Kimani Vidal (vi-DAHL; 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.
_(cropped).jpg) Vidal with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 28 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | August 28, 2001 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school | Marietta (Atlanta) | ||||||||||||||||
| College | Troy (2020–2023) | ||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2024: 6th round, 181st overall pick | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||||||
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Early life
editVidal was born in Atlanta to Kwame Vidal and Dayna Scott Vidal, the daughter of U.S. Representative David Scott (D-GA).[1] He attended Marietta High School, where he was rated a three-star recruit. Vidal committed to play college football at Troy over offers from LSU, Memphis, South Alabama, South Carolina and Syracuse.[2][3]
College career
editIn week 5 of the 2020 season, Vidal rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown in a win over Eastern Kentucky.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6] He finished the season with 701 yards and five touchdowns on 152 carries, while also bringing in 22 receptions for 134 yards.[7]
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.[8] The following week, he rushed for 208 yards and four touchdowns to help beat Arkansas State and advance to the Sun Belt championship game.[9] Vidal finished his breakout 2022 season with 1,132 yards and 10 touchdowns on 231 carries, while also notching 26 receptions for 140 yards.[10] For his performance on the season, Vidal was named second-team all-Sun Belt.[11]
In the 2023 season opener, Vidal set the Troy single game rushing yard record with 248 yards in a win over Stephen F. Austin.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 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) | 6 ft 1+1⁄4 in (1.86 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[15][16] | ||||||||||||
Vidal was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers with the 181st overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.[17] 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.[18]
Vidal was waived on August 26, 2025 as part of final roster cuts and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[19][20] He was promoted to the active roster on October 8 after Omarion Hampton was placed on injured reserve.[21] In Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins, Vidal rushed 18 times for 124 yards, also hauling in three receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown.[22]
Career statistics
editNFL
editCollege
edit| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led NCAA Division I FBS | |
| Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Troy record | |
| Bold | Career best |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| 2020 | Troy | 9 | 2 | 101 | 516 | 5.1 | 4 | 26 | 225 | 8.7 | 0 |
| 2021 | Troy | 11 | 11 | 152 | 701 | 4.6 | 5 | 22 | 134 | 6.1 | 0 |
| 2022 | Troy | 14 | 14 | 231 | 1,132 | 4.9 | 10 | 26 | 140 | 5.4 | 0 |
| 2023 | Troy | 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 | |
Personal life
editVidal has one sister, Kaylin. He is the grandson of former U.S. Representative David Scott and he is the great nephew of Hank Aaron, whose sister Alfredia is Vidal's grandmother.[23]
References
edit- ↑ "My Biography | Congressman David Scott". davidscott.house.gov. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Kimani Vidal, Atlanta, Running Back". 247sports.com. August 1, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ↑ Robinson, Prince (June 25, 2019). "Marietta RB Kimani Vidal commits to Troy". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ Johnson, Jon (October 20, 2020). "Troy notebook: Kimani Vidal, Troy running game continues to be bright spot". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Kimani Vidal 2020 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ Stephenson, Creg (October 16, 2021). "Troy holds on for 31-28 victory over Texas State". AL.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Kimani Vidal 2021 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ Stephenson, Creg (November 21, 2022). "Troy's Kimani Vidal honored by Sun Belt Conference". AL.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Vidal has 4 TDs, Troy advances to Sun Belt championship game". CBSSports.com. Associated Press. November 26, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Kimani Vidal 2022 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ "Sun Belt Announces 2022 Football Postseason Awards & All-Conference Teams". Sun Belt Coneference. December 1, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ↑ Johnson, Jon (September 2, 2023). "Kimani Vidal breaks single-game rushing record previously held by Eddie Brundidge during Troy win". Dothan Eagle. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ↑ Boutwell, Josh (October 9, 2023). "Kimani Vidal earns SBC Offensive Player of the Week". Troy Messenger. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ↑ Griffin, Nick (December 4, 2023). "Troy repeats as Sun Belt champions". The Cullman Tribune. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ↑ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Kimani Vidal Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Kimani Vidal College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
- ↑ Borquez, Gavino (April 27, 2024). "2024 NFL draft: Chargers pick RB Kimani Vidal with No. 181 overall selection". Chargers Wire. USA Today. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ↑ Rhim, Kris (October 13, 2024). "Kimani Vidal's first NFL touch yields 38-yard TD for Chargers". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Chargers Reduce Roster to 53 Players". Chargers.com. August 26, 2025.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Chargers Sign 17 Players to Practice Squad". Chargers.com. Retrieved August 29, 2025.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Chargers Place Omarion Hampton on Injured Reserve; Sign Running Back Kimani Vidal to Active Roster". Chargers.com. October 8, 2025.
- ↑ "How Kimani Vidal Envisioned Career Day in Thrilling Win in Miami". chargers.com. Retrieved December 22, 2025.
- ↑ DeRosa, Theo (April 27, 2024). "Hammerin' Hank's great-nephew taken in NFL Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved June 5, 2024.