The Inspirational Story Of One Professional Athlete Going From Homeless To The NFL

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Friends,

Javon Kinlaw was selected by the San Francisco 49ers as the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but chances are some of you might have never heard of him.

We’re going to change that today, as Javon Kinlaw has one of the most unique and inspiring stories in football.

Javon Kinlaw was born in Trinidad and Tobago, but immigrated to the United States as a young child with his mom and two siblings - eventually settling down in Washington, DC.

Kinlaw’s life lacked stability early on, by the time he was 7 or 8 his family was evicted from their apartment and forced to move into a friends house. That didn’t last long though, as the house started to fall apart and the basement caved in (Source).

At the age of 9 or 10, Kinlaw was on the move again.

Here’s the type of conditions Kinlaw said he became accustomed to (Source):

During his early teenage years, Kinlaw went from house to house sleeping on friends couches or in their basements - typically wearing the same clothes for multiple days in a row.

Knowing his mom immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago for him to have a better life, Kinlaw tried not to complain.

Eventually, he says the family became accustomed to their surroundings (Source):

True to the saying though, Kinlaw started to become a product of his environment.

In the 9th grade, Kinlaw’s formation of bad habits became more obvious. He was commonly skipping school, riding the metro for hours with his brother to stay warm during the winter - and when he was in school, Kinlaw was certain to be causing trouble (Source).

Hoping a change of scenery would help, Kinlaw’s mother withdrew him from school and sent him to live with his father in South Carolina.

The problem?

His living conditions became even more unstable.

Kinlaw’s dad was an alcoholic and occasionally got physical with him, not to mention his live-in girlfriend didn’t want Javon around. Similar to his situation in Washington DC, Kinlaw would spend the better part of his high school years moving from house to house sleeping on friends couches (Source).

In an effort to pass time after school, Kinlaw joined the football team as a 280-pound sophomore.

Although he always wanted to, Kinlaw was never able to play football as a kid due to his mothers financial constraints. Now at a public high school, that burden was lifted.

According to Kinlaw’s high school coaches, he “wasn’t good” but his natural size and ability to quickly pick up new concepts and techniques attracted college coaches.

By his senior year, Kinlaw had offers from Alabama, USC, Louisville, Maryland, Clemson, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida.

Kinlaw would commit to the University of South Carolina, with a caveat of course.

South Carolina coach Will Muschamp convinced Kinlaw to leave high school after the first semester of his senior year and enroll at Jones College. With Kinlaw unlikely to graduate anyways, this would give him extra time to focus on his GED and continue to develop as a football player (Source).

To this day, Kinlaw calls it the best decision he ever made.

On a personal perspective, Kinlaw was given structure at Jones College. The football coaches were hard on him, making sure he attended class, paid attention in meetings, and helped him with interpersonal skills like communication and confidence.

On the field, Kinlaw transformed himself from a 280-pound raw prospect to a 340-pound dominant defensive tackle by the time he enrolled at South Carolina one year later.

What does Kinlaw credit for his football improvement?

“The Cafeteria”

For the first time in his life, Kinlaw was able to eat as much as he wanted.

After making massive improvements at Jones College, The University of South Carolina was up next.

To keep it short, Kinlaw dominated at The University of South Carolina.

After 3 years, 82 tackles, 17 TFL, and 10 sacks - Javon Kinlaw declared for the NFL Draft.

When asked where he might be selected in the draft, and how that might impact his financial position, Kinlaw had this to say (Source):

Months later, after being selected by the San Francisco 49ers as the 14th overall pick in the NFL Draft, Kinlaw would go on to sign a 4-year, $15.5 million fully guaranteed contract, with an $8.7 million signing bonus.

Javon Kinlaw has an amazing story, not just because of the circumstances he was born into, but more because of the continued process of maturation and development he’s displayed to get to where he is now.

After going from homeless to the NFL, it’s exciting to think about what Javon Kinlaw might do next.

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Extra Credit

Now that you know his story, let’s check out some of his highlights.

Here’s a short clip of Kinlaw dominating SEC offensive linemen in 2019.

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