Kentucky Football Countdown: 59 days till kickoff

The 2022 Kentucky football season is rapidly approaching, now only 59 days away from kickoff. One of the greatest defenders in school history, Wesley Woodyard, did not wear No. 59 at Kentucky, but he did throughout the majority of his 12-year NFL career.

Wesley Woodyard was a foundational piece to Rich Brooks’ Kentucky football transformation in the mid-00s. The LaGrange, Ga. product started almost immediately, thanks to a conversation Woodyard recently revisited.

“I’ll never forget the first game of my freshman year. We were playing Louisville and got beat like 49-0. I was thinking about transferring,” he told the Behind Kentucky Football Podcast.

“‘Coach, you told me I was going to get a chance to play.’ I remember going up to Coach Brooks’ office. And I didn’t tell him I wanted to transfer. ‘I want to change positions. I don’t want to play safety anymore, I want to play linebacker. I noticed we need some help at backer.’ He was like, ‘It’s funny you say that, young man. We were actually thinking about putting you there.'”

Woodyard made the move and never looked back. No. 16 for the Wildcats had 34 tackles to earn a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team. It was his only season in Lexington without a 100+ tackles.

The consummate team captain had 100, 122 and 139 tackles in three straight seasons. He earned First Team All-SEC honors in his final two seasons while also helping the Wildcats reach consecutive bowl games for the first time in seven years.

Woodyard concluded his career with 395 tackles. One of 19 Wildcats in the 300-Tackle Club, is 259 solo tackles rank fourth in school history. He was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016.

Following his Kentucky career, Woodyard went undrafted, yet left a significant legacy behind at two stops. His career started in Denver, primarily playing special teams, before earning a starting role to help the Broncos win the AFC Championship in 2013. From 2014-19 he was a Tennessee Titans team captain, completing his career with just shy of 1,000 tackles.

Now retired, Woodyard spends much of his free time giving back through his 16Ways Foundation, which is hosting a golf scramble Friday, July 15 at Thoroughbred Golf Club. Register for the wonderful event today.