Daniel Kinney set for Knoxville return with Kennesaw State football
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No. 14 Tennessee (2-0) will host Kennesaw State (1-1) Saturday in Week 3 of the college football season.
Kickoff between the Vols and Owls is slated for 7:45 p.m. EDT at Neyland Stadium. SEC Network will televise the contest.
Saturday will mark the first meeting between the two schools. The contest will also the feature the return of former Bearden High School (Knoxville, Tennessee) kicker Daniel Kinney, a redshirt freshman for Kennesaw State.
Kinney played at Bearden from 2020-24 and was an All-Region 2-6A performer, while playing for head coaches Morgan Shinlever and Josh Jones.
Shinlever is in his second stint as Bearden's athletics director and discussed Kinney with Vols Wire ahead of the Tennessee-Kennesaw State game.
"Daniel was good," Shinlever said. "He is a great kid, and he has a great family, and he was a real weapon for us on field goals and on kickoffs. He was our kicker. Daniel was probably the strongest-legged kicker that we had during my time as head coach at Bearden.
"Daniel was such a good athlete that we tried to use him as a wide receiver and defensive back, but I think he realized that he had something unique and special as a kicker and he wanted to specialize."
Kinney also played soccer at Bearden from 2021-22 when the Bulldogs made two consecutive appearances in the Class AAA state championship game. His soccer career ended due to an ACL injury.
"He probably could've been an all-state soccer player had he not had an ACL injury," Shinlever said.
Kinney appeared in four games at Kennesaw State as a freshman in 2024, converting 6-of-7 field goal attempts and 5-of-6 extra-point attempts. He also totaled three touchbacks on five kickoffs.
In 2026, Kinney has converted 5-of-6 extra-point attempts and made a 29-yard field goal against Georgia State on Sept. 12.
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Daniel Kinney set for Knoxville return with Kennesaw State football
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