![]() Vidal with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 | |||||||||||||
No. 30 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | August 28, 2001||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 213 lb (97 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: | Marietta (Atlanta, Georgia) | ||||||||||||
College: | Troy (2020–2023) | ||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 6 / pick: 181 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||||||||||
|
Kimani Vidal (born August 28, 2001) is an American professional football running back for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Troy Trojans and was selected by the Chargers in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft.
Vidal grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and attended Marietta High School. He was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Troy over offers from LSU, Memphis, South Alabama, South Carolina and Syracuse. [1] [2]
In week 5 of the 2020 season, Vidal rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown in a win over Eastern Kentucky. [3] He finished his freshman season in 2020 with 101 carries for 516 yards and four touchdowns, while also hauling in 26 receptions for 225 yards. [4]
In week 7 of the 2021 season, Vidal rushed for 162 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in a 31-28 win over Texas State. [5] He finished the season with 701 yards and five touchdowns on 152 carries, while also bringing in 22 receptions for 134 yards. [6]
In week 12 of the 2022 season, Vidal rushed for 242 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Louisiana–Monroe, earning Sun Belt Conference offensive player of the week honors. [7] The following week, he rushed for 208 yards and four touchdowns to help beat Arkansas State and advance to the Sun Belt championship game. [8] Vidal finished his breakout 2022 season with 1,132 yards and 10 touchdowns on 231 carries, while also notching 26 receptions for 140 yards. [9] For his performance on the season, Vidal was named second-team all-Sun Belt. [10]
In the 2023 season opener, Vidal set the Troy single game rushing yard record with 248 yards in a win over Stephen F. Austin. [11] In week 6, he rushed for 245 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Arkansas State and was named the Sun Belt offensive player of the week. [12] Vidal went on to be named the Sun Belt offensive player of the year and won the MVP award in the 2023 conference championship game after becoming the first player ever to rush for five touchdowns in an FBS conference championship. [13]
Legend | |
---|---|
Led NCAA Division I FBS | |
Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year | |
Troy record | |
Bold | Career best |
Troy Trojans | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Games | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
GP | GS | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
2020 | 9 | 2 | 101 | 516 | 5.1 | 4 | 26 | 225 | 8.7 | 0 | |
2021 | 11 | 11 | 152 | 701 | 4.6 | 5 | 22 | 134 | 6.1 | 0 | |
2022 | 14 | 14 | 231 | 1,132 | 4.9 | 10 | 26 | 140 | 5.4 | 0 | |
2023 | 14 | 14 | 297 | 1,661 | 5.6 | 14 | 18 | 201 | 11.2 | 1 | |
Career | 48 | 41 | 781 | 4,010 | 5.1 | 33 | 92 | 700 | 7.6 | 1 |
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 ft 7+7⁄8 in (1.72 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | 30+3⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.46 s | 1.53 s | 2.59 s | 4.15 s | 7.01 s | 37.5 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 18 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine [14] [15] |
Vidal was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers with the 181st overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. [16] He made his NFL debut in a win over the Denver Broncos on October 13, scoring on his first official touch, a 38-yard touchdown reception from Justin Herbert. [17]
Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
2024 | LAC | 6 | 0 | 30 | 98 | 3.3 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 38T | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Career | 6 | 0 | 30 | 98 | 3.3 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 49 | 16.3 | 38T | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Vidal is the great nephew of Hank Aaron. [18]
LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson, nicknamed "LT", is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college football career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers selected him as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft. He spent nine years with the Chargers, earning five Pro Bowl appearances, three Associated Press first-team All-Pro nominations, and two NFL rushing titles. Tomlinson was also voted the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2006 after breaking the record for touchdowns in a single season. He played two further seasons with the New York Jets, before retiring. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.
Jacob Troy Hester is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football for the LSU Tigers.
Keenan Alexander Allen is an American professional football wide receiver for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears before leaving after his junior year. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Eugene Marquis "T. Y." Hilton is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the FIU Panthers and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft. Hilton has also played for the Dallas Cowboys.
Tyreek Hill is an American professional football wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Garden City, Oklahoma State, and West Alabama before being drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Cordarrelle Patterson, nicknamed "Flash", is an American professional football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). A versatile utility player, he plays running back, wide receiver, kickoff returner, and occasionally on defense. Patterson played college football for the Hutchinson Blue Dragons before transferring to the Tennessee Volunteers, where he earned first-team All-SEC honors. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has also been a member of the Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and the Atlanta Falcons.
Melvin Gordon III is an American professional football running back who is a free agent. He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, earning unanimous All-American honors and winning the Doak Walker Award as the top college running back in 2014. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft with the 15th overall pick.
Derrick Lamar Henry Jr. is an American professional football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "King Henry", he is known for his imposing style of play and larger build than the average running back.
James Earl Conner is an American professional football running back for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. In 2014, he garnered AFCA first-team All-American honors and was awarded the ACC Player of the Year. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Michael K. Williams is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers seventh overall in the 2017 NFL draft.
Justin Patrick Herbert is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, where he won the 2019 Pac-12 Championship, and was selected by the Chargers as the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.
Cam Akers is an American professional football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. Akers was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He spent four seasons with the team, including the 2021 season where he tore his Achilles tendon. He returned for the postseason and was a part of the Super Bowl LVI championship team. In 2023, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, where another Achilles injury prematurely ended his season.
Austin Ekeler is an American professional football running back and return specialist for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Colorado Mountaineers, finishing as their all-time leader in rushing yards before signing with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. With the Chargers, Ekeler led the NFL in touchdowns for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Amon-Ra Julian Heru John St. Brown is a German-American professional football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft. St. Brown was voted to the Pro Bowl from 2022 to 2024, and was a first-team All-Pro in 2023. He is the younger brother of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown.
Augustus Edwards is a Liberian professional American football running back for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Miami (FL) before transferring to Rutgers and signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Edwards' nickname is "Gus the Bus"; he is known for his large size and "bruising" running style.
Joshua Cordell Jacobs is an American professional football running back for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. Jacobs rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, while being named to NFL All-Rookie Team in 2019 and to his first Pro Bowl in 2020. In 2022, he led the league in rushing yards with 1,653 and became the first Raider since 1985 to surpass 2,000 scrimmage yards. After five years with the Raiders, Jacobs signed with the Packers in 2024.
Justin Jamal Jefferson is an American professional football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he won the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship as a junior before being drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft.
Jalen Curtis Tolbert is an American professional football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Alabama Jaguars and was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.
Isaiah Leroy Likely is an American professional football tight end for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Coastal Carolina and was selected by the Ravens in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.
Andrew Ladd McConkey is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, winning two national championships and the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy. He was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.