Hurricanes star Kamren Kinchens named a preseason All-American

CORAL GABLES — Kamren Kinchens ended the 2022 season as an All-American. He will begin the 2023 season the same way.

The Miami star safety was named an Associated Press preseason All-American on Monday. He was the lone Hurricane to make the cut.

Kinchens had a dominant 2022 campaign, leading the Hurricanes with 59 tackles and tied for second in the nation with six interceptions. He also had one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Pro Football Focus gave the star safety a team-best 90 defensive grade, which ranked 14th in the nation among all defensive players with at least 500 snaps and best among all safeties. He also had a 90.7 coverage grade. The Hurricanes hung a banner with Kinchens’ name on it to honor his All-American season.

Kinchens, who is now beginning his junior season, has evolved into a team leader over the last year.

“Kam was young last year; he was only a sophomore winning an All-American, which is incredible,” quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said in the spring. “But yeah, he’s really taken a step as a leader. He’s the guy around here. He’ll take that defense to another level, make sure everyone’s doing the right thing. On the field, he’s very impressive, making plays all around. Whether it’s in the coverage game or the run game, he’s doing everything out there.”

Kinchens is Miami’s only preseason All-American, but he and the Hurricanes will have to face several during this season. Clemson has four All-Americans: running back Will Shipley, defensive lineman Tyler Davis and linebackers Jeremiah Trotter and Barrett Carter. North Carolina has two All-Americans: quarterback Drake Maye and linebacker Cedric Gray.

Additionally, Florida State has one All-American, defensive end Jared Verse, and Boston College has one: offensive guard Christian Mahogany.