Devante Kinlaw enters his first season as head track and field coach at Allen University in 2026–2027. This will be his second year with the Yellow Jackets after serving as assistant head coach during the 2025–2026 season. Kinlaw is a former Allen University standout who became the first track and field All-American in school history.
A native of Conway, South Carolina, Kinlaw attended Aynor High School, where he competed in football and track and field. As a running back, he earned All-Region honors twice and rushed for more than 1,000 yards during his senior season. On the track, he was a two-time South Carolina state champion, an 11-time individual region champion, a two-time Region MVP, a two-time Toast of the Coast Athlete of the Year, and a three-time All-American. In 2011, he placed third in the 400-meter hurdles in his age group at the USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also won multiple USATF Junior Olympic titles and still holds the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdle records at both Conway and Aynor high schools. In 2023, he was inducted into the Aynor High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Kinlaw went on to compete at Allen University, where he earned All-American honors in 2015 and 2019. He finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2019 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships and continues to hold five school records in track and field.
Kinlaw has remained active in the sport since graduating from Allen. At the 2024 USATF Masters Outdoor National Championships, he won the 400-meter hurdles in the men’s 30–34 age division and was part of the winning shuttle hurdles relay team. He returned in 2025 and won national titles in both the 110-meter and 400-meter hurdles in his age group. In 2026, he won the 110-meter hurdles for the second straight year and was also part of the national championship 4x400-meter relay team representing the Atlanta Track Club.
Along with competing, Kinlaw is a member of Black Men Run and the Atlanta Track Club. He has competed in events ranging from the short hurdles and sprints to middle-distance and distance running.
Kinlaw graduated from Allen University with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management. He later earned certificates as a Computer Technician and Cybersecurity Analyst.
Now leading the program where he competed as a student-athlete, Kinlaw hopes to build on Allen University’s track and field tradition. He places an emphasis on hard work, consistency, and helping his athletes develop both on the track and in the classroom.
