He attended Florida State
University, where he played for four years as
their quarterback. During his FSU career he
played in 45 games and completed 62.2 of his 851
pass attempts. He threw for 6,372 yards, 57
Touchdowns [a school record] and 26
Interceptions over his four years as a Seminole.
He played in four BCS bowls during his NCAA
career; in his freshman, sophomore and senior
years he played in the Orange Bowl and in his
junior year he played in the Sugar Bowl. He was
given an "honorable mention" in the All-American
list of his senior year.
Kanell was selected by the New York Giants in the fourth round (130 overall) in the 1996 NFL Draft. He made his debut later that season that year for the team. The next season in New York, Kanell became the starter and played the last 10 games of the 1997 season, leading the Giants to the NFC Eastern Division title. In those 10 games he threw for 1,740 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The following year, Kanell started all 10 games he played in while throwing for 1,603 yards, 11 TDs and 10 INTs.