 23 rushing yards, a running touchdown, and one reception for ten yards. Drew Brees had a 14-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter, putting the Saints up 21-20. On the last play of the season, the Saints will lose by a score of 29–24. Following a stellar rookie season, Kamara was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and was invited to the Pro Bowl and All-Rookie Team. He was ranked #20 by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

Kamara started the 2018 season as the Saints' main running back with teammate Mark Ingram II suspended for the first four games of the regular season. Kamara had eight carries for 29 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the season's opener, a 48–40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in addition to nine receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. After 99 total yards against the Cleveland Browns in Week 2, Kamara had 66 yards passing on 15 attempts in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, including a career-best 124 yards on 15 receptions. Kamara had career-bests in carries (19), rush yards (134), and rushing touchdowns (3), as well as 47 receiving yards, taking the NFL lead in total and rushing touchdowns, yards from scrimmage, and all-purpose yards against the New York Giants this week. With his Week 4 appearance, Kamara became the first NFL player to have 1,000 passing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in his first 20 games. In the 43–19 victory, Ingram recovered from suspension after Week 5 against the Washington Redskins and Kamara totaled 39 scrimmage yards. In Week 8, he had 76 scrimmage yards against the Minnesota Vikings, as well as a receiving touchdown and a receiving touchdown. Kamara scored three touchdowns in the first half of Week 945-35 (two rushing and one receiving). He had 116 scrimmage yards when he finished the game. In Week 10, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 102 scrimmage yards and two running touchdowns. Kamara had the Saints' lone touchdown on a 16-yard rush in Week 15, a narrow 12–9 victory over the Carolina Panthers. In the 31-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kamara scored two rushing touchdowns. He set a franchise record for the most touchdowns in a single season. Kamara was forced to miss Week 17 with the Saints having already clinched the first seed for the NFC playoffs. He finished his second season with 883 passing yards and 14 touchdowns, as well as 81 receiving yards and four touchdowns. In the 2018 season, he was selected to the Pro Bowl for his performances.

In the 20-14 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round, Kamara had 16 passes for 71 yards and four receptions for 35 receiving yards. In the Los Angeles Rams' 26–23 controversial overtime loss, he had eight carries for 15 rushing yards in comparison to 11 receptions for 96 yards. He was ranked 14th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.

In the Saints' 30–28 victory over the Houston Texans in the season-opener, Kamara had 169 scrimmage yards. Kamara had 161 scrimmage yards, a rushing touchdown, and a touchdown on the 33-27 win over the Seattle Seahawks two weeks later. In the 31–24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kamara had 16 rushers for 62 yards and six passes for 42 receiving yards. Kamara suffered with ankle and knee injuries during Weeks 6 and 8, leading him to miss two games in Weeks 7 and 8, but he returned in Week 10 following a Week 9 bye. During Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans, Kamara rushed 11 times for 80 yards and two rushing touchdowns, as well as six interceptions for 30 yards. During the 42–10 victory over the Carolina Panthers last week, Kamara rushed for two touchdowns in the following week's game. Overall, Kamara finished with 797 passing yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 81 receiving yards and one touchdown. In three seasons as a professional, he was his third Pro Bowl appearance. During the 26-20 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Kamara had seven passes for 21 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, and eight passes for 34 receiving yards.

Kamara, the Saints' 2020 season opener, has signed a five-year contract extension worth $75 million. During Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kamara had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown. He had 174 rushing yards (79 passing, 95 receiving) and two rushing touchdowns, including the first ever NFL touchdown in Allegiant Stadium, as well as the first ever NFL touchdown scored in Las Vegas in the 34–24 loss. In Week 3 of Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers, Kamara finished with 58 passing yards, 139 receiving yards, and two total touchdowns. Kamara led the Carolina Panthers to win by 148 scrimmage yards in Week 7 on Week 7. In Week 8, against the Chicago Bears, he had 163 scrimmage yards in the 26–23 overtime victory. In Week 10, he had 98 scrimmage yards, two running touchdowns, and one touchdown.

In a 52-33 victory over the Minnesota Vikings and tied for six rushing touchdowns in a single game, Kamara rushed for 155 yards on Christmas Day, 2020, beating them by a narrow margin. Kamara was named Week 16 in NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 16 appearances. Due to being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on January 1, 2021, Kamara was forced to miss Week 17 against the Panthers. He ended the regular season with 187 passes for 932 passing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns to go along with 83 receptions for 756 passing yards and five touchdowns. His 16 touchdowns tied him to Dalvin Cook for second-most in the NFL, behind only Derrick Henry's 17 touchdowns. In each of Kamara's first four seasons, he became the first player in NFL history to reach at least 500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards. He was nominated for AP Offensive Player of the Year, but he came in fifth place. He made his fourth Pro Bowl appearance in 2020 for his efforts.

On January 9, 2021, Kamara was activated from the COVID-2021 list. During the 21–9 victory over the Chicago Bears, Kamara rushed for 99 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 17 yards. During the 30-20 loss, Kamara went 105 yards from scrimmage in the Divisional Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In a 13-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6, Kamara had 10 catches for 128 yards and a touchdown, as well as 51 rushing yards. He also earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for Week 6. Kamara also reached 3,000 receiving yards in his career, becoming the first player in NFL history to reach 3,000 yards in both receiving and rushing. The previous record was 70 games, hosted by Roger Craig, although Kamara pulled off the feat in 66 games. Kamara returned for 27 rushes for 120 yards and a touchdown along with four receptions for 25 yards in a 30–9 victory over the New York Jets in Week 14, after missing the previous four games due to illness. In a 30-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, he finished out the regular season with 30 carries for 146 yards. He had 240 passes for 898 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, as well as 47 receptions for 439 yards and five touchdowns in the 2021 season. In 2021, he earned his fifth Pro Bowl nomination, becoming the first franchise player to be named to the Pro Bowl in each of their first five seasons.

Kamara had 103 rushing yards and 91 receiving yards in the 39-32 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5. In both games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals, Kamara scored over 100 scrimmage yards in Weeks 6–7.

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