‘I don’t believe it’: How Whitehall football’s Lawrence Kanneh found his game
Thursday, October 22, 2026
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
Whitehall defensive end Lawrence Kanneh, a Michigan State commit, found football in middle school, but fell in love with the sport in high school. Photo: Kevin Rouch
When Lawrence Kanneh took up football in middle school, he had no idea how much it would change his life.
It’s been a long journey in just a few short years. But as Kanneh wraps up his senior season with the Whitehall-Yearling football team, he can’t believe how far he’s come.
“I didn’t really take (football) seriously,” said Kanneh, a defensive end. “Honestly, I was just doing it because my friends were doing it. When you’re in middle school, you don’t want to be left out.
“I was a kid just trying to be a part of something. But now that I’m in this situation, it’s like, dang, I don’t believe it.”
Kanneh has dominated this season for the Rams. He has 59 tackles, including 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks, and 18 quarterback pressures.
“(He) just has speed and athleticism,” Whitehall coach Cameron Barker said. “He already has two picks this year, one returned for a touchdown.
“Everything about him is Division I. One thing I tell my kids all the time is if they want to be DI, they can’t DII in grades or emotion. They can’t be DIII in work ethic. You’ve got to be DI in everything and Lawrence is high-caliber in all aspects of his life.”
Barker always saw promise in Kanneh. But his journey from first-time player in middle school to three-star recruit, according to 247 Sports, with a commitment to Michigan State was both fast and slow.
Head coach Cameron Barker, a Whitehall High School and Ashland University grad, talks to his team after practice Thursday. Photo: Kevin Rouch
It was a highlight video posted to X that got the attention of the University of Toledo. The video was from his sophomore season and was posted Jan. 26, 2025 – a year before it got any attention.
The last clip showed him on offense blocking an opponent out of bounds. It changed his life.
“I pancaked somebody,” Kanneh said. “After that, (Toledo) loved the clip and offered me and boom – it became a weekly thing.”
Toledo’s scholarship offer came in March. And then South Florida. And then Marshall. By May, he had 12 offers, including ones from Virginia, Boise State, and of course, Michigan State. Kanneh committed to the Spartans in June.
“He just thought he loved playing football,” said Barker, a 2015 Whitehall graduate, who is in his second year with the Rams.
“When the first one happened, it was every day from Boise State to Appalachian State to Virginia to Michigan State … some MAC schools. Then he was like, ‘Oh, this might be a life for me.’”
While Kanneh’s recruitment may have been quick, his ascension was a little slower.
He grew up playing basketball but gave it up during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kanneh began playing football in the seventh grade at Rosemore Middle School. At Whitehall, he played junior varsity as a freshman.
By Kanneh’s sophomore year, he was playing varsity. It wasn’t until this season that he really began to put it all together.
Whitehall quarterback Malachi Jackson (1), seen in a game at Bexley earlier this season, leads the Rams with over 1,700 yards of total offense. Photo: Reggie Zachery
He started watching film. It wasn’t just game film either. When Kanneh would tune into NFL games on Sunday’s, he began incorporating what he saw into his own game.
I was watching the Bengals play the Buccaneers and there was a fumble,” Kanneh said. “(One of the players) couldn’t get the fumble, so he made sure to hit another player. That same thing happened when we played Bishop Ready when a snap went over somebody’s head. I knew I couldn’t get the ball, so I hit the upback.
“It’s just small things like that. It all comes together when small things come up big, it changes the game.”
Kanneh also took up wrestling last winter and that really helped his game. He learned how to better shed blocks and use his body weight to get someone to the ground.
“It’s probably the best choice I’ve ever made,” Kanneh said.
Meanwhile, Whitehall heads into their final regular season game at home against Columbus Academy at 7-2 overall and 4-0 in the Central Buckeye League. The winner gets the league title, which would be the Rams’ first since 2018.
The Rams, who are led by senior quarterback Malachi Jackson with 1,108 yards passing and 12 touchdowns and 610 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns, began the year 0-2 after going 1-9 last year.
“We have so many athletes and so much talent,” Kanneh said. “Going to a school like Whitehall where the last couple of years haven’t been the best. It makes people lose hope. I know for a fact (that it’s about trusting) the process. It’s going to come.”
