Luke Kandra
Career Summary
Luke Kandra is an offensive lineman from Cincinnati, Ohio, who played three seasons at Louisville and finished his college career at Cincinnati. He signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
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Early Life
Kandra is from Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati reported that he graduated with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies, earned an MBA while playing for the Bearcats, and married Alex Smith in August 2024.
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High School
Kandra attended Elder High School in Cincinnati. Cincinnati describes him as an All-Ohio offensive lineman who helped Elder finish as the Ohio Division I state runner-up in 2019; he played both guard and defensive tackle in high school.
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College Career
Kandra redshirted at Louisville in 2020 and played in 21 games over the next two seasons, making two starts in 2022. He transferred to Cincinnati and started 24 consecutive games at right guard across 2023 and 2024, allowing one sack over those two Bearcat seasons.
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Path to the NFL
Following his Cincinnati career, Kandra entered the 2025 professional opportunity cycle. Cincinnati announced that he joined the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent.
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NFL Career
Kandra signed with Carolina as an undrafted rookie in 2025. The Panthers waived him on August 25, 2025, during their initial roster-reduction moves.
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Career Accomplishments
Kandra earned All-Big 12 first-team recognition in 2023 and 2024, Walter Camp second-team All-America and AP third-team All-America honors in 2023, and Sports Illustrated and College Football Network second-team All-America recognition in 2024. Cincinnati also named him a 2024 CSC Academic All-District selection.
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Playing Style
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 323 pounds, Kandra played right guard. Cincinnati identified him as the Big 12's highest-graded right guard in 2024 and said he was third among Power Four guards; his 2023 season included 79 knockdowns and 895 regular-season snaps.
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Sources for this section
31051, 00-0040286, 2001-08-08, Luke Kandra, Luke, Kandra
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