Kendall Coleman’s parents spend their Sundays rewatching the Syracuse game from the day before. Coleman’s mother, Nikki, noticed her son is quicker off the line this year. With his body lower to the ground, he bends smoother toward the quarterback. He’s surgical with his strikes.
After 1.5 sacks in his first 20 games at Syracuse, Coleman focused on his pass rush this offseason. He increased his flexibility by rehabbing an injured shoulder, studied offensive tackles and focused on the minute details of rushing the quarterback. But he didn’t know how those things connected. Everything came together 643 miles from the SU campus during a family bonding session, where Nikki introduced her 6-foot-3, 266-pound pass rusher to kickboxing.