Kearse played college football for the Florida Gators, earning All-American honors and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 1998.

He played strong safety and tight end, and in his first season in high school, he returned four kicks for touchdowns.

In addition to his demonstrated athletic ability on the playing field, he carried a 3.6 grade point average and was a member of the National Honor Society.

Starting college at 6 feet, 4 inches tall, and 215 pounds, Kearse was projected as either a linebacker or defensive back.

The Gators lost to the Nebraska Cornhuskers 62–24 in the national championship game, marking Florida's only loss of the season.

Steve McNair had been injured, and with backup quarterback Neil O'Donnell in his place, Kearse helped lead the Titans to win the next four out of five games.

He accounted for two sacks (quarterback Rob Johnson) and two forced fumbles in the AFC wild card game vs. the Buffalo Bills.

That year, the Titans made it to Super Bowl XXXIV in which he started; however, they lost to the Kurt Warner-led St. Louis Rams.

The Titans lost their Divisional playoff games to the Baltimore Ravens who ended up winning the Super Bowl that season.

Kearse also lost the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award to Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens.

In 2002, Kearse fractured the fifth metatarsal in his left foot on the second play from scrimmage against the Eagles in the season opener and was inactive for the next 12 games.

He also played a key role on the 2003 Titans who made the playoffs and won their first-round game against Baltimore before losing a hard-fought divisional match against the eventual world champion New England Patriots.

After his 2003 campaign, Kearse was unable to reach an agreement with the Titans after his contract expired, and thus became an unrestricted free agent.

Kearse played well with the Eagles in 2004, but his tackle and sack totals were not as high as he had previously achieved in his career with the Titans.

After eliminating the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons, the Eagles lost Super Bowl XXXIX 24–21 to the New England Patriots.

However, Kearse did not appear to have regained his burst on the line and, in light of substandard production, he lost his starting job to longtime teammate Juqua Thomas in Week 11 of the 2007 NFL season.