He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings fourth overall in the 2012 NFL draft.

[2] He played in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl on a West squad that featured fellow USC offensive lineman Tyron Smith.

After redshirting his initial year at USC, Kalil served as backup to Tyron Smith at right tackle.

He started against Boston College and performed well, and saw limited action in 11 other games (all but Arizona State) and played primarily on special teams.

In his sophomore year, Kalil beat Smith to replace Charles Brown at left tackle, where he started all 13 games.

As a junior, Kalil retained his starting left tackle spot, helping the Trojans average 456.8 yards of total offense.

[3] For his effort, Kalil was named to several All-American teams, while also becoming the 12th Trojan offensive lineman to win the Morris Trophy.

Kalil was USC's fifth offensive lineman selected in the top-5 of an NFL draft, after Ron Yary in 1968, Marvin Powell in 1977, Anthony Muñoz in 1980, and Tony Boselli in 1995.

[12] He was selected to attend the Pro Bowl after Washington Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams was injured during a night club fight.