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Former Michigan and Miami commit Antonio Kinard at JC
By Michael Rothstein, ESPN Recruiting
January, 11, 2012, 1:04 PM ET
Antonio Kinard could have been halfway through college by now, might have been entering his junior season at Michigan and could have even seen the field as a linebacker.
None of that happened, though. Instead, Kinard found himself on a twisting journey involving two colleges, a prep school and a junior college, a job working at a wine store and now, a trip to Arizona and a second chance at Arizona Western, where Kinard will play next season.
A three-star linebacker prospect out of Liberty High School in Youngstown, Ohio, Kinard committed to play for the Wolverines as part of the Class of 2010. He was going to join one of his closer friends and the father of his niece, running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, along with another former teammate, Isaiah Bell. Instead, he failed to qualify at Michigan and spent the 2010 season as a prep school grayshirt at Hargrave Military Academy.
Kinard caught the eye of the new Miami coaching staff visiting Hargrave, and received an offer from the Canes during his 2010 prep school season. He committed to the Hurricanes and signed a letter of intent to attend the U. Again, the NCAA Clearinghouse would not clear him in late August, and Kinard did not enroll as planned at Miami.
Kinard was left with limited options due to the timing of the NCAA Clearinghouse decision, but he received the support of his family while he started working in a wine store. He talked with ESPN about his continuing relationship with Wolverine RB Fitzgerald Toussaint. If there is an event that changed Toussaint's life, it came five years ago. Toussaint, then age 16, became a father.
Initially, Toussaint said he and the mother of his child, Jacquetta Kinard, tried to hide the pregnancy from their parents. Eventually, at a Shoney's in Virginia, Jacquetta told her brother, former Michigan recruit and one of Toussaint's closest friends, Antonio Kinard.
"She looked at me and said, 'TK, I'm pregnant,' " Antonio Kinard said. "I said, 'Oh my gosh.' Fitz, I called him and was like, 'Did you know?' He said, 'Yeah.' I'm like, 'Can you believe you're a dad now?'
"He was like, 'Yeah, man, I've got to start stepping up. I've got to put away childish things and start being a man.' "
They soon told the rest of their families, who offered support, and Martia Lenora Kinard came into this world on Dec. 10, 2006. Martia lives with her mother's family in Winnsboro, S.C., and Toussaint hasn't seen her since Memorial Day weekend. Kinard said Martia, as of now, is supposed to spend the summer with Toussaint and the rest of his family.
"Fitz has decided to be like, 'I'm happy to just hear my daughter's voice. That makes my day,' " Antonio Kinard said. "They talk on the phone for hours. He says, 'As long as I can get that, I'm fine. It makes me smile. Makes my day.'”
Now, Kinard is about to get back in the game.
He just announced his visit to Arizona by way of Twitter: “Arizona tomorrow.! Worked all day. Made this money! hahaha Leeetttttsss gooooooo!!!”
Kinard will enroll at Arizona Western for the spring semester and will be a freshman LB on the JUCO football team next season.
By Michael Rothstein, ESPN Recruiting
January, 11, 2012, 1:04 PM ET
Antonio Kinard could have been halfway through college by now, might have been entering his junior season at Michigan and could have even seen the field as a linebacker.
None of that happened, though. Instead, Kinard found himself on a twisting journey involving two colleges, a prep school and a junior college, a job working at a wine store and now, a trip to Arizona and a second chance at Arizona Western, where Kinard will play next season.
A three-star linebacker prospect out of Liberty High School in Youngstown, Ohio, Kinard committed to play for the Wolverines as part of the Class of 2010. He was going to join one of his closer friends and the father of his niece, running back Fitzgerald Toussaint, along with another former teammate, Isaiah Bell. Instead, he failed to qualify at Michigan and spent the 2010 season as a prep school grayshirt at Hargrave Military Academy.
Kinard caught the eye of the new Miami coaching staff visiting Hargrave, and received an offer from the Canes during his 2010 prep school season. He committed to the Hurricanes and signed a letter of intent to attend the U. Again, the NCAA Clearinghouse would not clear him in late August, and Kinard did not enroll as planned at Miami.
Kinard was left with limited options due to the timing of the NCAA Clearinghouse decision, but he received the support of his family while he started working in a wine store. He talked with ESPN about his continuing relationship with Wolverine RB Fitzgerald Toussaint. If there is an event that changed Toussaint's life, it came five years ago. Toussaint, then age 16, became a father.
Initially, Toussaint said he and the mother of his child, Jacquetta Kinard, tried to hide the pregnancy from their parents. Eventually, at a Shoney's in Virginia, Jacquetta told her brother, former Michigan recruit and one of Toussaint's closest friends, Antonio Kinard.
"She looked at me and said, 'TK, I'm pregnant,' " Antonio Kinard said. "I said, 'Oh my gosh.' Fitz, I called him and was like, 'Did you know?' He said, 'Yeah.' I'm like, 'Can you believe you're a dad now?'
"He was like, 'Yeah, man, I've got to start stepping up. I've got to put away childish things and start being a man.' "
They soon told the rest of their families, who offered support, and Martia Lenora Kinard came into this world on Dec. 10, 2006. Martia lives with her mother's family in Winnsboro, S.C., and Toussaint hasn't seen her since Memorial Day weekend. Kinard said Martia, as of now, is supposed to spend the summer with Toussaint and the rest of his family.
"Fitz has decided to be like, 'I'm happy to just hear my daughter's voice. That makes my day,' " Antonio Kinard said. "They talk on the phone for hours. He says, 'As long as I can get that, I'm fine. It makes me smile. Makes my day.'”
Now, Kinard is about to get back in the game.
He just announced his visit to Arizona by way of Twitter: “Arizona tomorrow.! Worked all day. Made this money! hahaha Leeetttttsss gooooooo!!!”
Kinard will enroll at Arizona Western for the spring semester and will be a freshman LB on the JUCO football team next season.
