Wichita East graduate Xavier Kelly is leaving Arkansas to pursue his NFL Draft dream
Another Wichita native may be headed for a professional football career.
Xavier Kelly, a 2016 Wichita East graduate, announced Wednesday that he will not return to Arkansas next season and will instead enter his name in the 2021 NFL Draft.
“I have learned so much during my time here that I will take with me both on and off the field,” Kelly wrote on Twitter. “I would like to thank my coaches for taking me under their wings and pouring into me everyday whether it’s on the field, in the weight room, or just one on one conversations.
“With that being said, after talking to my family and praying on it, I have decided to pursue my dreams of the NFL and declare for the NFL draft.”
Kelly, a 6-foot-5, 311-pound defensive tackle, was a fifth-year senior in 2020, but could have played a sixth season at Arkansas due to an exception made by the NCAA due to the coronavirus pandemic. He was a reserve defensive tackle for Arkansas this past season, registering eight tackles, including one sack, in eight games.
Kelly spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Clemson, where he was part of the Tigers’ national championship teams in the 2016 and 2018 seasons. He finished his Clemson career with 23 tackles in 30 games, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
At East High, Kelly was a four-star recruit who was rated as the No. 1 recruit in Kansas in the class of 2016 and picked Clemson over Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma, among others. He was also a skilled basketball player, starting for the Blue Aces when they won the 2015 Class 6A championship.
Wichita-area players who played in the NFL this season included Circle’s Jordan Phillips (Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle), Bishop Carroll’s Blake Bell (Dallas Cowboys tight end), Andale’s B.J. Finney (Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman), Wichita South’s Davontae Harris (Baltimore Ravens defensive back) and Kapaun Mt. Carmel’s Ben Powers (Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman).
This story was originally published December 30, 2020 at 3:47 PM.
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