Meet Tim Keenan III

Birmingham native and University of Alabama football star, Tim Keenan III, is using his love for God to make a difference on the gridiron and impact the lives of other children through his heart for community service.

Keenan grew up in Birmingham and had a love for the game of football and the city since his early days of attending football camps hosted by athletes as a child.

"I definitely have a great love for the city of Birmingham from my early days of going to football camps, to my days at Phillips Academy and my high school days at Ramsay," Keenan said.

"Birmingham, we go way back like an old Cadillac, from the early days of going to camps, trying to figure this football thing out. I didn't necessarily know where it would end up taking me but that whole situation made my heart grow for Birmingham. To see the type of grit of where people came from and went on to achieve great things, it made me realize that Birmingham has some great people who could persevere through anything."

Keenan was a standout scholar-athlete at Ramsay High School and helped the Ramsay football team make it to the Alabama High School Athletics Association football quarterfinals appearance in 2019.

Keenan's talents caught the eye of former University of Alabama head coach, Nick Saban, who offered him the opportunity to play for the Crimson Tide as a defensive lineman.

"I always saw myself playing for a school like Alabama, Georgia or LSU," Keenan said. "I always had the ability to play but as time went on, things started coming to me naturally. I always wanted to go to Alabama, but of course, I wanted to see what other schools had to offer but ultimately, who could say 'no' to Nick Saban."

Keenan began to grow in the game of college football but during his time at Alabama, he began growing more in his faith with God.

"My first year, I got redshirted, but I had the time of my life," Keenan said. "That was the first year I didn't have to be 'the man' so not having that pressure on me that year was nice for once, but once you know that pressure is a privilege, you began to yearn for it more. By the time my senior year came, I made some progress but still didn't get the results I was looking for. I also loss some family members and found myself in some low places but that's when my connection with God grew stronger. I found God at Bama. I always knew Him, but I decided to go and talk to Him and develop a relationship with Him when I got to college."

Keenan said once he discovered who God was to him and continued to build his spiritual foundation, he began to grow into the man God called him to be.

"In the past two years, when I started connecting with God and focused on Him, the sky has been the limit, from getting a starting position and not losing it, to having all these different accolades and I give all the glory to God," Keenan said.

In 2024, Keenan was named to the SEC Community Service Team for his work as a servant leader where he has maintained a triple-digit volunteer record and participated in the Big Brother, Big Sisters program in Tuscaloosa. He brought his heart for service back to Birmingham where he poured into the lives of Birmingham children during his time as a Page Pals volunteer.

"It's been amazing to read to students through the Page Pals program," Keenan said. "I've been able to see kids light up and get excited when reading and it gets them motivated to learn."

Keenan 's love for being a big brother and giving back to the community was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the TK3 Foundation, whose mission is to "empower and equip individuals through comprehensive educational, social and athletic programs, fostering holistic personal development."

In 2024, Keenan launched his first youth football camp. On May 17, he will host the second annual TK3 Foundation Youth Football Camp at Legion Field.

"I always wanted to help equip the kids of today's generation with life skills and athletic skills," Keenan said. "I didn't want to wait to start the foundation when I got the chance to go to the league. I wanted to give kids the chance to develop and to watch them out on the field laughing, playing and enjoying themselves is a breath of fresh air."

Keenan said the camp will feature appearances from other football players and participants will have the opportunity to win surprises. Interested participants can pre-register for the camp by clicking here.

Keenan said he will return to the University of Alabama this fall to utilize his last year of eligibility in hopes of having a better position of being able to be drafted in the NFL.