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Josh Paschal’s inspiring career with the Kentucky Wildcats has come to an end.
Following UK’s Citrus Bowl win over the Iowa Hawkeyes, Paschal announced that he was leaving for the NFL Draft. He was unable to play in today’s game due to injury.
Josh Paschal shares that he has played his last game at Kentucky. As expected, once healthy he will prepare for the NFL Draft.
— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) January 1, 2022
In his final year in Lexington, Paschal appeared in all 12 regular-season games and racked up 52 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and a blocked a field goal that was returned for a touchdown in the 20-13 win over then-No. 10 Florida.
The Maryland native finishes his UK career as the only three-time team captain in program history while being part of five-straight bowl berths (four wins). He was part of two 10-win seasons for a program that’s reached that feat just four times.
Paschal accomplished all of this while overcoming melanoma, a form of skin cancer, that was found on his foot in the summer of 2018. You can read more about that here.
While Paschal is a fifth-year senior who could have returned for the 2022 thanks to the free COVID-19 year the NCAA gave everyone, leaving now is the smart move. He played at an All-American level this season and should hear his name called within the first three rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Thanks for the memories!
Kentucky senior defensive end Josh Paschal (@JPaschalx) worked hard to be able to play in the Citrus Bowl. Unfortunately, his UK career comes to a close on the sidelines, but he explains how deep his love for #BBN runs in his heart @UKFootball #ForTheFamily #WeAreUK ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/t3k7XFWus7
— Chris Bolton (@Chris_Bolton_12) January 1, 2022
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