Marquan McCall Officially Announces he will enter the NFL Draft

Marquan McCall shared news that will break Drew Franklin’s heart. Kentucky’s Bully on the defensive line is entering the NFL Draft.

McCall penned a thank you letter to the Big Blue Nation. “I love all of you and the University of Kentucky will always be my second home.”

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McCall was the top-ranked player from the state of Michigan when he committed to Kentucky in 2018. A powerful figure in the middle of the UK defensive line, he waited for his time to shine behind Quinton Bohanna, and boy, did he shine in 2021.

Nose guard is a position that does not produce a ton of stats. He had just nine total tackles, 3.5 for loss and two quarterback hurries, yet you could feel the difference in the defense when he was on the field. Kentucky allowed just 17 points per game in the nine games he played. They gave up 32 points per game in the four games he was sidelined with an injury.

Always the life of the party, he provided comic relief and injected energy into the defense. In his final game he went toe-to-toe with the best college football center in a decade. After turning away Iowa on one fourth and short, they refused to test him again, punting the ball away in a similar situation late in the fourth quarter to set up Kentucky’s game-winning drive.

McCall will get one more opportunity to show off his talent in front of NFL scouts at the East-Went Shrine Bowl. He’ll join Luke Fortner in Las Vegas later this month. Following Bohanna’s success with the Cowboys, he’s expected to be a mid-round draft pick.

Kentucky is in good hands next year at nose guard. Justin Rogers and Josaih Hayes were top 200 recruits that have played well in McCall’s absence. Still, the UK defense will not be as fun without Bully on the sideline.

Bye, Bye, Bully Goodbye.