Kameron Rashad Kelly (born August 19, 1996) is a professional

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the

St. Louis Battlehawks The St. Louis BattleHawks are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. The team was founded by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha A ...

of the United Football League (UFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

Early years

Kelly was born in

Round Rock, Texas Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of the 2020 census. The city straddles the Bal ...

, and grew up in

Wylie, Texas Wylie is a city and northeastern suburb of Dallas, that was once solely located in Collin County, Texas, Collin County, but now extends into neighboring Dallas County, Texas, Dallas and Rockwall County, Texas, Rockwall counties in the U.S. state o ...

, where he attended Wylie High School. As a senior, he posted 56-of-96 passes (58.3 percent) for 841 yards, 5 passing touchdowns, 86 carries for 568 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 59 receptions for 950 yards, 11 receiving touchdowns, 4,000 all-purpose yards and 7 interceptions on defense. He led the team to a 9-5 overall record and an appearance in the 4A D1 Quarterfinals. He received 4A Region II District 13 Player of the Year and Academic all-state honors. He also practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

and

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

. As a dual-threat

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

, he was rated a two-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

and committed to play

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

College career

As a true freshman, Kelly converted to

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

and was a backup, before suffering a knee injury that was complicated by

compartment syndrome Compartment syndrome is a condition in which increased pressure within one of the body's anatomical compartments results in insufficient blood supply to tissue within that space. There are two main types: acute and chronic. Compartments of the ...

, which forced him to miss the final 6 games of the season. He appeared in 6 games, registering one tackle, 5 kickoff returns for 131 yards (26.2-yard avg.) and one blocked punt. As a sophomore, he started 13 games, collecting 58 tackles (3 for loss), 2 interceptions and 3 passes defensed. He missed the season opener for a violation of team rules. He had 8 tackles against

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

. He made 8 tackles against the

University of Hawaii at Mānoa A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He had 9 tackles (one for loss) in the

2015 Hawaii Bowl The 2015 Hawaii Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on December 24, 2015 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The fourteenth edition of the Hawaii Bowl featured the Cincinnati Bearcats of the American Athletic Conf ...

. As a junior, he returned to a backup role. He appeared in all 14 games, collecting 38 tackles, 5 interceptions, 6 passes defensed and 9

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

tackles (tied for third on the team). He had 4 tackles, one interception and one pass defensed. He made 4 tackles and one interception against

Fresno State University California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bache ...

. As a senior, after switching to

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

, he started all 13 games and had the best season of his college career. He registered a career-high 68 tackles (5 for loss), two sacks, and two forced fumbles, 3 interceptions and 8 passes defensed. Both of his sacks were recorded in a game against then-19th ranked

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

, in addition to six tackles, two of which were for a loss. That game earned him a

Bronko Nagurski Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was a Canadian-born professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL), renowned for his strength and size. Nagurski was also a successful professional w ...

National Defensive Player of the Week award, as well as a Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week award. At the end of the season, he was named a first-team All-Mountain West selection. Finished tied for 10th in school history with 10 interceptions.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Kelly was signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

after the

2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...

on April 30. He was released before the start of the season on September 1.

San Diego Fleet

On October 27, 2018, Kelly was signed by the

San Diego Fleet The San Diego Fleet was a professional American football franchise based in San Diego, California, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019, with the team playing its home game ...

of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...

for the

2019 AAF season The 2019 AAF season was the only season in the history of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which began on February 9, 2019. A ten-week regular season was scheduled for each of the league's eight teams. On April 2, multiple sources indic ...

. In early January, he was switched to the wide receiver position, and on January 30, it was announced that he made the final roster at that position. In practice before the week 3 game,

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Mike Martz Michael Martz (born May 13, 1951) is an American football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL), he served as the offensive coordinator for the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf offens ...

announced that Kelly would be moved back to cornerback due to injuries. In week 5 against the

Salt Lake Stallions The Salt Lake Stallions were a professional American football franchise based in Salt Lake City, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which began play in February 2019. The Stallions were the northernmost team in ...

, Kelly intercepted Stallions quarterback

Josh Woodrum Josh Woodrum (born November 7, 1992) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Liberty University and signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Early years Woodrum attended Cave Spring Hi ...

three times, one of which was returned for a 22-yard touchdown, as the Fleet won 27–25. He was eventually named the AAF Defensive Player of the Week.

Pittsburgh Steelers

After the AAF suspended football operations, Kelly signed with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

on April 8, 2019. Kelly made his debut with the Steelers in week 1 against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. In the game, Kelly made 7 tackles in the 33–3 loss. In week 5 against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

, Kelly recorded his first career interception off

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...

in the 26–23 loss. On December 20, 2019, Kelly was arrested in Pittsburgh's southside after claims of threats towards police. He was waived by the Steelers later in the day. The charges were dropped by December 2020, and Kelly was fined half of a game salary by the NFL.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Kelly signed with the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

of the CFL on February 17, 2021. He played in all 14 regular season games in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

where he had 36 defensive tackles, 10 pass deflections, one sack, and one interception.

San Antonio Brahmas

Kelly signed with the

San Antonio Brahmas The San Antonio Brahmas are a professional American football team based in San Antonio, Texas. The team is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL, owned by RedBird Capital, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia's Alpha Acquico, LLC. History The XFL ...

of the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

in February 2023.

St. Louis Battlehawks

Kelly was selected by the

in the third round of the Super Draft portion of the

2024 UFL dispersal draft The 2024 UFL dispersal draft was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2024 UFL season and disperse the rosters from the eight teams from its component conferences, the XFL and USFL, that were not retained i ...

on January 15, 2024. He signed with the team on January 22.

References

External links

San Diego State Aztecs bioHamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, Kameron 1996 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties American football wide receivers Dallas Cowboys players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players People from Wylie, Texas Pittsburgh Steelers players Players of American football from Collin County, Texas Players of American football from Dallas County, Texas San Antonio Brahmas players San Diego Fleet players San Diego State Aztecs football players St. Louis Battlehawks players