Once a Panther, always a Panther, Luke Kandra signs with Carolina as UDFA

Another free agent signing for Cincinnati following the conclusion of the NFL Draft.

Luke Kandra has signed with the Carolina Panthers it was announced on social media.

The Cincinnati native was a former three star recruit out of Elder High School, where he was one of the top prospects in the State of Ohio back in 2020. Kandra, then spent the first three seasons with Scott Satterfield down in Louisville where he then followed his head coach and returned home to Cincinnati prior to the 2023 season.

Kandra quickly became a staple for Cincinnati's offense over the last two seasons as the 6'4" 325-pound offensive lineman came in and locked down one of the guard positions for one of the nation's best offensive lines in 2023. An offensive line that willed the Bearcats to nearly 225 rushing yards per game in 2023, which was top five in all of college football.

Kandra, was tabbed a second team All-American from Walter Camp and Third Team All-American honors from the Associate Press along with All Conference Honors from the Associate Press. Meanwhile, Kandra was voted to the Big 12 Second Team by coaches across the Big 12 conference.

However, Kandra elected to run it back in 2024 alongside Gavin Gerhardt, Dartanyan Tinsley, Deondre Bufford, Phillip Wilder on the offensive line. Which was something unique, especially nowadays, with the new era of college athletics and NIL.

The Cincinnati native paved the way up front in efforts to help former running back Corey Kiner eclipse consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the first time in recent years. Now, that is a testament to the Bearcats offensive line of course, but Kandra played a huge role in that due to his size, strength and athletisicm.

Worth noting that Kandra recorded 33 reps of 225 at the NFL Combine earlier this spring, which was the most by any offensive lineman within the NFL Draft.

A huge congratulations to Luke and his family as he embraces the next journey of his playing career with the Carolian Panthers.