As has been typical of his college coaching career, Coach Prime pulled off a big surprise for the Colorado Buffaloes on the first day of the regular signing period, by poaching transfer Demouy Kennedy, a former 4-Star, from Alabama.
Kennedy will join LaVonta Bentley, another former 4-Star star transfer, who Coach Prime stole from Clemson, in the Buffs’ linebacking corps, giving Colorado two linebackers that were very recently coveted by championship-contending programs.
The Buffaloes needed that infusion of talent too, as they would have been forced to lean heavily on Marvin Ham II, a fifth-year junior who’s struggled to solidify a role; Isaac Hurtado, a junior college transfer with seven tackles in his CU career; Aubrey Smith, who showed some promise as a freshman in 2022, but in a very small sample; Eoghan Kerry, who barely saw the field during his 2022 freshman year; and two freshman signees.
In other words, the boost Kennedy and Bentley should provide to the Colorado Buffaloes will be deeply appreciated.
Kennedy came to the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2020 as a highly touted 4-Star, who ranked as the No. 3 linebacker, No. 1 player from the state of Alabama, and No. 39 player overall, per 247Sports’ composite rankings.
A freshman of his caliber would be Coach Prime’s second-biggest recruiting get yet, in terms of composite score.
247Sports also described Kennedy as a remarkable athlete and run defender, who needed to grow into his traits a little bit more before fully realizing his potential.
“Muscular, well-proportioned athlete with lengthy frame,” 247Sports’ John Garcia Jr. wrote. “Physical specimen who can really run and finish from linebacker position. Violent football player with immense lower-body explosiveness. Comfortable in space though sometimes plays outside of frame or not under control. Plays with reckless abandon for his body.”
At Alabama, Kennedy struggled to see the field, as he was buried behind Christian Harris (now a third-round pick of the Houston Texans), among others, and was relegated to being a special teamer. He carved out a role for himself as one of the Tide’s best special teams contributors over his three seasons with the program and tallied seven tackles on special teams in 2021. Unfortunately, Kennedy’s 2022 campaign was cut short by a season-ending knee injury he suffered against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Meanwhile, LaVonta Bentley landed with the Clemson Tigers, as the No. 16 linebacker, No. 10 player from the state of Alabama, and the No. 272 player overall, in the 2019 recruiting class, per 247Sports’ composite score.
Much like Kennedy, Bentley struggled to see the field much for the Tigers, and was generally relegated to a rotational role, though he did demonstrate flashes of brilliance. When Baylon Spector, now a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, missed the Georgia Tech game, Bentley got his first career start and wound up leading his team in tackles, with 13. He also earned the award of ACC Linebacker of the Week, and was honored by Clemson as the Co-Defensive Player of the Game.
Outside of that though, Bentley barely started.
While it is somewhat concerning that Kennedy and Bentley couldn’t quite crack their starting rotations, it shouldn’t be ignored that they were competing for a starting spot against several other NFL hopefuls. Even if he’s not starting-caliber for Nick Saban or Dabo Swinney, they could help upgrade the Colorado Buffaloes’ linebacking corps a ton.
With Kennedy and Bentley now in Boulder, linebacker should once again be a point of strength for the Buffaloes.