Nyjalik Kelly
| No. 11 – UCF Knights | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) |
| College |
|
| Stats at ESPN | |
Nyjalik Kelly is an American football defensive end. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and UCF Knights.
Early life
Kelly is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[1] He attended Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale where he played football as a defensive end.[2] As a sophomore, he won the district championship and was named honorable mention All-Broward.[3] He helped Dillard go undefeated in 2020 while recording 13 sacks and 21 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), then was named the Broward 8A-6A Football Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2021 when he recorded 58 tackles, 12 sacks and 20 TFLs.[4] Kelly participated at the All-American Bowl at the end of his high school career.[4] He was ranked a four-star recruit and one of the top-100 prospects nationally in the class of 2022.[5] He initially committed to play college football for the Florida State Seminoles before de-committing.[6] He later signed to play for the Miami Hurricanes.[7]
College career
As a true freshman at Miami in 2022, Kelly appeared in all 12 games and posted 11 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, four sacks and 15 pressures.[8][9] He was limited by injuries in 2023 and recorded only eight tackles while starting three games.[10] After the 2023 season, Kelly entered the NCAA transfer portal and transferred to the UCF Knights.[10] In his first year with the Knights, he totaled 53 tackles, 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles while earning honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference honors.[11] In 2025, he posted 46 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, two forced fumbles and an interception while earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors for a second time.[12] Kelly declared for the 2026 NFL draft and was invited to the 2026 Senior Bowl.[12][13]
References
- ^ "Nyjalik Kelly". UCF Knights.
- ^ Santucci, Jon (October 22, 2021). "Football recruiting: Dillard 2022 DL Nyjalik Kelly prefers to stay in Florida for college". The Palm Beach Post.
- ^ "Nyjalik Kelly". Miami Hurricanes.
- ^ a b McPherson, Jordan (January 26, 2022). "Dillard's Nyjalik Kelly is Broward 8A-6A Football Defensive Player of the Year". Miami Herald.
- ^ Wilson, David (August 18, 2022). "'Freak of nature': What Miami's veteran D-linemen are saying about freshman Nyjalik Kelly". Miami Herald.
- ^ Weiler, Curt (April 20, 2021). "2022 four-star defensive end Nyjalik Kelly decommits from Florida State". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ Smarr, Emilee (December 15, 2021). "Recruiting: With Nyjalik Kelly, Mario Cristobal lands first major recruit at Miami". Daytona Beach News-Journal.
- ^ Jackson, Barry (April 9, 2024). "UM loses Nyjalik Kelly to portal. All of Cristobal's initial top 100 recruits are now gone". Miami Herald.
- ^ Lichtenstein, Adam (April 9, 2024). "Hurricanes defensive lineman and ex-Dillard star Nyjalik Kelly enters transfer portal". Sun Sentinel.
- ^ a b Samra, Steve (April 23, 2024). "Miami transfer EDGE Nyjalik Kelly commits to UCF". On3.com.
- ^ Londergan, Joe (July 28, 2025). "Four UCF Players Named To 2026 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000". 247Sports.
- ^ a b Turner, Bryson (January 16, 2026). "UCF EDGE Declares For NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Perkins, Chris (January 28, 2026). "BC players issue scouting report on Dolphins' Hafley from Senior Bowl; practice observations". Sun Sentinel.