Colgate University Athletics

Career Statistics

Career
Games/Starts: 48/36
Colgate Debut: Aug. 31, 2013, at Air Force
First Career Start: Aug. 30, 2014, at Ball State
Stats: Led Raiders in tackles for three consecutive years … Finished career with 332 tackles, including 200 solo … Led Patriot League in tackles junior season … Posted 29 TFLs and 8½ sacks … Added four interceptions, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, five pass breakups and four quarterback hurries.
Colgate Rankings at Graduation: (Season) 13th in Tackles Since 1976 (129); (Game) 9th in Longest Interception Return (74).
 
Awards
2010-19 Colgate All-Decade Team
2016 ECAC FCS All-Star Honorable Mention
2016 All-Patriot League First Team
2016 Team Captain
2016 Colgate Dick Biddle Coaches Award
2015 All-Patriot League First Team
2015 Corvias Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 31 vs. Fordham)
2015 American Sports Network FCS Player of the Week (Oct. 31 vs. Fordham)
2015 CollegeSportsMadness.com Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week (Oct. 17 at Georgetown)
2014 All-Patriot League Second Team
2014 CollegeSportsMadness.com All-Patriot League Second Team
2014 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 22 at Bucknell)
Three-Time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll
Four-Time Colgate Raider Academic Honor Roll
 
2016 (Senior)
Games/Starts: 10/10
Position: LB
Stats: Led team in tackles for third straight year, finishing season with 74 (43 solo) … Ranked sixth in Patriot League in tackles per game … Posted 11 TFLs for minus-22 yards, good for second on team overall and sixth in Patriot League … Also notched 3½ sacks for minus-15 yards … Recorded one interception, forced one fumble and registered one quarterback hurry.
Best Games: Season-high 11 tackles, including six solo, against Fordham … Also registered one quarterback hurry that game … Posted 10 tackles twice -- against No. 7 Richmond and against Holy Cross … Team season-best 3½ tackle-for-loss against Crusaders ... Also forced one fumble in Holy Cross game ... Recorded interception against Yale, returning it one yard.
Coach Dan Hunt on Kyle: "A definition of what you want a football player to be since he came in as a freshman. Football is important to him. He's been a leader. He's a guy who can rally others around him. He's one of the guys who really helped change the culture of what it takes in the offseason to be successful. Brings great passion; brings hard work. Obviously he's had a lot of success statistically, but his bigger success is in the attitude of the team. He's a natural leader and people are naturally drawn to him. He plays football the right way. He plays tackle to tackle as hard as you can and he comes to practice every day. He's going to be the hardest working guy out there but he's also going to have a lot of fun, which makes practice a lot more enjoyable. Hopefully, his legacy can be passed on to the next group: this is how you build a culture and stick to it."
 
2015 (Junior)
Games/Starts: 14/14
Position: LB
Stats: Led both Colgate and Patriot League with 129 tackles … That number was best individual total for Raider since 2006 … 78 of those tackles were solo and 6½ were TFLs … Also posted one sack, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries … Registered eight games with 10 or more tackles and led team with 30 playoff tackles … Made nine special teams tackles.
Best Games: Recorded pass breakup on final two-point conversion against No. 11 Fordham to preserve Colgate’s 31-29 victory … Also added 10 tackles (1½ TFLs) in game … Made career-high 14 tackles during regular season meeting against No. 12/15 New Hampshire … Notched 12 tackles against No. 5 James Madison in second round of NCAA playoffs … Posted 13 tackles against Georgetown.  
 
2014 (Sophomore)
Games/Starts: 12/8
Position: LB
Stats: Led Raiders with 89 tackles, including 55 solo … Ranked third on squad with three interceptions … Also third in TFLs, making 8½ and accounting for minus-39 yards … Recorded four sacks, good for fourth on team … Added forced fumble and fumble recovery … Notched three pass breakups to rank fifth on Raiders … Made eight special teams tackles, which tied for fifth on team.
Best Games: Posted ninth-longest interception return in Colgate history with 74-yard pick and run at Delaware ... Tackled just short of goal line, and Raiders scored one play later ... Recorded seven tackles (five solo) against Bucknell … Also recovered fumble and recorded interception during the game … Posted 10 tackles against Lehigh, including one sack … Made nine tackles against both No. 1 Fordham and Princeton.
 
2013 (First Year)
Games/Starts: 12/0
Position: LB
Stats: Led all first-year Raiders with 40 tackles, including 24 solo … Notched three TFLs, accounting for minus-8 yards … Added one pass breakup and quarterback hurry.
Best Games: Best statistical game came against Bucknell, with season-high eight tackles … Made six stops against Lafayette … Registered TFL against Cornell, accounting for minus-4 yards. 
 
Before Colgate
Pine Crest High School…Lettered two years.
Position: LB
Stats: Made 127 tackles and grabbed four interceptions … Caused one fumble and recovered one fumble during his career.
Honors: Selected to play in 3rd Annual Dade vs. Broward Miami Dolphins All-Star Game.
 
Personal
Born: Kyle William Diener in Boca Raton, Florida.
Family: Parents are Bill Diener and Dion Flannery … Has one twin brother.