Ronald Lewis Kent Jr. (born November 7, 1999) 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

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). 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 ...

at Western Carolina and

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said t ...

Early life

Kent played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

at Harrisburg High School in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

. He recorded 22 receptions for 287 yards and three touchdowns his junior year and 21 receptions for 385 yards and one touchdown his senior year. He totaled 27 tackles and five interceptions on defense his senior year, earning first-team PennLive defensive all-star honors. Kent also wrestled in high school.

College career

Kent played

for the

Western Carolina Catamounts The Western Carolina Catamounts are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Western Carolina University. The Catamounts compete in the NCAA Division I as members of the Southern Conference. Western Carolina fields 16 varsity sports t ...

from 2018 to 2021. He played in all 11 games, starting seven, in 2018, accumulating 45 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and one forced fumble. His pass breakup total lead the team that year. Kent also garnered

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

(SoCon) All-Freshman recognition, and was named a Freshman

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

by both

Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pro ...

and HERO Sports. He started 11 games in 2019, and missed the final game of the season. He recorded 32 tackles, seven pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. Kent started all nine games during the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, totaling 47 tackles, one interception, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble, earning second-team All-SoCon honors from the coaches. He started all 11 games in 2021, totaling 38 tackles, one interception, six pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. He was named second-team All-SoCon by the SoCon Sports Media Association and third-team All-SoCon by Phil Steele. Kent transferred to play for the Central Michigan Chippewas in 2022. He appeared in all 12 games, starting 10, accumulating 56 tackles, one sack, and 10 pass breakups.

Professional career

Kent went undrafted in the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

. Kent signed with the

of the

(CFL) on January 24, 2024.

Personal life

His brother, Donte Kent played

with

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, Ronald Living people 1999 births American football defensive backs Canadian football defensive backs Western Carolina Catamounts football players Central Michigan Chippewas football players BC Lions players Players of American football from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Players of Canadian football from Pennsylvania