UNA football star Takairee D. Kenebrew is in his final year of eligibility. The wide receiver plays his seventh and last season as a UNA Promising Alumni nominee, third place in UNA’s receiving yardage history, a leader for the Lions, and loving father for Harmony and Melody Kenebew.
Kenebrew grew up in Birmingham, living with his grandparents and mother, Nettea Kenebrew, when young. The student-athlete moved to Bessemer, Ala., in his later childhood, where he found out his passion for football and all that was athletics-related.
“The coaches [saw] me playing around at the gym and asked if I would come join the football team, and so I decided to go out and play,” said Kenebrew. “I ended up being good at it, so I continued through middle school and high school.”
He became entranced by many sports in school; soccer, basketball and track and field were current in Kenebrew’s teenage years.
“I just fell in love with all of them,” Kenebrew said. “I knew then I wanted to be an athlete more than anything.”
As the player entered high school, a wave of hope filled young Kenebrew’s heart. He longed for early college football offers.
“If I am going to college it might as well be paid for,” joked Kenebrew.
In his senior year, proposals “kicked in” and took him to many college visits. According to the wide receiver, UNA was the “right and easy choice” as soon as he stepped foot on campus.
The welcoming aspect and sense of community of the campus and football program captivated both Kenebrew and his mother.
Graduated from Childersburg High School as 2017 Team Offensive Player of the Year and all-state and breaking the school’s receiving touchdowns record, 21, Takairee Kenebrew became a UNA Lion in 2018.
As a freshman, the now college student-athlete played the two last games of the season. Even though Kenebrew did not see much action in that year other than 33 rushed yards against Shorter, someone entered his life to show what “student” in “student-athlete” meant.
“Ms. Cristha Raney [UNA English department senior lecturer] was one of my English professors when I first got in,” Kenebrew said. “[She] really helped me in the classroom showing me what it’s like to be a student-athlete and not just an athlete on the field; that’s all I cared about when I first got here.”
Being now close to graduation, he claims he will miss Raney the most. “She is my best friend, my teacher, my mentor, all in one,” Kenebrew said.
With a studious mindset in place, Kenebrew gained the necessary skills to succeed academically while pursuing his accounting degree. He claims to like numbers and for the subject to be “in the family.” His grandmother, mother and aunt have accounting degrees.
Another one of the athlete’s challenges was learning to be a father for his firstborn daughter Harmony, who turned six years old in Sept. 2024.
“All the coaches, they helped me become a better father,” Kenebrew said. “I get to see how they do it, and they coached me the right way to be able to do the same for my kids.”
The receiver expressed an extremely affectionate love and care for Harmony and Melody, both named after his love for music, and he said he is excited about the oldest entering the first grade. In his free time, spending time with his girls is what he cherishes the most.
Adversity and uncertainty were constant for his 2019 season. Kenebrew dealt with an injury that blocked him from playing throughout the whole season.
The wide receiver explained the injury was a major turning point in his career and personality because it taught him to deal with hardship, on and off of the field.
“As an athlete, it’s hard to be focused with school and life when football isn’t going right because that is your main priority at the time. I learned a lot from that,” Kenebrew said.
The year of 2021, however, marked the start of the then redshirt sophomore’s stardom. Kenebrew began the season as starting receiver and amazed both the audience and his coaches with outstanding performance.
On Oct. 23, a game against Charleston Southern University earned Kenebrew ESPN SportsCenter Play of the Day when he scored a touchdown by kicking the ball to himself while lying on the ground in the end zone.
The same game got him named Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Week for four catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
The receiver finished the season with 27 catches for 520 yards and eight touchdowns
In 2022, his season catches increased by two, eight for touchdowns, and his receiving yardage was 649. Kenebrew was named Second Team All-ASUN.
His final undergraduate year kicked off with a career high of 172 receiving yards in his first game against Chattanooga.
On Sept. 4, Kenebrew was named first-ever UAC Offensive Player of the Week and only FCS player on the Pro Football Focus (PFF) Team of the Week.
Kenebrew wrapped the season with nine starts, 42 receptions and 10 touchdowns.
Senior year was not the end of the receiver’s UNA career, as he came back for a final year of eligibility pursuing a graduate degree in 2024.
So far, Kenebrew has broken his own career record, adding one yard to his receiving yardage high against UT Martin on Sept. 14, totaling 173.
The player reminisces his early years and who he has become as an athlete and person.
“I would describe myself as a leader and someone who knows how to deal with adversity,” Kenebrew said. “UNA has really molded me from that 18-year-old into a man. I did not think this would all happen. These awards, this growth, I never thought I’d make it this far.”
As a player, Kenebrew explained his seven years of learning taught him to separate his on- and off-field personalities.
When his foot is on turf, he is strict and knows what he wants.
“I like for things to go a certain way because I have been around football for a certain time so I know how things are supposed to go,” Kenebrew said.
Off the field, he says he is “laid back” and prioritizes kindness, fun and family time.
After completing his MBA, Kenebrew plans to enter his name in a draft.
“Hopefully, I can make it a couple years in the NFL, if God is willing,” Kenebrew said. “After that, I want to retire and start my own accounting firm.”
Defense Coordinator Kevin Wewers and Offense Coordinator Brock Caraboa commented on the player’s journey and legacy.
“[I] can’t say enough good things about him and what he’s done for this program, especially at where it was when he first got here to where we are right now,” said Wewers. “He really helped us bridge this gap. He’s been this rock force, consistent leader. I’m really blessed and really thankful for being his coach and being around him everyday.
Caraboa added, “He is a great person and player. He is tough to cover. Even in practice, you can’t cover him.”
Takairee Kenebrew is certain about how he wants to be remembered: “A great father and a great leader to all my teammates.”
