Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Family set the foundation for Blue Raiders’ Richard Kinley
10/14/2023 5:59:00 PM | Football
College football player brothers, plus a former Blue Raider parent, among the many that set the defensive end up for success in Murfreesboro.
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Richard Kinley understands that his path to college football was set at a young age.
One might start was his parents. Both his mother, Candace Kinley, who's been a fixture at MTSU games since her youngest son came to Murfreesboro in 2019, and his father, Richard Kinley Sr., that played linebacker for Boots Donnelly in the late 1980s.
Then there are his older brothers. The oldest, Jonathan Brown, a three-time All-Big Ten linebacker for Illinois. And the middle brother, Cameron Kinley, a cornerback for the U.S. Naval Academy. Throw it all together and the fact Kinley held offers from several FBS programs to play collegiately was no surprise to the youngest of the family.
"Being the youngest, I saw the good and the bad," Kinley said. "What they did right, what they did wrong. Being around them, I didn't have a choice but to go to college and play football."
The youngest Kinley has taken a bit from all of his siblings. On the field, he wants to be a smart as Cameron was, possessing the awareness that helped Cameron, the Class of 2021 president at the Naval Academy, start 24 games for the Midshipmen. Jonathan, meanwhile, was known as a playmaker, racking up 45.5 TFLs during his time with the Illini, third most in school history.
At MTSU, Richard has found ways to bring in the best of both of his brothers' skills. Kinley is one of the defense's veteran playmakers, like Jonathan was, tying for second on the team in sacks and third on the team in tackles for loss in 2023 despite playing in just four games. His four career pass breakups aren't even that far off from his cornerback brother's 13 that Cameron got over four seasons with Navy.
But perhaps the sibling Richard has most emulated is his sister, Nia, who he admits often doesn't get the hype he or his brothers got growing up in Memphis, but was just as important to who he's become since stepping onto campus in Murfreesboro.
"That's really who I've modeled myself around," Kinley said. "She's very independent, you can depend on her for anything. No matter what it is, she's always there. (If) she has five dollars left to her name; she'll give it to me."
That dependability, even as Kinley has fought through a plethora of injuries just to stay on the field at defensive line, has defined No. 0's time at Middle Tennessee.
"Richard had great character when he got here," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "I have a lot of respect for Richard in how he's handled his business. He's graduated, he's done everything right, he's a leader in the community. He does a lot of community service stuff that nobody knows about."
Kinley's foundation was built upon when he arrived at MTSU in 2019, joining a defensive line room led Tommy West that was filled with veterans like Malik Manciel, Tyshun Render, Trae Philpots and Ty Nix, all of whom poured into Kinley and the other freshmen. Throw in players like Jordan Ferguson and Ja'Kerrius Wyaat, who Kinley is still a little shocked to call "coach" these days after Wyatt's move to be a GA in 2023, and it's clear Kinley had plenty of folks to help make him a better football player.
An extra redshirt year due to COVID-19 set up a breakout 2021 campaign, where Kinley took the second most snaps on the defensive line and finished the year with 32 tackles. Kinley said he got comfortable with college football that year, but was left wanting more production, only managing 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks despite grading out a winner in 12 out of 13 games.
Then came the injuries. A torn labrum in one knee, then one in the other, contributed to Kinley playing in just six games in 2022. A freak accident kept him out of most of fall camp in 2023. But when he was ready for the season, he quickly had to take a step back again, after someone falling on his ankle against Missouri sprained it, with some damage to his ligaments.
"What I'm going through, I wouldn't wish that on anybody!" Kinley said of the ankle sprain, before going into the challenges that specific injury poses to a defensive lineman. "The weight, the speed, the cutting. I can go out there and play my best, but I'm not doing anything crazy. I just have to be cautious."
The ankle is improving, but slowly. Kinley only practiced one day prior to MTSU's win over LA Tech this past week, and was a gametime decision heading into warmups. This coming only one week after a five tackle, 2.5 TFL game against Jacksonville State that Kinley was not necessarily supposed to play, serving as an "break-glass-if-necessary" sub that found himself in the rotation following Zaylin Wood's injury in the first quarter.
Stockstill was worried that Kinley would risk further injury playing through the ankle pain two weeks in-a-row, but Kinley's reliability shone through once again.
"I asked him 'Can you protect yourself?'" Stockstill said. "He said, 'We've got to get this game.' And he said yes."
Kinley finished the night against the Bulldogs with three total tackles, including his second sack of the season, a six-yard loss on third-and-10 that brought out the punt unit for LA Tech while they trailed by two scores.
Finishing out a victory gave MTSU, and Kinley, some much needed momentum heading into the rest of CUSA play, with Kinley noting the team needs to find ways to put together a complete game like they did Tuesday night. To do that, Kinley said, will have to lean on each other.
