UK Football Represented At Super Bowl LVII by Phil Hoskins & Darian Kinnard

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The Kentucky Wildcats are once again well represented in the biggest game of the NFL season. This year, two former Wildcats, defensive lineman Phil Hoskins and offensive lineman Darian Kinnard, are headed to Super Bowl LVII with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will meet the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 12 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

Darian Kinnard, a Knoxville, Tennessee native, is in his rookie season with the Chiefs after playing for Kentucky from 2018-2021. During his time with the Wildcats, he played in 46 games with 39 consecutive starts and was a vital component of the “Big Blue Wall,” which has been under consideration for the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top offensive line for four of the last five seasons, including being a finalist in 2021. As a senior, Kinnard was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the SEC’s top blocker, and was a semifinalist for both the Rotary Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy.

Phil Hoskins, from Toledo, Ohio, is in his second season in the NFL, having played one season with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Chiefs in January 2023. Hoskins played for Kentucky from 2017-2020 and saw action in 31 career games with 11 starting assignments. After missing the 2019 season due to injury, Hoskins received a 6th-year extension waiver to play in 2020 and had a strong season with 30 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and a team-high-tying five quarterback hurries.

UK has had 31 Wildcats play for teams that advanced to the Super Bowl a total of 43 times, with 15 Wildcats having won a total of 17 Super Bowl rings. Safety Mike Edwards is the most recent Super Bowl champion, having helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7, 2021 in Tampa.

As the Super Bowl approaches, Hoskins and Kinnard will look to add to the long list of Kentucky Wildcats who have left their mark on the NFL’s biggest stage.