Alvin Mentian Kamara (born July 25, 1995) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee after transferring from Hutchinson Community College and was drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was named the NFL Rookie of the Year in 2017, was named a Pro Bowler in his first five NFL seasons, and is a two-time second-team All-Pro. In 2020, Kamara became the second player in NFL history to score six rushing touchdowns in a single game, tying Ernie Nevers.
Early life and high school career
Kamara was born to a Liberian mother. He attended Norcross High School in Norcross, Georgia. He played high school football for the Blue Devils football team. As a junior in 2011 he rushed for 1,300 yards with 17 touchdowns. As a senior in 2012 he rushed for 2,264 yards with 26 touchdowns, and caught 22 passes for 286 yards and five touchdowns in leading his high school to its first state championship. Kamara was named Georgia’s Mr. Football by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, selected Class 6A Player of the Year, and earned first-team All-State honors from the Georgia Sports Writers Association. In addition, he was chosen to participate in the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game.
Coming out of high school, Kamara was considered to be one of the top running back prospects in the nation. He was rated the No. 1 all-purpose back in the 247Composite, the No. 5 player in Georgia, and the No. 42 player nationally in 2012. Rivals.com rated Kamara as the No. 6 player in Georgia.
Kamara received a scholarship offer from Syracuse University as a junior in high school. As a senior he committed to play college football at the University of Alabama under head coach Nick Saban.
College career
University of Alabama
Kamara's short time at University of Alabama was "a rough experience". He had knee surgery during the preseason, then redshirted as a true freshman when he was unable to break into a recruitment class that featured three other future NFL running backs in Derrick Henry, T. J. Yeldon, and Kenyan Drake. Due to "behavioral issues", Saban banned Kamara from practicing with the team and suspended him from their bowl game.
Hutchinson Community College
In 2014, Kamara transferred from Alabama to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas for his redshirt freshman season. In nine games, Kamara ran for 1,211 yards (134.6 per game) with 18 touchdowns and led the Blue Dragons with 1,469 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns. Kamara was named NJCAA All American. His successful season with Blue Dragons propelled Kamara to one of the top JUCO prospects in the nation. He earned a 5-star rating from the Rivals.com and Scout.com recruiting networks. He was offered by both Tennessee and the Georgia Bulldogs before ultimately committing to the Volunteers.
University of Tennessee
2015 season
In 2015, Kamara transferred to the University of Tennessee to play under head coach Butch Jones. As a redshirt sophomore, Kamara played in all 13 games and shared the backfield with Jalen Hurd and John Kelly. He accounted for 144 yards and two touchdowns in his Tennessee debut against Bowling Green at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 5, 2015; his 144 rushing yards set a school record for most rushing yards in a debut game. He became the second Volunteer in history with a rushing touchdown and punt return for touchdown in the same game with a two-yard rushing touchdown and a 50-yard punt return touchdown against Western Carolina. On November 14, against North Texas, he had 15 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the home victory. Tennessee finished with a 9–4 record and qualified for the Outback Bowl against #12 Northwestern. In the 45–6 victory over the Wildcats, he had 53 rushing yards and a touchdown. In the entire 2015 season, he accounted for 698 yards (53.7 yards/game) with seven rushing touchdowns. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry, which was third in the SEC. He was second on team in receptions with 34 for 291 yards and three receiving touchdowns. As a punt returner, he had eight returns for 100 yards (12.5 average) with a touchdown.