Luke Kandra
| Carolina Panthers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 8, 2001 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 319 lb (145 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) |
| College: | Louisville (2020–2022) Cincinnati (2023–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Luke Kandra (born August 8, 2001) is an American professional football guard for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Early life
[edit]Kandra is from Cincinnati, Ohio.[1] He grew up playing football as a quarterback before switching to guard by the time he attended Elder High School in Cincinnati.[2] As a junior, he was selected second-team all-district.[2] He was then named All-Ohio and helped his team compile a record of 12–3 in his senior year, with Elder finishing as the runner-up at the Division I state championship.[3] A three-star prospect and one of the top-50 recruits in Ohio, he committed to play college football for the Louisville Cardinals.[2]
College career
[edit]Kandra redshirted as a freshman at Louisville in 2020.[4] He then appeared in 21 games for Louisville from 2021 to 2022, mainly on special teams, also appearing in two games as a starter during the 2022 season.[3][5] He transferred to the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2023. That year, he was ranked by Pro Football Focus (PFF) as the best offensive lineman on the team, with Kandra starting all 12 games and being named first-team All-Big 12 Conference and second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation.[1][6] As a senior in 2024, he was rated the best right guard in the conference by PFF for a second consecutive year, being selected first-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-American while starting 12 games.[4][7][8] He did not allow a single sack in his last year.[4] At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, where he led all participants in the bench press.[9]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.95 m) |
319 lb (145 kg) |
31+7⁄8 in (0.81 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
5.17 s | 2.96 s | 4.78 s | 8.33 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) |
9 ft 5 in (2.87 m) |
33 reps | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[10][11] | ||||||||||||
On May 8, 2025, Kandra signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Luke Kandra". Cincinnati Bearcats.
- ^ a b c Dermer, Shelby (June 26, 2019). "Why Elder OL Kandra committed to Louisville". Western Hills Press. p. B1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Springer, Scott; Clark, Dave (December 11, 2022). "Satterfield takes Kandra to UC from UofL". The Courier-Journal. p. B3 – via Newspapers.com.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
- ^ a b c Brown, Russell (February 26, 2025). "Detroit Lions Prospect Profile: Luke Kandra, IOL, Cincinnati". USA Today.
- ^ Springer, Scott (August 12, 2023). "Coming home". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. D1, D4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Heltman, Russ (December 11, 2023). "UC Guard Luke Kandra Named AP Third-Team All-American". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Dyer, Mike (January 30, 2025). "Elder High School grad Luke Kandra invited to NFL Scouting Combine". WCPO-TV.
- ^ Dyer, Mike (December 13, 2024). "UC's Luke Kandra named to Sports Illustrated's All-America Second Team". WCPO-TV.
- ^ Heltman, Russ (March 3, 2025). "Look: Cincinnati Offensive Linemen Luke Kandra, John Williams Lead Top Bench Press Results at 2025 NFL Combine". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Luke Kandra Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ "Luke Kandra College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Hill, Kassidy. "Panthers sign 6 draft picks, 19 undrafted free agents ahead of rookie minicamp". Panthers.com. Retrieved 9 May 2025.