Marquan McCall to Panthers

The complete transformation of the Kentucky Wildcats football program over the past several years can in large part be attributed to the front-line dominating in the trenches — an area that UK had struggled with for decades playing in the best football conference in America.

It was upperclassmen Marquan “Bully” Mccall who will be able to look back and take a considerable amount of credit for changing the narrative on what it meant to play the Wildcats.

Now, like many of his teammates before him, Mccall is off to the NFL after agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent. Matt Lombardo broke the news.

The senior nose guard from Detroit, MI came to UK as a four-star recruit and played in an impressive 40 career games. He amassed 57 total tackles, 10 of those for a loss. But stats aside, Bully McCall brought much more to the field than any tangible numbers would show.

At 6-foot-3 and 342 pounds, the big man eats blocks for lunch and is a force for opposing offensive lines to deal with.

McCall’s nickname, “Bully,” fits his personality on the field quite well.

I’ve personally seen him trash talk with the best of them, especially when the University of Louisville was involved.

To put it simply, McCall was all-in on being a Kentucky Wildcat. His toughness and refusal to be pushed around provided the UK defense with a swagger that was reflected in their play.

As he attempts to carve out a career in the NFL it’ll be important that he plays to his strength as a run stopper but also aim to improve his lateral quickness and ability to rush the passer.

Everybody is big, strong and mean in the NFL. Marquan McCall will have to keep adding technique to his game and maintaining tip-top physical condition.

There’s no denying that #50 will go down as a beloved Wildcat and be welcome in Lexington for the rest of his life.