NFL tight end Cole Kmet has two younger brothers, Casey and Cooper Kmet, who have both established their paths in sports, following in the footsteps of their athletic family.
Cole Kmet comes from a family of athletes, with his father, Frank Kmet, playing football at Purdue University and later in the NFL.
Whereas, his mother, Kandace Kmet, was a high school basketball player.
Likewise, both of his two brothers, Casey and Cooper, are excelling in their respective sports.
Cole Kmet’s Brother, Casey Kmet, Played Baseball at Notre Dame!
Casey Kmet, born two years after Cole, is a talented baseball player who graduated from St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 2019.
At St. Viator, Casey was a standout athlete. He earned first-team All-State honors in 2017 and helped his team win the Illinois 3A State Championship that same year.
He was a three-time All-Conference player and was named both offensive and defensive MVP for his high school team multiple times.
It was Cole’s career that shaped Casey’s competitive drive, as he often played basketball and other sports as a kid.
Casey once revealed how he worked to keep up with his elder brother:
We’d go play basketball, and he didn’t have to invite his friends over because I was athletic enough to play with him.
Casey went on to play baseball at Notre Dame, where his brother Cole also played football before joining the NFL. However, Casey’s college career faced challenges due to injuries.
In 2020, his freshman season was cut short after he broke his ankle and tore ligaments while sliding into a base. The injury, combined with the COVID-19 pandemic suspending the season, limited his playing time.
In 2021, Casey appeared in just six games due to lingering discomfort from the injury, which required a second surgery.
Despite these setbacks, Casey didn’t give up, and by 2023, his senior season, he played in 25 games for Notre Dame. He recorded seven runs, eight hits, and five walks, with a .205 batting average.
In 2024, as a graduate student, he appeared in 12 games, scoring runs against teams like Miami and Pittsburgh and even stealing a base.
During the summer, Casey played for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen, a collegiate summer league team. In just four games, he impressed with a .400 batting average, two home runs, and a 1.000 slugging percentage.
Currently, Casey is pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics with a Sports Analytics concentration at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. There, he also serves as the president of Cohert.
Cole Kmet’s Youngest Brother, Cooper Kmet, Committed to Play Football at Illinois State!
Cooper Kmet, the youngest of the Kmet brothers, is a senior quarterback at St. Viator High School, where he has emerged as a standout athlete.
Born on October 6, 2006, Cooper initially played baseball like his brothers but switched to football in high school, where he quickly made a name for himself.
As a sophomore, he earned the starting quarterback role mid-season and led St. Viator to its first playoff appearance in a decade.
In his junior year, Cooper threw for over 2,900 yards and 23 touchdowns in nine games, earning all-state, all-area, and all-conference honors while guiding the team to the second round of the IHSA playoffs.
In his senior season, he threw for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns, plus rushed for over 300 yards and three touchdowns.
One highlight was setting a school record by scoring seven touchdowns in a single game.
Cooper’s performance earned him recognition as the Chicago Bears High School All-Star Player of the Week in October 2023, an honor presented by his brother Cole.
Cooper’s leadership helped St. Viator start the 2024 season with a 3-0 record, and he’s focused on leading the team to a third straight playoff appearance.
His skills as a dual-threat quarterback have attracted attention from colleges, with Division I offers from Southern Mississippi and the University of Tennessee at Martin.
Cooper has committed to play football at Illinois State, where he’ll continue his career as a freshman in 2025.
Chicago Bears tight end Cole has shown his support for his brothers by celebrating their achievements in person when possible.
One memorable moment came on October 24, 2023, when Cole visited St. Viator High School to surprise Cooper with the Chicago Bears High School All-Star Player of the Week award.
Cooper had led St. Viator to a playoff win, and Cole presented him with a personalized football, a $500 donation for a youth group of Cooper’s choice, and food for the entire team.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- NFL star Cole Kmet’s uncle, Jeff Zgonina, had a 17-season NFL career.
- Cole Kmet married Emily Jarosz on June 7, 2025.
