Kenny Irons

Over the next two games, Irons was held under 100 yards per contest. He was given an off week against the University of Buffalo to allow him a chance to recover. Irons returned to the field the following week for the road trip to Columbia, South Carolina to confront the team and fans that he felt turned their back on him three years earlier. The game was a hard fought contest. A surprise onside kick allowed Auburn to maintain control of the ball for the entire 3rd quarter. The game ended in a Tigers victory, with Kenny gaining 117 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Following the completion of his senior football season, Irons recovered from his injuries and began to work out and prepare for the 2007 NFL Draft. He and his brother signed with the same agent and worked out together. They traveled together to the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and their individual pro days. At the combine, Irons posted a 4.45 second 40-yard dash time and a 38-inch vertical leap.

Irons was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round (49th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft.

During the second quarter of the Bengals first preseason game against the Detroit Lions on August 9, Irons tore his ACL on his fourth carry of the game, ending his rookie season. Irons was expected to recover fully and be ready for spring workouts. After the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, Irons said he expected to be ready for training camp in July 2008. However, on July 25, Irons was waived/injured by the Bengals and subsequently placed the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list. He was waived from the PUP list on August 4.

The 2006 season was entered with much anticipation. Irons had been held out of the A-Day Spring game to avoid unnecessary injury. Speculations for his senior year included him rushing for 1,500 yards, and he was considered as a candidate for the Doak Walker, Maxwell and even Heisman Trophy Awards.

On October 22, 2005, Auburn traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to play the highly ranked LSU Tigers. While getting off of the bus at the stadium, Irons gestured to the ESPN crew that he would rush for 200 yards that night. The game was a classic, with Irons establishing himself as a punishing North-South runner. He ended the contest with 218 yards and one touchdown in an overtime loss to the Tigers.

Even though he was not allowed to play on Saturdays, Kenny Irons was an important part of the team that fall. As a member of the Scout Team, or practice squad, he simulated opposing teams' running backs, enabling the defense to get an accurate look at what the opposing runner would be like. Some have credited his dedication to that role as an important factor in the Auburn Tigers' undefeated 2004 season.

Irons transferred to Auburn University following the 2003 season in order to play alongside his brother again. Kenny participated in the Auburn A-Day Spring Game, but was ineligible to play the following year due to NCAA regulations. While sitting out the 2004 season, Irons was able to apprentice under future NFL players Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown.

At Dacula High School in Dacula, Georgia, Irons rushed for 1985 yards and 19 touchdowns, playing alongside his brother David. His high school honors included PrepStar All-American, Sporting News Top 25, Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Top 11, Gwinnett County Back of the Year, and playing in the Georgia-Florida High School All-Star Game. Irons initially signed with the University of South Carolina to play for then-head coach Lou Holtz. He is the nephew of Gerald Irons and Leroy Jackson and he is the cousin of Grant Irons, Jarrett Irons and Paul Irons. Prior to his success toting the rock on the gridiron, Kenny's passion in his formative years was cascading through the skies in a hot air balloon with his father, Gerald. Kenny became the youngest balloon pilot in New Jersey history to complete a transcontinental voyage in 1992, when at the age of 9 he trekked alone from his home state to Palo-alto California, isolated in the basket of his airborne vehicle he named "Tabitha." Kenny eventually drifted away from his passion of skyward transportation at the age of 13 when he broke the Garden State Pop Warner league record for single season rush yards with 6,969 in his final campaign before wreaking havoc in the high school ranks.

Kenny Irons (born September 15, 1983) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.