Former American Heritage RB Khalil Herbert heads to Bears after breakout season for VT
Khalil Herbert’s talent wasn’t a secret to the Kansas Jayhawks — they were, after all, the only team from a Power 5 Conference to offer him a scholarship coming out of Plantation American Heritage — but Herbert still felt underutilized early in his senior season. The running back had been surpassed on the depth chart and just wanted one more chance to prove himself as an NFL talent so he redshirted and planned to return to Kansas for one more year.
The situation in Lawrence deteriorated — Herbert said his decision was “misinterpreted” — and Herbert found himself searching for a new home. The Virginia Tech Hokies gave him the final chance he was looking for and Herbert made the most of it. Now he’s headed to the NFL.
The Chicago Bears selected Herbert with the 33rd pick in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft — No. 217 overall — on Saturday after his breakout season in Blacksburg. Herbert’s selection also moves American Heritage close to a record: The tailback is the sixth former Patriot to be selected this weekend, continuing a record-breaking weekend. Entering this year, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, Miami Northwestern and Bradenton IMG Academy all shared the record with four alumni picked in a single NFL Draft. IMG Academy is up to seven this year.
Herbert’s path to the NFL is perhaps the most unlikely of the group. He wasn’t even a top-2,000 prospect coming out of high school, according to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, and he had only five offers. The Jayhawks quickly learned they had a steal and Herbert ran for 189 yards as a freshman and 663 as a sophomore.
His carries and production slipped as a junior, though, as fellow running back Pooka Williams took the bulk of the carries. As a senior, he was averaging 8.9 yards per carry in a back-up role before he decided to redshirt, hoping for expanded opportunities with his second season.
Ultimately, he had to go to Virginia Tech to get them and he exceeded all expectations, running for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns on 155 carries. Early in the season, he started to pop up on Heisman Trophy watchlists. It was clear he was the NFL talent he always believed.
This story was originally published May 1, 2021 at 5:16 PM.
