Kentucky Wildcats football statistical leaders explained
The Kentucky Wildcats football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Kentucky Wildcats football program in various categories,[1] [2] [3] including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, all-purpose yardage, defensive stats, kicking, and scoring. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Wildcats represent the University of Kentucky (UK) in the NCAA Division I FBS Southeastern Conference.
Although Kentucky began competing in intercollegiate football in 1892, the school's official record book considers[2] the "modern era" to have begun in 1946. Records from before this year are often incomplete and inconsistent, and they are generally not included in these lists. For example, Cecil Tuttle rushed for 6 touchdowns against Maryland in 1907, but complete records for the era are unavailable. Recent UK media guides include a dedicated page listing what the school calls "old-time records" from the pre-1946 era.[2]
These lists are dominated by more recent players for several reasons:
- Since 1950, seasons have increased from 10 games to 11 and then 12 games in length.
- The NCAA didn't allow freshmen to play varsity football until 1972 (with the exception of the World War II years), allowing players to have four-year careers.
- Bowl games only began counting toward single-season and career statistics in 2002.[4] The Wildcats have played in 12 bowl games since this decision, and will play in a 13th in 2023, giving many recent players an extra game to accumulate statistics.
- Due to COVID-19 issues, the NCAA ruled that the 2020 season would not count against the athletic eligibility of any football player, giving everyone who played in that season the opportunity for five years of eligibility instead of the normal four.[5]
These lists are updated through the end of the 2023 regular season. Players active in 2023 are indicated in bold.
Passing
Passing yards
Career| 1 | | 10,354 | 2000 2001 2002 2003 |
| 2 | Andre' Woodson | 9,360 | 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| 3 | Tim Couch | 8,435 | 1996 1997 1998 |
| 4 | Mike Hartline | 5,680 | 2007 2008 2009 2010 |
| 5 | Bill Ransdell | 5,564 | 1983 1984 1985 1986 |
| 6 | | 5,232 | 2021 2022 |
| 7 | | 5,099 | 2012 2014 2015 |
| 8 | | 4,514 | 1963 1964 1965 |
| 9 | | 4,351 | 1949 1950 1951 |
| 10 | Stephen Johnson | 4,342 | 2016 2017 | |
Single season| 1 | Tim Couch | 4,275 | 1998 |
| 2 | Tim Couch | 3,884 | 1997 |
| 3 | Andre' Woodson | 3,709 | 2007 |
| 4 | Jared Lorenzen | 3,687 | 2000 |
| 5 | Andre' Woodson | 3,515 | 2006 |
| 6 | Dusty Bonner | 3,266 | 1999 |
| 7 | | 3,178 | 2010 |
| 8 | | 3,028 | 2021 |
| 9 | Devin Leary | 2,746[6] | 2023 |
| 10 | | 2,718 | 2014 | |
Passing touchdowns
Rushing
Rushing yards
Career| 1 | | 3,873 | 2016 2017 2018 |
| 2 | | 3,835 | 1972 1973 1974 1975 |
| 3 | | 3,644 | 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 |
| 4 | | 3,333 | 1993 1994 1995 |
| 5 | | 2,996 | 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| 6 | | 2,892 | 1984 1985 1986 1987 |
| 7 | | 2,648 | 1981 1982 1983 1984 |
| 8 | | 2,618 | 2007 2008 2009 2010 |
| 9 | | 2,511 | |
| 10 | | 2,105 | 1999 2000 2001 2002 | |
Single season| 1 | | 1,600 | 1995 |
| 2 | | 1,468 | 2019 |
| 3 | | 1,449 | 2018 |
| 4 | | 1,414 | 2002 |
| 5 | | 1,379 | |
| 6 | | 1,333 | 2017 |
| 7 | | 1,278 | 1987 |
| 8 | | 1,213 | 1973 |
| 9 | | 1,170 | 2016 |
