Analyzing the UK Hall of Fame case for Will Levis and other stars of the Mark Stoops era

The stars of one of the most successful stretches of Kentucky football history will have a chance to officially join the pantheon of all-time UK legends in the coming years.

Players who last appeared in a game in 2016, the first season of UK’s seven-year bowl streak, are now eligible for the UK Athletics Hall of Fame. There is not an obvious candidate from that group for enshrinement, but the coming years should mark the first additions from the Mark Stoops era to the Hall of Fame.

We can assume Josh Allen, Benny Snell and Lynn Bowden are locks to be elected in their first years on the ballot. John Schlarman should eventually be enshrined thanks to his contributions to the program as a player and coach. Kickers and punters have traditionally found it harder to earn a Hall of Fame nod, but Austin MacGinnis and Max Duffy should be included as arguably the best players at their positions in program history.

Since UK’s Hall of Fame committee has already cleared the way for one-and-done men’s basketball players be elected, Wan’Dale Robinson should have no problem one day earning the honor thanks to the single best season by a wide receiver in program history. Bud Dupree’s NFL success combined with his stellar senior season at UK could make him Stoops’ first Hall of Fame player as early as this year.

Determining how much stock to put in UK’s team success compared to the historical struggles of the problem will say much about other difficult decisions facing the Hall of Fame committee in the coming years, though. Hall of Fame classes have generally been limited to six inductees each year. Since the department tries to honor athletes and coaches from all sports without honoring more two from the same sport in any year, it could take decades for all the worthy football players from the Stoops era to be honored.

Here is a closer look at five of the more interesting decisions facing the committee from the Stoops era.

Will Levis

Despite playing just two seasons at Kentucky, Levis ranks fifth in program history in passing touchdowns (43) and total offensive yards (5,502) and sixth in passing yards (5,233). Kentucky was 17-7 in games Levis started at quarterback. He was the quarterback for UK’s second 10-win season since 1977 and started two wins against Florida and two wins against Louisville.

Those numbers paint a clear picture of Levis as a Hall of Famer, but he was never voted to an All-SEC team and his slide into the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft robbed him of holding the distinction of becoming UK’s third quarterback picked in the first round of the NFL Draft. Levis’ candidacy could come down to how he performs as a professional, a criteria used in Hall of Fame voting. For now, his résumé looks surprisingly similar to maligned Stoops-era quarterback Terry Wilson. Maybe the solution is to put both Levis and Wilson in the Hall of Fame.

Jamin Davis

Of the 16 UK players picked in the first round of the NFL or AFL draft and eligible for the Hall of Fame, only three are not already enshrined. One of the omissions is Dupree, who just became eligible last year. The other two are wide receiver Randy Burke and defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson. Allen, a first-round pick in 2019, is a lock for the Hall of Fame when first eligible.

Whether Davis, a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is closer to Burke and Robertson, good college players but not stars at Kentucky, or the group of first-round picks already in the Hall of Fame is up for debate. An unheralded recruit, Davis played only sparingly in his first three seasons at Kentucky, contributing primarily on special teams. He enjoyed a breakout redshirt junior season, ranking third in the SEC in tackles, before electing to forgo his senior season and jump to the NFL.

Like Levis, Davis can still boost his Hall of Fame résumé with a strong professional career. He looks on the way to doing that after starting 15 of 16 games for Washington last season, totaling 104 tackles, nine tackles for loss and three sacks.

Za’Darius Smith

Smith has been eligible for the last two UK Hall of Fame classes but is still waiting for the call while the department catches up on honoring deserving players from the Rich Brooks era.

Whether the honor eventually comes for Smith will likely hinge on his NFL production since he was never named All-SEC in two years at UK after transferring from a junior college. Smith finished his UK career with 119 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in 24 games. Kentucky was 7-17 during his two seasons in Lexington.

Since being drafted in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, Smith has been named to three Pro Bowls. Among UK alumni, only Art Still has recorded more sacks in the NFL than Smith (54.5). With another few strong seasons, Smith, now with the Cleveland Browns, could make a case for the best NFL career from a UK defensive player.

The offensive linemen

Electing Schlarman, who was an All-SEC guard as a player then the architect of Kentucky’s vaunted “Big Blue Wall” as an assistant coach on Stoops’ staff, should be a no-brainer, but picking which of the linemen Schlarman coached will be honored is more difficult.

Landon Young, Logan Stenberg and Darian Kinnard are probably safe bets thanks to their combination of college accolades and NFL Draft selections.

Bunchy Stallings and Drake Jackson were both named All-Americans but did not play in the NFL. Luke Fortner might be the best NFL player of the bunch but was a role player for most of his UK career before blossoming into a legitimate professional prospect when he moved to center as a sixth-year senior. Jon Toth was a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior but has yet to find NFL success.

Offensive linemen are used to being overshadowed by skill position players. That might be the case here since most years only one football player is including in each Hall of Fame class.

The defensive backs

Five defensive backs have been drafted during the Stoops era, but there isn’t a lock for the Hall of Fame with so many other players from the era worthy of the honor.

Safety Mike Edwards has the best case thanks to his 318 career tackles and second-team All-SEC recognition in 2016. He is also tied for fourth on the program’s career interception list (10). Edwards was often overshadowed at UK because he was in the same class as Allen and Snell, but he continues to build to his résumé with a strong start to his NFL career.

Cornerbacks Lonnie Johnson and Kelvin Joseph were both second-round picks in the NFL Draft but combined for just five interceptions in three seasons at UK after transferring to Lexington from other programs. Even if Joseph develops into an NFL starter, UK’s Hall of Fame committee will have to weigh the fact that he opted out of the final two games of his one season playing for the Wildcats to prepare for the draft.

No UK football player has had his jersey retired since 1999. These Wildcats could be next.

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