| Year: | 1988 |
| Team: | Kentucky Wildcats |
| Sport: | football |
| Conference: | Southeastern Conference |
| Short Conf: | SEC |
| Head Coach: | Jerry Claiborne |
| Hc Year: | 7th |
| Stadium: | Commonwealth Stadium |
The 1988 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Wildcats scored 217 points while allowing 208 points.[1] [2] This was Jerry Claiborne's seventh season as Kentucky's head coach. The Wildcats finished 5–6, one victory shy of bowl eligibility; the highlight of the season was an upset of #11 ranked Georgia. Kentucky opened with a win against Central Michigan, then lost at #7 Auburn and Indiana before beating Kent State. Losses to #12 Alabama and at #19 LSU followed. Next were wins against #11 Georgia, Southern Illinois and Vanderbilt, then losses to Florida and at Tennessee.[3]
The victory over Georgia was the season's high point. Running back Alfred Rawls, a Georgia native, had 128 yards and a touchdown rushing and linebacker Randy Holleran had 13 tackles; #11 Georgia was held to 224 yards of total offense.[4]
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| David "D. J." Johnson | Defensive back | 7 | 174 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Ivy Joe Hunter | Running back | 7 | 182 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Chris Chenault | Linebacker | 8 | 222 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Charlie Darrington | Tight end | 9 | 233 | Washington Redskins |