| 10 | | 1,150 | 1975 | |
Rushing touchdowns
Receiving
Receptions
Receiving yards
Career| 1 | Craig Yeast | 2,899 | 1995 1996 1997 1998 |
| 2 | Keenan Burton | 2,376 | 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| 3 | Derek Abney | 2,339 | 2000 2001 2002 2003 |
| 4 | Garrett Johnson | 2,089 | 2014 2015 2016 2017 |
| 5 | Dicky Lyons Jr. | 1,752 | 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 |
| 6 | Quentin McCord | 1,743 | 1996 1998 1999 2000 |
| 7 | La'Rod King | 1,706 | 2009 2010 2011 2012 |
| 8 | | 1,661 | 2008 2009 2010 |
| 9 | Anthony White | 1,520 | 1996 1997 1998 1999 |
| 10 | Felix Wilson | 1,483 | 1977 1978 1979 | |
Receiving touchdowns
Total offense
Total offense is the sum of passing and rushing statistics. It does not include receiving or returns.[9]
Total offense yards
Career| 1 | Jared Lorenzen | 10,637 | 2000 2001 2002 2003 |
| 2 | Andre' Woodson | 8,870 | 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| 3 | Tim Couch | 8,160 | 1996 1997 1998 |
| 4 | Mike Hartline | 5,660 | 2007 2008 2009 2010 |
| 5 | | 5,501 | 2021 2022 |
| 6 | Bill Ransdell | 5,456 | 1983 1984 1985 1986 |
| 7 | Patrick Towles | 5,454 | 2012 2014 2015 |
| 8 | Stephen Johnson | 5,044 | 2016 2017 |
| 9 | Terry Wilson | 4,451 | 2018 2019 2020 |
| 10 | Pookie Jones | 4,313 | 1991 1992 1993 | |
Touchdowns responsible for
"Touchdowns responsible for" is the NCAA's official term for combined passing and rushing touchdowns.[10]
While many past UK football record books have listed leaders in this statistic, the 2023 record book does not list any leaders over any time frame.
All-purpose yardage
All-purpose yardage is the sum of all yards credited to a player who is in possession of the ball. It includes rushing, receiving, and returns, but does not include passing.[11]
Kentucky did not list a record for single-game all-purpose yardage in its football media guide until the 2019 edition (only including the top two performances), and even then did not break down said performances by type of play, only listing the number of plays involved.[2] While it fully lists career leaders, it only lists annual leaders and does not maintain a separate list of all-time season leaders. However, a review of the career statistics for players listed among all-time and annual leaders shows that no season produced two players who would have been in the top 10 for single-season all-purpose yardage.[12]
Career| 1 | | 5,856 | 2000 2001 2002 2003 |
| 2 | | 5,343 | 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| 3 | | 4,973 | 2007 2008 2009 2010 |
| 4 | | 4,674 | 2008 2009 2010 |
| 5 | | 4,660 | 2017 2018 2019 |
| 6 | | 4,280 | 1995 1996 1997 1998 |
| 7 | | 4,214 | 2016 2017 2018 |
| 8 | | 4,206 | 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 |
| 9 | | 4,123 | 1972 1973 1974 1975 |
| 10 | | 4,080 | 1981 1982 1983 1984 | |
Single season| 1 | | 2,396 | 2010 |
| 2 | | 2,069 | 2019 |
| 3 | | 1,982 | 2005 |
| 4 | | 1,922 | 2002 |
| 5 | | 1,845 | 2006 |
| 6 | | 1,841 | 1998 |
| 7 | | 1,830 | 2009 |
| 8 | | 1,826 | 1995 |
| 9 | | 1,821 | 2003 |
| 10 | | 1,692 | 2001 | |
Single game| 1 | | 429 | | South Carolina |
| 2 | | 372 | | Vanderbilt |
| 3 | Ray Davis | 289 | | Florida |
| 4 | | 284 | | Louisville | |
Defense
Note: The original source for this article, the 2014 Kentucky Football Media Guide, does not list a full top 10 in the defensive categories.[13] No edition from 2017 forward lists a full top 10 in these categories.
