University of Connecticut Athletics
Kevin Mensah: Heading for the Record Books
2/21/2020 3:17:00 PM | Football
Running back Kevin Mensah currently has 2,619 career rushing yards after three seasons, good for sixth all-time in UConn history. He's just under 1,200 yards away from breaking Donald Brown's school record of 3,800 yards, which means he has a chance to put his name at the top of the list when his time at UConn is all said and done.
"I don't even pay attention to that, but people do bring it up," Mensah said. "That's crazy. I guess I just gotta work," he added with a laugh.
All he has to do is average about 100 yards per game this upcoming season. Easier said than done, of course.
But if you're familiar with Mensah, you know that nothing is outside the realm of possibility. He's proven people wrong throughout his career. How else would someone who almost didn't play college football be knocking on the door of the record books?
Mensah didn't receive a scholarship offer until coach Randy Edsall got in contact with him and his high school coach at Shepherd Hill Regional in nearby Dudley, Massachusetts, in June of 2017. Mensah had already graduated, but he wasn't committed anywhere, so when Edsall brought him down for a tour and offered him a scholarship, he committed on the spot.
That proved to be a great move for both parties. After putting up solid numbers as the second option as a freshman, Mensah took on the lead back role and put up back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 rushing yards, becoming only the second player in UConn history with two such seasons. He said being consistent is what allowed him to do that.
"Just putting your head down and staying focused," Mensah said. "Just doing the right things that coach Edsall wants you to do and doing the extra things on your own. And just getting bigger, faster and stronger and being confident in what you do. If you do that, you can do anything you want to do."
Mensah doesn't take credit for his accomplishments, though. Instead, he said rushing for 1,000 yards is something the whole team is responsible for.
"When I think of that, I think of my teammates," Mensah said. "I think of the offensive linemen and I think of the whole offensive group. That wasn't just me; that was just all of us putting [in] the work together. So that's a team accomplishment."
Mensah has always loved playing running back. Growing up, he idolized Ricky Williams, and he always felt most comfortable on the football field with the ball in his hands. He was also a track athlete in high school as a long jumper, and he said being a multi-sport athlete helped him succeed.
"Definitely endurance, being well-conditioned," Mensah said. "Coming in my freshman year after just finishing the track season, I was well in shape. I could do more things because I was well in shape, so I think just from being a multiple athlete in different sports, that helps a lot."
This season, Mensah would again like to reach 1,000 rushing yards, but he said he thinks a lot more about the overall team goal: Making a bowl game.
"We just gotta keep doing what we do," Mensah said. "Just keep being consistent in what you do and just focus on your job and focus on what you can do to be better at your job … If everyone can just focus on their job, you know that you'll be doing something great as a team."
As a likely captain this season, Mensah has an additional role and some additional motivation as a leader on the team.
"Having that leadership and having that responsibility, it definitely puts a chip on your shoulder — individually and personally but [also] as a team," Mensah said. "It means a lot, and I'm looking forward to doing the right thing and hopefully helping the younger guys for the future for this team."
Along the way, he might go down as the best and hardest working running back in school history. That's not a bad legacy to leave for the future.
