SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (BVM) — There are many different paths to becoming a college football player. Some burst onto the scene as stars, with awards and accolades galore. For others, like the University of Sioux Falls’ Caleb Kennedy, the journey isn’t that straightforward.

Through multiple position changes, a transfer, and a lost season due to COVID-19, the always adaptable Kennedy finds himself ready to take the field for the Cougars in a different role than he’s ever played before.

Out of Broomfield, Colo., Kennedy made a living at Broomfield High School as a supersized linebacker before making the switch to a 3-4 defensive end at the North Dakota State College of Science. Either way, the ultimate goal remained the same: get the guy with the ball.

This shared philosophy allowed Kennedy to find the field quickly at NDSCS, but that didn’t stop him from seeing the greener pastures ahead.

“My goal while I was [at NDSCS] was the same as everyone else’s, just getting out of there as soon as possible,” Kennedy said. “Coming from Colorado where it’s all mountainous and going to a town where their catchphrase is, ‘You can watch a dog run away for weeks’ because of how flat it is, it was quite the change.”

As a sophomore, Kennedy continued to excel on the defensive line and began taking some reps on the other side of the ball at fullback. Now a two-way player, bigger programs began to take notice, and Sioux Falls was chief among them.

“A lot of schools just didn’t use a fullback, and I wasn’t tall enough to play defensive end,” Kennedy said. “Sioux Falls showed the most interest in me, and they communicated with me. It was a pretty easy decision (to transfer there) when I came on my visit, and I just naturally fit in with the group.”

So, Sioux Falls, it was for Kennedy, who highlighted the past Cougar fullbacks and their mentality as a big attraction to the USF program. However, switching positions, especially sides of the ball, is no easy task for a guy who has specialized in defense for years.

“It’s a huge change,” Kennedy said of the switch. “I went from never touching the ball and always trying to murder the man with the ball, to having to protect him.”

Away from the field, Kennedy also benefits from being on scholarship at Sioux Falls, a luxury he didn’t have at NDSCS, where he was saving money to pay his way through school. A scholarship at USF gives him more time to focus on his ultimate goal: becoming a better player.

“It’s a huge relief (to be on scholarship),” Kennedy said. “At the end of the day, at the junior college, even though I was starting and getting to play both ways, a huge stressor was just being able to pay off school.”

Whether it’s on or off the field, Kennedy has embraced any challenge that has come his way. His next obstacle? Getting on the field, and easing the hunger to play ball after a lost season a year ago.

“I just want to be able to contribute,” Kennedy said. “If I can just make an impact for the team, that’s huge for me.”

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