Kenny Irons

Infobox NFLactive
name=Kenny Irons
currentteam=Free Agent
currentnumber=--
currentposition=Running back


caption=Irons in the 2007 Cotton Bowl
birthdate=birth date and age|1983|9|15
birthplace=Dacula, Georgia
heightft=5
heightin=11
weight=200
debutyear=
debutteam=
college=Auburn
draftyear=2007
draftround=2
draftpick=49
pastteams=
* Cincinnati Bengals (2007)
status=
highlights=
* 2x First-team All-SEC (2005-2006)
nfl=IRO429291

Kenny Irons (born September 15, 1983 in city-state|Dacula|Georgia) is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.

He is the brother of Atlanta Falcons cornerback David Irons.

Early years

At Dacula High School in Dacula, Georgia, Irons rushed for 1985 yards and 19 touchdowns, playing alongside his brother David. His high school honors included PrepStar All-American, Sporting News Top 25, Atlanta Journal Constitution's Top 11, Gwinnett County Back of the Year, and playing in the Georgia-Florida High School All-Star Game. Irons initially signed with the University of South Carolina to play for then-head coach Lou Holtz. He is the nephew of Gerald Irons and Leroy Jackson and he is the cousin of Grant Irons, Jarrett Irons and Paul Irons. [cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/preview06/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=2559603|title=Irons brothers take long road to collegiate success|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|accessdate=2007-11-26|author=Schlabach, Mark|date=2006-08-25]

College career

outh Carolina

Irons lettered as a true freshman at University of South Carolina after appearing in nine games with one start. For the season, he rushed for 201 yards on 47 carries. He also had four pass receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown on a 30-yard catch and run against Mississippi State. He rushed for a season high 43 yards on 12 attempts against Mississippi State.

During the off-season, although Irons was at the top of the depth chart, Lou Holtz made a promise to recruit Demetris Summers that Summers would be a starter the following year to secure his signature on signing day.

After being demoted from the starting position, Kenny was only given 19 carries on the year, rushing for 51 yards. He also caught two passes for eight yards. 26 of his rushing yards came against the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Irons only played in five games in the 2003 season, which was a determining factor in his decision to transfer to another university.

Auburn

Irons transferred to Auburn University following the 2003 season in order to play alongside his brother again. Kenny participated in the Auburn A-Day Spring Game, but was ineligible to play the following year due to NCAA regulations. While sitting out the 2004 season, Irons was able to apprentice under future NFL players Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown.

Even though he was not allowed to play on Saturdays, Kenny Irons was an important part of the team that fall. As a member of the Scout Team, or practice squad, he simulated opposing teams' running backs, enabling the defense to get an accurate look at what the opposing runner would be like. Some have credited his dedication to that role as an important factor in the Auburn Tigers' undefeated and unrewarded 2004 season.Fact|date=August 2007

During spring practice, Irons received the Off-Season Conditioning Award from the coaching staff. Although he was lauded as the heir apparent to the starting running back role, freshman sensation Brad Lester and undersized, but experienced veteran Tre Smith provided Irons with plenty of competition.

Irons entered the season as the backup running back after criticism that he could not pick up blocks well enough to function as a complete running back in Al Borges's complex offensive scheme. Garnering only one carry for six yards, Irons' opening game as a Tiger was a disappointment. The following week, still as the backup, he had 13 carries against a very tough Mississippi State defense and rushed for only 28 yards. In the next two weeks against non-conference foes Ball State and Western Kentucky, Irons rushed for 258 yards on 29 carries and seemed to be finding his stride. He made his third straight start the following week against his former team, South Carolina.

Going into the week, there was a great deal of hype regarding Irons' playing against his former team although Lou Holtz was no longer the coach, having been replaced by Steve Spurrier. Despite two touchdowns, his performance was otherwise lackluster, gaining only 27 yards on 11 carries. Irons was replaced as a starter for the following week by Brad Lester.

The game against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville proved to be a turning point in Irons' career. Lester entered the game as the starter, but suffered an injury early in the game. Substituting for the injured starter, Kenny carried the ball 33 times for 182 yards. After that performance, Irons started at running back for the rest of the season.

On October 22, 2005, Auburn traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to play the highly ranked LSU Tigers. While getting off of the bus at the stadium, Irons mouthed and gestured to the ESPN crew that he would rush for 200 that night. With only 27 carries, he totaled 218 yards and one touchdown in Auburn's overtime loss.

Through the remainder of the regular season, Kenny Irons was never held under 100 yards rushing. His season totals include 1293 yards on 256 attempts with 13 touchdowns. His 2005 rushing total was the 6th best in Auburn history, placing Irons behind greats like Bo Jackson, Cadillac Williams, and future Cincinnati Bengal teammate, Rudi Johnson.

At season's end Kenny Irons was a unanimous pick for the Coaches' All-SEC First-Team and the Associated Press All-SEC First Team. He was a two time SEC Offensive Player of the Week following his performances versus the Georgia Bulldogs and Arkansas.

Going into the 2006 season, Kenny Irons was considered a candidate for the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards and the esteemed Heisman Trophy. He was held out of the A-Day Spring game to insure that didn't sustain unnecessary injury. Speculations for his year included him rushing for 1500 yards and winning multiple post-season awards. His senior campaign was impressive, but was severely hampered by nagging injuries.

The first game of the year was against Washington State University and the highly regarded defense of Bill Doba, featuring Mkristo Bruce. Irons torched the Cougars for 183 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown, in a 40-14 Tiger victory. Soon after that game, Kenny suffered from a nagging case of turf toe that prevented him from planting his right foot. Some say that Irons should have sat out until he was full speed, but instead, he played through the injury.

Over the next two games, Irons was held to less than 100 yards per contest, before he was allowed an off week when the Tigers played the University of Buffalo. Irons was back on the field the following week, eager to return to Columbia, South Carolina to confront the team and fans that he felt turned their back on him three years earlier The game was a hard fought contest, with a surprise onside kick allowing Auburn to maintain of the ball for the entire 3rd quarter. In the Tigers' exciting victory, Kenny rushed for 117 yards and 2 touchdowns.

For the season, Irons rushed 198 times for a total of 941 yards and 4 touchdowns, while leading the Tigers to an 11-2 season record.

He graduated with a degree in economics.

Career statistics

Professional career

Pre-draft

Following the completion of his senior football season, Irons recovered from his injuries and began to work out and prepare for the 2007 NFL Draft. He and his brother signed with the same agent and worked out together. They traveled together to the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and their individual pro days. In the combine, Irons posted a 4.45 second 40-yard dash time and a 38-inch vertical leap.

Cincinnati Bengals

Irons was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round (49th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft.

During the second quarter of the Bengals first preseason game against the Detroit Lions on August 9, Irons tore his ACL on his fourth carry of the game, ending his rookie season. Irons is expected to recover fully and be ready for spring workouts. [cite news |url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/bengals/2007-08-10-irons-injury_N.htm |title=Bengals RB Kenny Irons out for the season with torn ACL |publisher=USA Today |date=2007-08-10 |accessdate=2007-08-10 ] After the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, Irons said he expected to be ready for training camp in July 2008. [ [http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=4225&line=110036&spln=1 Fantasy Football Breaking News - Rotoworld.com ] ] However on July 25, Irons was waived/injured by the Bengals and subsequently placed the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list. He was waived from the PUP list on August 4.

References

External links

* [http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/irons_kenny00.html Auburn Tigers bio]
* [http://www.bengals.com/team/player.asp?player_id=138 Cincinnati Bengals bio]