The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football adds Blackshire to 2024 newcomers
01.16.2024 | Football
A transfer from Alabama and native of Duncanville, Texas, linebacker Kendrick Blackshire becomes the 28th member of the Longhorns’ 2024 class.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football has added linebacker Kendrick Blackshire, a transfer from Alabama and native of Duncanville, Texas, as the 28th member of the Longhorns' 2024 class of newcomers. Blackshire will enroll at Texas for the spring semester and will be listed as a senior for the 2024 season.
Blackshire played in 25 games during his career at Alabama, registering 25 tackles (13 solo), two tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery over the past three seasons in helping the Crimson Tide to a College Football Playoff semifinals appearance in 2023, an Allstate Sugar Bowl Championship in 2022 and a CFP National Championship Game appearance in 2021.
Last season, Blackshire appeared in eight games, recording 16 tackles (9 solo), one tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in eight games. He recorded multiple tackles in five games, including in the season opener against Middle Tennessee when he tallied a career-high five tackles (four solo) and also forced and recovered a fumble. In the top-15 matchup against Texas he recorded three tackles, and had a three-tackle performance against Ole Miss.
In 2022, Blackshire saw playing time in eight games, missing five games late in the season due to an injury before returning for the Sugar Bowl victory against Kansas State. As a freshman in 2021, he appeared in nine games, primarily on special teams, with three special teams tackles on kickoff coverage.
A unanimous four-star prosect out of high school, Blackshire was ranked in the top-225 nationally by ESPN, Rivals, On3 and 247Sports. He was also chosen to the 2020 MaxPreps High School Football All-America First Team, tabbed second-team 6A All-State by the Texas Sports Writers Association and named first-team All-District 11-6A as a senior. He started his prep career at Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas, where he was selected as the Texas District 11-6A Co-Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2017. Blackshire played his junior and senior seasons at Duncanville High School where he was coached by Reginald Samples.
Kendrick Blackshire
Linebacker
6-2 • 233 • Sr.-TR
Duncanville, Texas (Alabama/Duncanville)
HS Coach: Reginald Samples
A transfer linebacker from Alabama … played in 25 games during his career at Alabama, registering 25 tackles (13 solo), two tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery over the past three seasons in helping the Crimson Tide to a College Football Playoff semifinals appearance in 2023, an Allstate Sugar Bowl Championship in 2022 and a CFP National Championship Game appearance in 2021 … appeared in eight games, recording 16 tackles (9 solo), one tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in eight games … opened the season with a career-high five tackles (four solo) and also forced and recovered a fumble … in the top-15 matchup against Texas he recorded three tackles ... at USF, he posted two stops on the day … versus Ole Miss, he saw extended playing time in the absence of Deontae Lawson ... finished with three tackles, including one for loss (-2 yards) ... added one quarterback hurry … at Mississippi State he notched one tackle … returned to the field against Kentucky after an extended absence and totaled two stops … against Chattanooga, rotated in at linebacker … saw time on defense in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia … in 2022, Blackshire saw playing time in eight games, missing five games late in the season due to an injury before returning for the Sugar Bowl victory against Kansas State ... totaled six tackles, including one for loss (-5 yards), to go with a quarterback hurry in his eight games of action … had three tackles (one solo) in the season-opener against Utah State … collected a pair of tackles (one solo) with a tackle for loss versus ULM … made one tackle against Texas A&M … also saw playing time against Texas, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kansas State … as a freshman in 2021, he appeared in nine games, primarily on special teams, with three special teams tackles on kickoff coverage … saw his first collegiate action against Miami, working on special teams and recording one tackle on kickoff coverage … had a solo tackle against Southern Miss on the opening kickoff … recorded one tackle on kickoff coverage against Ole Miss … contributed on special teams against Mercer, Florida, Mississippi State, and Tennessee, and in the SEC Championship Game and CFP National Championship Game against Georgia … a unanimous four-star recruit by all major sites as a prepster ... rated as the No. 124 player nationally by Rivals ... also tabbed as Rivals' No. 8 inside backer and the No. 19 player from Texas ... listed as the No. 140 recruit on the PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team ... also rated by PrepStar as the nation's No. 8 inside linebacker ... listed at No. 177 on the ESPN300 and the No. 4 inside linebacker, No. 36 player in the Midlands Region and the 29th overall player from Texas according to ESPN.com ... No. 222 overall and the nation's 10th-rated inside linebacker by 247Sports … chosen to the 2020 MaxPreps High School Football All-America First Team … tabbed second-team 6A All-State by the Texas Sports Writers Association in 2020 … named first-team All-District 11-6A ... coached by Chris Hudler at Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas prior to his junior season ... totaled 111 tackles, including nine for loss and one sack as a sophomore ... selected as the Texas District 11-6A Co-Defensive Newcomer of the Year as a freshman in 2017 ... finished his prep career at Duncanville High School where he was coached by Reginald Samples.