How Javon Kinlaw was saved by Goose Creek High School
GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (BVM) – Before Javon Kinlaw arrived at Goose Creek High School, there was plenty of uncertainty about not only his future, but his present.
Kinlaw grew up with his mother in Washington D.C., where their housing situation would frequently change.
In March 2020, Kinlaw spoke with Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, about his problematic, yet acclimatable childhood.
“For the next person, you can probably say it was pretty horrible,” Kinlaw told ESPN. “But for me, I don’t think it was that bad.”
When Kinlaw got to ninth grade, his mother decided it was best for him to live with his father in South Carolina.
As a high school sophomore, he found football.
While Kinlaw was not a big-time recruit at the prep level, his 6-foot-5, 320 pound frame would give him a chance to continue his football career.
Kinlaw was given an opportunity at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi. He played one season for the Bobcats before he was discovered by the coaching staff at the University of South Carolina.
In his first season at the SEC level in 2017, he made 10 starts and gradually made himself one of the most threatening defenders in the conference.
His senior year, Kinlaw was named First-Team All-SEC.
Throughout that season, his pure size and strength stood out to NFL scouts, ultimately making him the No. 14 selection by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Within an eight-year span, Kinlaw went from living a nomadic lifestyle to signing his first NFL contract that guaranteed him 15 million dollars.
If it was not for Kinlaw’s introduction to football at Goose Creek High School, there is no telling where he would be now.
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