Cornerback Kyu Kelly is with his fifth NFL franchise in three seasons, but has become a regular starter for the Raiders this year.

What makes his emergence all the sweeter is it happened in his hometown.

Kelly, a Bishop Gorman alum, joins Centennial alum Jonah Laulu as the two Las Vegas natives on the Raiders roster. It’s been a cool experience for Kelly, a fifth-round pick out of Stanford by the Ravens in 2023.

He also spent time with the Seahawks, Packers and Commanders before signing with the Raiders practice squad in September 2024.

Kelly sat down with the Review-Journal this week to discuss playing pro football in his hometown, his memories as a high school track star, a cool fun fact about himself and much more:

RJ: What’s the best part about playing a professional sport in your hometown?

Kelly: Being able to be around family, for sure.

RJ: Are there places around town you’ve been able to turn teammates on to, like spots that you enjoy and get to introduce guys to in the city?

Kelly: Definitely food spots. I make some good recommendations.

RJ: Any you want to share?

Kelly: Big fan of Tacos El Gordo. That’s up there.

RJ: We know Pete Carroll is a big USC guy and still talks about it a lot. He also likes to make jokes about Stanford. How much grief has he given you?

Kelly: It’s actually fortunate for me that my dad (former NFL player Brian Kelly) was an SC guy. So it helps. (Carroll) talked about that before he ever talked about where I went. So, not too much. I’ve been lucky.

RJ: The Raiders acquired defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV, your former Stanford teammate, before the season. How nice has it been to have him around?

Kelly: It’s been awesome, man. Just brings us back to the old days. You know, the old times where you just hang out and be together. Plus, being from here, I get to show him a little about the city. I feel like that helped him adjust very quickly.

RJ: You have any good stories about him from your college days you want to share with Raiders fans?

Kelly: Nah (laughing). He’s just a great dude. A Stanford man through and through, for sure.

RJ: Did it ever get old winning every in-state high school football game at Bishop Gorman and cruising to state titles every year?

Kelly: It was fun. Some schools like Liberty would bring it every time. And in the playoffs, schools would definitely bring it. Then the first five games of the year against out-of-state teams. But schools brought it against us.

RJ: You lost the state 200 meters title to Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze, your high school teammate, in 2019. But you did win the state title in the long jump by more than two feet. How much has Odunze mentioned that 200 meters race over the years?

Kelly: We don’t talk about that. We talk about how we won the 4×100 relay. The one we did together! But no, he got me. I was pretty fast, but he was faster. He was rolling. He got me, for sure.

RJ: How was there nobody that even came close to you in the long jump?

Kelly: I honestly don’t know. Vegas had a lot of talent. I feel like I just hit that one jump and I was like, ‘OK, I’m good.’ I can hang it up right now.

RJ: Doing some research for this, I read that one of your legs is longer than the other. Is that true?

Kelly: Yeah, it is (laughing). I couldn’t tell you the science behind it, but when they measured it, we found out. I was like, ‘That’s pretty cool.’ The left is longer than the right.

RJ: Has that ever been like a hindrance or made it harder to run or anything?

Kelly: Not at all. Just a cool little fun fact. Nothing crazy.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.