Interceptions
Single game| 1 | Clayton Webb | 3 | 1948 | Xavier |
| 2 | Bradley Mills | 3 | 1952 | Tulane |
| 3 | Terry Beadles | 3 | 1965 | Missouri |
| 4 | Greg Long | 3 | 1981 | North Texas |
| 5 | Marcus Jenkins | 3 | 1993 | Florida | |
Tackles
Single game| 1 | Randy Holleran | 29 | 1990 | LSU |
| 2 | Chris Chenault | 28 | 1987 | Vanderbilt |
| 3 | Jeff Kremer | 25 | 1987 | Georgia |
| 4 | Scott Schroeder | 24 | 1982 | Florida |
| Chris Chenault | 24 | 1988 | Tennessee | |
Sacks
Kicking
The original source for this page, the 2014 Kentucky Football Media Guide, only lists a top 5 in field goal kicking lists, rather than a top 10.[13] Statistics from later seasons have been incorporated into the 2014 lists.
Field goals made
Field goal percentage
Single season| 1 | Alex Raynor | 90.9%[16] | 2023 |
| 2 | Seth Hanson | 88.2% | 2000 |
| 3 | Craig McIntosh | 85.7% | 2011 |
| Joe Mansour | 85.7% | 2013 |
| Matt Ruffolo | 85.7% | 2020 |
| 6 | | 84.2% | 2016 |
| 7 | Bob Jones | 83.3% | 1970 |
| 8 | Marc Samuel | 82.4% | 1999 | |
Scoring
The 2019 media guide was the first to include a full top 10 for career points scored. Otherwise, UK continues to follow its recent practice of not listing a full top 10 in other scoring categories, instead listing anywhere from a top 3 to a top 5. Lists from the 2017 media guide have been updated to include statistics from subsequent seasons.
Points
Touchdowns
In official NCAA statistics, touchdown totals include touchdowns scored. Accordingly, these lists include rushing, receiving, and return touchdowns, but not passing touchdowns.
Notes and References
- Web site: 2023 Football Fact & Record Book . Kentucky Wildcats . September 30, 2023.
- Web site: 2019 Kentucky Football Media Guide . Kentucky Wildcats . August 24, 2019.
- Web site: 2017 Kentucky Football Media Guide. November 11, 2017 . UKAthletics.com.
- Web site: NCAA changes policy on football stats. 2002-08-28. 2014-09-11. ESPN.com. AP.
- News: NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility . David . Cobb . CBSSports.com . August 21, 2020 . November 27, 2021.
- Web site: Devin Leary . ESPN.com . November 25, 2023 . November 25, 2023.
- Web site: Box Score: Florida Gators vs. Kentucky Wildcats . ESPN.com . September 30, 2023 . September 30, 2023.
- Web site: Ray Davis . ESPN.com . November 25, 2023.
- Web site: 2022 Football Bowl Subdivision Records . NCAA . 9 . October 17, 2022.
- Web site: 2022 Football Bowl Subdivision Records . NCAA . 12 . October 17, 2022.
- Web site: 2021 Football Bowl Subdivision Records . NCAA . 6 . December 4, 2021.
- Web site: Kentucky Wildcats School History . Sports-Reference CFB . December 8, 2017. Search for individual players either by entering their names, or by going into the "Stats" section, selecting a category (with "Rushing" and "Receiving" being the most relevant in this context) and clicking on names of individual leaders in the selected statistic. Each individual player entry includes rushing, receiving, and return statistics.
- Web site: 2014 Kentucky Football Media Guide. 2014-10-24. UKAthletics.com.
- Web site: J.J. Weaver. ESPN.com.
- Web site: Georgia vs. Kentucky Box Score. ESPN.com. September 14, 2024. September 15, 2024.
- Web site: Alex Raynor . ESPN.com . November 25, 2023.