"We have to keep loving each other," Kinley said. "You go out there and love the person next to you, it's going to make you play harder. That's the biggest thing for me to tell my teammates."
One might start was his parents. Both his mother, Candace Kinley, who's been a fixture at MTSU games since her youngest son came to Murfreesboro in 2019, and his father, Richard Kinley Sr., that played linebacker for Boots Donnelly in the late 1980s.
Then there are his older brothers. The oldest, Jonathan Brown, a three-time All-Big Ten linebacker for Illinois. And the middle brother, Cameron Kinley, a cornerback for the U.S. Naval Academy. Throw it all together and the fact Kinley held offers from several FBS programs to play collegiately was no surprise to the youngest of the family.
"Being the youngest, I saw the good and the bad," Kinley said. "What they did right, what they did wrong. Being around them, I didn't have a choice but to go to college and play football."
The youngest Kinley has taken a bit from all of his siblings. On the field, he wants to be a smart as Cameron was, possessing the awareness that helped Cameron, the Class of 2021 president at the Naval Academy, start 24 games for the Midshipmen. Jonathan, meanwhile, was known as a playmaker, racking up 45.5 TFLs during his time with the Illini, third most in school history.
At MTSU, Richard has found ways to bring in the best of both of his brothers' skills. Kinley is one of the defense's veteran playmakers, like Jonathan was, tying for second on the team in sacks and third on the team in tackles for loss in 2023 despite playing in just four games. His four career pass breakups aren't even that far off from his cornerback brother's 13 that Cameron got over four seasons with Navy.
But perhaps the sibling Richard has most emulated is his sister, Nia, who he admits often doesn't get the hype he or his brothers got growing up in Memphis, but was just as important to who he's become since stepping onto campus in Murfreesboro.
"That's really who I've modeled myself around," Kinley said. "She's very independent, you can depend on her for anything. No matter what it is, she's always there. (If) she has five dollars left to her name; she'll give it to me."
That dependability, even as Kinley has fought through a plethora of injuries just to stay on the field at defensive line, has defined No. 0's time at Middle Tennessee.
"Richard had great character when he got here," head coach Rick Stockstill said. "I have a lot of respect for Richard in how he's handled his business. He's graduated, he's done everything right, he's a leader in the community. He does a lot of community service stuff that nobody knows about."
Kinley's foundation was built upon when he arrived at MTSU in 2019, joining a defensive line room led Tommy West that was filled with veterans like Malik Manciel, Tyshun Render, Trae Philpots and Ty Nix, all of whom poured into Kinley and the other freshmen. Throw in players like Jordan Ferguson and Ja'Kerrius Wyaat, who Kinley is still a little shocked to call "coach" these days after Wyatt's move to be a GA in 2023, and it's clear Kinley had plenty of folks to help make him a better football player.
An extra redshirt year due to COVID-19 set up a breakout 2021 campaign, where Kinley took the second most snaps on the defensive line and finished the year with 32 tackles. Kinley said he got comfortable with college football that year, but was left wanting more production, only managing 3.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks despite grading out a winner in 12 out of 13 games.
Then came the injuries. A torn labrum in one knee, then one in the other, contributed to Kinley playing in just six games in 2022. A freak accident kept him out of most of fall camp in 2023. But when he was ready for the season, he quickly had to take a step back again, after someone falling on his ankle against Missouri sprained it, with some damage to his ligaments.
"What I'm going through, I wouldn't wish that on anybody!" Kinley said of the ankle sprain, before going into the challenges that specific injury poses to a defensive lineman. "The weight, the speed, the cutting. I can go out there and play my best, but I'm not doing anything crazy. I just have to be cautious."
The ankle is improving, but slowly. Kinley only practiced one day prior to MTSU's win over LA Tech this past week, and was a gametime decision heading into warmups. This coming only one week after a five tackle, 2.5 TFL game against Jacksonville State that Kinley was not necessarily supposed to play, serving as an "break-glass-if-necessary" sub that found himself in the rotation following Zaylin Wood's injury in the first quarter.
Stockstill was worried that Kinley would risk further injury playing through the ankle pain two weeks in-a-row, but Kinley's reliability shone through once again.
"I asked him 'Can you protect yourself?'" Stockstill said. "He said, 'We've got to get this game.' And he said yes."
Kinley finished the night against the Bulldogs with three total tackles, including his second sack of the season, a six-yard loss on third-and-10 that brought out the punt unit for LA Tech while they trailed by two scores.
Finishing out a victory gave MTSU, and Kinley, some much needed momentum heading into the rest of CUSA play, with Kinley noting the team needs to find ways to put together a complete game like they did Tuesday night. To do that, Kinley said, will have to lean on each other.
"We have to keep loving each other," Kinley said. "You go out there and love the person next to you, it's going to make you play harder. That's the biggest thing for me to tell my teammates."
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