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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

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 of the United Football League (UFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

Early life

Kelly was born in

Round Rock, Texas Round Rock is a city in Williamson and Travis County, Texas, United States, part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 according to the 2020 census. The city straddles the Balcones Escarpment, Texas State Histor ...

, and grew up in

Wylie, Texas Wylie is a city and northeastern suburb of Dallas, that was once solely located in Collin County, but now extends into neighboring Dallas and Rockwall counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located on State Route 78 about northeast of cen ...

, 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 (appro ...

and

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

. As a dual-threat

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

, he was rated a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and committed to play

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

College career

As a true freshman, Kelly converted to

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

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

compartment syndrome Compartment syndrome is a serious medical condition in which increased pressure within a Fascial compartment, body compartment compromises blood flow and tissue function, potentially leading to permanent damage if not promptly treated. There are ...

, 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 university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

. He made 8 tackles against the

University of Hawaii at Mānoa A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. 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, United States. It is part of the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers 60 ba ...

. As a senior, after switching to

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

, 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 Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, 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-American professional football player who was a fullback and defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Renowned for his strength and size, Nagurski ...

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 or manager 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 a contract at present ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

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 southwest of Dallas; it was ...

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 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 area ...

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 ind ...

. In early January, he was switched to the

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

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 responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

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

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 tea ...

, Kelly intercepted Stallions quarterback

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

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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

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. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. 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. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, Kelly recorded his first career interception off

Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American professional football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, winning the Heisman T ...

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 (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

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

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

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 Brahmas compete in the United Football League (UFL) as a member of the XFL Conference. The team is owned and operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha ...

of the XFL in February 2023.

St. Louis Battlehawks

Kelly was selected by the St. Louis Battlehawks 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. He re-signed with the team on August 26, 2024.

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