By: Sean Cartell
Kendrick Blackshire marvels at how much he’s grown over the course of his collegiate football journey.
The senior linebacker from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was a consensus four-star prospect coming out of high school and was considered to be one of the top-10 players in the nation at his position. He signed with Alabama, playing his first three seasons there, and spent the spring of 2024 at Texas before finding a home at UTSA.
Blackshire, 6-foot-1, 230 pounds, recalls always being one of the biggest kids and says his origins with football date back to kindergarten.
“They had me tackling,” Blackshire said with a laugh. “I wasn’t supposed to be tackling, but I was tackling. It was fun. Ever since then, I just fell in love with football.”
At the prep level, he played three seasons at Mesquite Horn High School before competing for storied Duncanville High School as a senior. At Duncanville, Blackshire was a first-team MaxPreps All-American in 2020, helping his team to a 10-2 record and a Class 6A state semifinal appearance.
“Duncanville is a special place to play,” he said. “It was like a college in a high school. It’s amazing, just the legacy that they have there and all the talented players that they’ve had. It was a blessing to be able to play that level of high-quality football.”
Blackshire took the field in 24 games at inside linebacker for the Crimson Tide and was a member of two Southeastern Conference Championship teams. Playing for Nick Saban at Alabama, Blackshire lived “The Process,” the legendary head coach’s discipline-based philosophy focused on the day-to-day approach to details.
“I never really understood it until now, but it’s about the details,” Blackshire said. “With Coach Saban, it was very disciplined. You do it so much, it becomes a routine. It’s not about the big things, it’s not about the game, it’s about what you do to prepare yourself to get there. It’s the preparation and details of your work and I never really understood it until now, but it helps me a lot.”
Blackshire struggled with Achilles tendinosis, a condition where the Achilles tendon breaks down over time due to constant use. He transferred to Texas following the 2023 season but was unable to get healthy. After becoming a Roadrunner last fall, he played in the first three games but suffered a season-ending injury. He credits UTSA’s coaching staff for placing an emphasis on his recovery.
“I knew that I was going to be given a chance to really recover and take care of the injuries I’d had in the past,” Blackshire said. “I wasn’t able to perform or do anything. I needed to take time to recover and get my body healthy. At UTSA, Coach [Jeff] Traylor and Coach [Jess] Loepp really took the time to be patient with me and let me get myself healthy.”
The time away from the field not only helped Blackshire heal physically, but it also strengthened his love for the game and increased his awareness of all the various aspects that go into staying healthy.
“It definitely made me realize how much I love football,” he said. “Being humbled and realizing that this can be taken away from me has just opened my eyes to not taking anything for granted. I really just work hard and focus on what I can do better and getting my body healthy.”
The opportunity for self-reflection allowed Blackshire to identify areas in which he could improve and mature as a football player.
“I feel like I was holding myself back in a lot of ways,” Blackshire said. “I was not eating the right things. I was not communicating whenever I felt my body was exhausted. They have really just been very patient with me on communicating and teaching me how to communicate. With the family vibe around here, it makes you open up and feel comfortable.”
Blackshire focused heavily on nutrition, working with UTSA Athletics’ Director of Sports Nutrition Paul Eom, RD, who joined the Roadrunners at the beginning of 2025, and his staff to understand how to properly fuel himself to optimize his performance and health.
“They are very detailed, and they don’t leave any stone unturned when it comes to research,” Blackshire said. “If I need to get my specific body fat percentage or if I need to research on what nutrients I need in my body, they’re going to take the time to do it. They actually give you feedback and put things in front of you, so you do consume the proper things. It becomes repetition over time.”
His hard work paid off. Despite having only played in three games at UTSA entering this season, Blackshire’s teammates voted him into one of the program’s coveted single-digit numbers. It was affirmation that he was making positive progress, not just as a football player but as a person.
“It meant the world to me and I wasn’t expecting it,” Blackshire said. “I knew I had a good spring and a good offseason. Whenever I found out, I called my mom and I was crying. It’s an accomplishment, just knowing I’m headed in the right direction, because I’ve been through a lot. I’m thankful and extremely grateful. I just want to be a good representation of the UTSA Football program.”
Blackshire has been a leader on the UTSA defense this season, registering 42 total tackles, one sack and one interception. While he is proud of how far he’s come, he’s most excited about continuing to progress in the future.
“I’m not even done yet; I’m still developing as we speak,” Blackshire said. “I’m thankful for Coach Traylor and the staff for bringing back the joy in playing the game I love. I hope the fans see a young man who is putting it all on the line and that they see the passion that’s coming through me. I’m giving it my all and just playing for my teammates and my family. I’m striving for greatness each and every day.”
-UTSA-