Kinne was born in
Mesquite, Texas, a suburb just east of
Dallas, to Gary Joe Kinne and Jocelyne Karr. His father was a former standout linebacker at
Baylor University and later an assistant coach at
Allen High School,
Kaufman High School, and was the defensive coordinator at
Mesquite High School. In 2003, his father accepted the head coaching job at
Canton High School in
East Texas, a town about 60 miles east of Dallas. Kinne became the starting quarterback of the Eagle varsity football team as a freshman. In his first game against rival
Grand Saline High School, Kinne played well and exhibited a strong arm and good accuracy despite a 20–13 loss. He led Canton High to its first playoff victory since 1964 and finished the year as Class AAA area finalists with an 8–4 record. He was named
All East Texas and was named
The Tyler Morning Telegraph's East Texas Newcomer of the year. As a sophomore, he led CHS to another good season with an 8–2 record but narrowly missed the playoffs.
Father's shooting In the spring of 2005, Kinne's father, who was also his coach at Canton High, was shot in the chest by the disgruntled parent of one of the players he coached. According to police reports, Jeff Doyal Robertson, the father of a player who had often complained to coaches and administrators regarding the way his son was treated, walked into the Canton Fieldhouse and shot Coach Kinne at point blank range. Robertson then fled in his pickup truck and headed east towards
Tyler, Texas. Kinne Sr. was on the phone with another coach who was at another school when he was shot. Kinne Jr. was taken by police into protective custody, and then told that his father had died when in fact he had survived despite being given only a 10% chance to live. Robertson was later apprehended in an area north of Tyler near
Interstate 20 where he had slashed his wrists in an apparent
suicide attempt. Robertson was convicted of
aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Senior year After the shooting, Kinne stayed one more year at Canton High School, leading the team to its best season in school history with a 12–2 record, losing to
Tatum High School, the eventual state champion. After the 2005 season, Kinne's father, who had recovered from his wounds, was offered a job at
Baylor University, which he accepted. Kinne then decided to move to
Gilmer, Texas about 70 miles to the east of Canton, to live with his mother and stepfather. The decision to move was controversial as many speculated that Kinne moved for athletic reasons, which is prohibited by the UIL, the governing body of Texas high school athletics. Kinne enrolled at Gilmer High School and became the starting quarterback, leading the Buckeyes to a 10–0 record, but was upset in the first round of the playoffs by Liberty-Eylau High School. He finished his career with 11,695 passing yards and 130
touchdown passes. He also rushed for 3,327 yards with 48 touchdowns. Kinne committed to
Texas on December 28, 2006. Kinne also received football scholarship offers from
Baylor,
Florida,
Nebraska,
Oklahoma and
Tennessee. ==College career==