NOLA Gold re-signed Kenneth Jinkins for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 26-year-old wing (27 in January) is 6’2″ and 195 lbs.
Kenneth played 99 minutes in 2 matches for NOLA Gold and also played with the Academy team during the Fall in the American Rugby Premiership.
Kenneth played with NOLA Gold during the 2020 and 2021 preseason. He also played with New Orleans RFC and with NOLA Gold Academy. He also won the 2021 Robert Markel Cup with Gretna Krewe Rugby Club over the Pontchartrain Po-Boy Rugby Club.
Kenneth is from West Saint Paul, Minnesota, and attended Henry Sibley High School in Mendota Heights. He was an All-State, All-Metro, and All-Conference football player who played basketball and was on the track and field team.
Kenneth attended The College of St Scholastica in Duluth from 2014 to 2018 and majored in Psychology. He was a defensive back and wide receiver in football and was named to the All-UMAC first team and the Academic All-UMAC team as a freshman. In his Sophomore year, he also was named to the All-UMAC team and the All-UMAC track and field team as the long jump outdoor champion. In his Junior year he was a Third Team All-West selection and an All-UMAC selection again, as well as for his Senior year. He also was named to the UMAC All-Decade Team and the Scholasticas All-Decade Team.
As a scholarship player, after four years he still had some remaining credits to complete for his degree at St Scholastica. He returned home and played semi-pro football for the St Paul Pioneers from 2018-2019. He and his girlfriend Andrea then relocated to Louisiana during the Summer of 2019. Andrea played rugby since 8th grade and got him involved in touch rugby. This led to him playing with New Orleans Rugby Club’s sevens team over the Summer and for NOLA Gold at the Rugbytown 7s in 2019.
During the Fall of 2019, Kenneth played with Krewe Rugby and helped the team win the Robert Merkel Cup. His performance led to his signing a professional contract for the 2020 MLR season with NOLA Gold.
Kenneth played in the first preseason match for NOLA Gold away against Rugby ATL. He also played for New Orleans RFC in 2020.
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