Enrique Yenny

Enrique Gerardo Yenny Romero (born 2 July 1994) is a Mexican professional gridiron football kicker for the Reyes de Jalisco of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). He played college football with ITESM Toluca, winning a national championship in 2017.

Yenny was drafted by the Osos de Toluca in the first round of the 2019 LFA draft, earning All-Star honors as a rookie. He
was also drafted by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the third overall pick of the 2019 CFL–LFA Draft, spending one season on the team's practice roster before returning to the LFA as a member of the Pioneros de Querétaro. Yenny was subsequently traded to the Dinos de Saltillo, where he once again earned LFA All-Star honors in 2022 after leading the league in scoring.

Early life

Yenny was born on 2 July 1994 in Aguascalientes City. His father, also named Enrique Yenny, hails from Mexico City while his mother, Zayra Romero, is from Tampico. Yenny initially played association football in high school, but his coach encouraged him to try American football when he saw Yenny punting a ball 60 yards with no training in 2011. He played three seasons of high school football.

College career

Yenny received a scholarship to play college football for the Borregos Salvajes Toluca. In 2015, he successfully converted on seven field goals and 24 extra point attempts, scoring 45 points. In 2016, Yenny made six field goals and 20 extra point attempts, scoring 38 points. He also finished second in the in punting average with 46.5 yards per punt.

2017 season

Yenny was named the 2017 CONADEIP Special Teams Player of the Year after successfully converting on five field goals and 16 extra point attempts. He broke the single-season record by punting for 2,657 yards on 57 punts (46.6 average), in addition to recording a league-leading 64-yard average on kickoffs. Yenny was named to the CONADEIP Ideal Team (both as kicker and punter) and was chosen to play in the Stars Bowl against the NCAA Division III All-Stars, where he helped his team come back from a 24–0 deficit to win 28–24.

Borregos Salvajes Toluca finished the regular season with a 7–2 record. In the CONADEIP championship game against Aztecas UDLAP, Yenny kicked the game-winning 54-yard field goal, avenging a prior loss to the Aztecas earlier that season. The following week, Borregos Salvajes Toluca played against the ONEFA champions, Pumas CU, in the to crown the Mexican national champions. Yenny kicked the game-winning extra point in the final minute of the 16–15 comeback victory to help his team secure the first national title in program history.

2018 season

In 2018, Yenny successfully converted on nine field goals and 24 extra point attempts, in addition to recording 40 punts for 1,770 yards. He repeated as a CONADEIP Ideal Team selection. Although the Stars Bowl was not held that year, Yenny was still named to the game's roster as a CONADEIP All-Star. Borregos Salvajes Toluca finished the regular season with a disappointing 3–5 record. However, the team defeated Aztecas UDLAP in the CONADEIP semifinals before upsetting Borregos Salvajes Monterrey in the final for their second straight CONADEIP title.

Yenny finished his collegiate career as the CONADEIP all-time leader in punting yards.

Professional career

Osos de Toluca

Yenny was selected by the Osos de Toluca of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA) with the eighth overall pick in the 2019 LFA draft. He was also selected by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the third overall pick of the 2019 CFL–LFA Draft, which was held after a select pool of 51 Mexican players showcased their skills in front of CFL coaches and scouts at the CFL–LFA Combine in Mexico City. Yenny played the 2019 LFA season with the Osos. In a Week 4 matchup against the Artilleros de Puebla, he recorded a 94-yard punt, the longest in LFA history. Two weeks later, Yenny kicked a 59-yard field goal against the Raptors de Naucalpan to set a new record for the longest field goal in LFA history. He was named to the LFA All-Star team.

At the conclusion of the LFA season, Yenny joined the Montreal Alouettes training camp in May and was able to learn from veteran kicker Boris Bede. Yenny's performance earned him a spot on the Alouettes' practice roster.

Pioneros de Querétaro

Yenny joined LFA expansion team Pioneros de Querétaro for the 2020 season, on loan from the Osos de Toluca. In Week 5 against the Dinos de Saltillo, he gave the Pioneros their first win of the season by kicking the game-winning field goal in the 9–8 win. The following week, Yenny broke his own league record for the longest field goal by kicking a 60-yarder against the Artilleros de Puebla. He was re-signed on a permanent basis ahead of the 2021 season. However, the season was postponed and ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dinos de Saltillo

Yenny was traded to the Dinos de Saltillo in exchange for the second overall pick in the 2021 LFA draft, which was used to select wide receiver Jhovany Haro. In the 2022 season, Yenny went 5 for 9 on field goals and 14 for 16 on extra points, thus winning the LFA scoring title with 29 points. He again earned All-Star honors.

Reyes de Jalisco

In December 2022, Yenny signed with Reyes de Jalisco ahead of the 2023 LFA season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yenny, Enrique
Living people
1994 births
Mexican players of American football
American football placekickers
Borregos Salvajes Toluca players
Osos de Toluca players
Pioneros de Querétaro players
Dinos de Saltillo players
Reyes de Jalisco players
Sportspeople from Aguascalientes
People from Aguascalientes City