Kash Daniel finds life after football in the wrestling ring: "I feel alive"
On Friday night, Kash Daniel will step into the ring at Appalachian Wireless Arena, just under an hour from his hometown of Paintsville, as an OVW wrestler. Although the former Kentucky linebacker has always had a flair for theatrics, it’s not exactly the career he had in mind; however, after some self-reflection, the 27-year-old knows it’s the role he was born to play.
During an interview with Matt Jones on Kentucky Sports Radio this morning, Daniel opened up on the new chapter of his life, which comes five years after he graduated from the University of Kentucky. Daniel, like most Division I football players, dreamt of going pro. Today, he revealed why that didn’t happen. Daniel had some deals on the table, but they blew up once his medical records were red-flagged. He didn’t give specifics, but Daniel battled several injuries during his career at Kentucky, including a broken hand, ribs, concussions, back pain, and hip pointers.
“When I left college, and the way that it ended with COVID, and you know, I expected myself to — there was a free agent deal on the table for me. It got taken away because my medical records got red-flagged. And so I’m sitting there thinking now, the rug got pulled out from under me.”
Daniel’s deal was with the New Orleans Saints, and it looked so solid that he went turkey hunting on the final day of the draft. He had a bird in his crosshairs when his phone buzzed.
“I was working a bird. I about got it. And I was working, he was gobbling, he was coming in. I was like, okay, we’re about to get after it.
“And I get a text from a coach, I believe from the [New York] Giants, that said, ‘The seventh round’s coming up. If you’re available, we’re gonna take you.'”
Daniel rushed home and turned on the TV. The Giants had three picks in the seventh round: the first pick, a pick in the middle, and the final pick.
“So the first two come. I’m thinking, wow, me and [former Kentucky football star] Marty Moore are about to be in the same company. It’s gonna be two Mr. Irrelevant linebackers coming out of Kentucky. And they took a linebacker from Georgia.”
Daniel called his agent, who broke the news that his medical records had been red-flagged, which not only killed the deal with the Giants but also the Saints. Because of the pandemic, there were no rookie minicamps that year, so undrafted players didn’t have any extra chances to make a roster.
“At that point in that moment in time, my football career was over,” Daniel said.
Five years removed, Daniel now sees how hard that was for him to accept. It made him question himself after dedicating years to his dream, which was suddenly gone.
“It was hard. I think you can talk to any athlete, you know, whether it be my situation or they have a couple of years in the league, or they don’t even get an opportunity in the league. The transition is the hardest part and the hardest period of anything because you’ve dedicated your entire life to it.”
A new life in the ring
The self-doubt stuck with Daniel to the point he turned down an earlier opportunity to join OVW right around when Netflix decided to follow the wrestling company for the “Wrestlers” docuseries.
“I think going back to your question of why now [with wrestling], you know, there was a fear aspect in me of that. I gave everything I had to football. I mean, I gave up everything to try to be the best that I could be, and it just wasn’t good enough. So am I willing to do that all over again, and maybe have the potential to not make it or achieve the goal that I want to? I didn’t want to have that let down again.”
Fast forward a few years, and Daniel is ready to get in the ring. It’s a journey that’s taken a lot of self-reflection and, most importantly in his mind, prayer.
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“At the end of the day, I’ve done a lot of soul-searching within myself. I’ve finally come to terms with who I am and why God put me on this earth. And I’ve done a lot of praying and rekindled my relationship with God and that’s been probably the biggest help and the biggest aspect for me.”
When Jones told him that a mutual friend said Daniel has grown up more in the last six months than his whole life, he wholeheartedly agreed.
“100%. Yeah, it’s — back to prayer again and understanding that God blessed me with so many abilities and so many opportunities that come my way, that it would be a slap in the face to a lot of people, and especially to him, that I’m blessing you with these abilities and you’re not capitalizing on it.”
Obviously, Daniel has the physical abilities. He said he’s in the best shape of his life, bulking up in the weight room and dedicating himself to his training. As we saw on multiple occasions throughout his time at UK, he’s an entertainer, too, with a lifelong love of wrestling. Who could forget him smashing the water bottles together Stone Cold-style after Kentucky beat Florida in the Swamp, or how he trash-talked Mississippi State running back Kylin Hill while eating a chicken sandwich? With a new perspective on life, he’s ready to share those talents with a new audience.
“I realized that this could all end tomorrow. God has the opportunity and the ability to stop your heart right now if he wants to. And so there are graveyards full of people who thought they had more time. And so I’m gonna live life every day like it’s my last, and with every opportunity that comes and be able to go out and show my abilities and my blessings that God gave me.”
It helps that he’s having the time of his life. Even he was surprised how naturally he took to wrestling, which has become his new passion.
“It’s incredible,” Daniel said. “I have so much fun. I’m living, you know. I feel alive every time I step in that arena, when I step in that ring, and truly do feel like I was born for this.
“So, just because of the comfortability that I feel in there, the way that I take to it, the way that I’m a sponge with everything that our trainers tell us, I mean, I could tell you exactly everything that [OVW trainer] Doug [Basham] told us this past weekend…Just the opportunity to step in there every day is just incredible.”
Awesome stuff. Hear more from Kash, including his thoughts on the current state of the Kentucky Football program, below. You can cheer him on at the Appalachian Armageddon tomorrow night in Pikeville, a portion of the proceeds of which will go to flood relief.
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