Amari Kight: From Alabama to the NFL
Amari Kight (born December 21, 2000) is an American football offensive tackle for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). His journey to the NFL involved a path from a highly-regarded high school player to a college career at Alabama and UCF, before turning pro.
Early Years and High School Career
Kight attended Thompson High School, where he played football under coach Mark Freeman. As an offensive tackle, he earned two-time All-State First Team honors from the Alabama Sports Writers Association. He helped lead the Warriors to a semifinal appearance in 2017 and a runner-up finish in Class 7A during his senior year in 2018. Kight's performance in high school led to his selection to the Alabama All-Star team. ESPN ranked him as the fourth-best player in Alabama in the Class of 2019.
College Career
Alabama (2019-2022)
Kight began his college career at the University of Alabama. He redshirted his first season in 2019. In 2020, he saw limited action. He played in seven games in 2021, with his most extensive playing time consisting of 36 snaps against New Mexico State. In 2022, as a redshirt junior, Kight appeared in 12 games as a backup to Tyler Steen. He also contributed on field goal and PAT units. He played 30 snaps vs. Austin Peay, 20 each against Utah State and ULM.
UCF (2023)
Following the 2022 season, Kight entered the transfer portal and committed to UCF. In 2023, he appeared in all 13 games for the Knights, starting 10 games at right tackle. Kight's presence on the offensive line contributed to UCF's offensive success. The team ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense (228.2 yards per game) and eighth in total offense (487.0 yards per game). Kight logged 745 offensive snaps and established himself as the team's most reliable pass protector.
NFL Career
Kight signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. He was later signed by the Seattle Seahawks.
Read also: Amari Johnson Stats and Highlights
Professional Evaluation
DraftScout.com provides an evaluation of Kight's skills and potential. The evaluation notes that Kight is a developmental tackle with adequate anchor strength and plus length. He wins primarily with his extension and pass-blocking foundation. While he possesses above-average athletic tools, his anchor strength and power generation in the run game are areas that need further development.
Kight's strengths align well with zone-heavy schemes. These schemes maximize his movement skills and ability to reach the second level, while masking current deficiencies in point-of-attack power.
His ceiling is seen as a spot starter who can hold up in pass protection. His floor is a swing tackle who needs scheme protection. Early contributions will likely come as a backup tackle while strength training and technical development catch up to his natural tools.
College Statistics
| Year | School | Games |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Alabama | 1 |
| 2020 | Alabama | 2 |
| 2021 | Alabama | 7 |
| 2022 | Alabama | 12 |
| 2023 | UCF | 13 |
High School Accolades
- Two-time All-State First Team selection (Alabama Sports Writers Association)
- Alabama All-Star selection
- Under Armour All-America Game participant
- Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game participant
Recruiting Profile
- Consensus four-star offensive tackle
- Ranked as the No. 8 offensive tackle by ESPN
- Ranked as the No. 30 player on ESPN300
- Ranked as the fourth-best player in Alabama by ESPN.com
- Ranked as the No. 76 player nationally, No. 10 offensive tackle and No. 5 player in Alabama on 247Composite
- Ranked as the No. 101 player nationally and 10th-rated offensive tackle by 247Sports
- Ranked as the No. 140 player in the country and No. 19 offensive tackle according to Rivals
- Ranked as a five-star prep standout and No. 44 prospect on PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team
- Ranked as PrepStar's No. 5 player in Alabama
tags: #amari #kight #ucf #statistics #and #biography
