Kentucky’s Big Blue Wall – The Offensive Line

• Finalist for the Joe Moore Award given to the Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit
• Southeastern Conference Coaches awarded Senior Offensive Tackle Darian Kinnard the prestigious "Jacobs" Blocking Award, which goes to the top blocker in the nation's best college football conference.
• Kinnard and center Luke Fortner were named First Team All-SEC by the league's coaches.
• Behind Kentucky's talented "Big Blue Wall," running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. ranks second in the Southeastern Conference and 12th nationally at 106.0 rushing yards per game. He has totaled 1,272 yards and tied a school record with eight 100-yard rushing games this season.
• UK linemen, led by offensive line coach Eric Wolford and graduate assistant coach Ryan Finck, were chosen SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week five times this season.
• All totaled, the Wildcats have 119 combined starts on the offensive line. Senior right tackle Darian Kinnard has started in 38 consecutive games, while super senior Luke Fortner has started in 35 straight games, including every game this season at center.

A physical ground game – led by one of the nation’s best offensive lines – was at the core of Kentucky football’s success in reaching bowl games in six straight seasons beginning in 2016.

Pro Football Focus listed All-American Darian Kinnard as one of just three Power-Five OTs with an 85+ grade as both a pass and run blocker:

UK offense reached new levels in 2021:

UK had a 2,000-yard+ passer (Will Levis), 1,000-yard+ rusher (Chris Rodriguez), and 1,000-yard+ wide receiver (Wan'Dale Robinson) all in the same season for only the second time in school history).

In years past, UK was known as a run-first, and run-often offense.

The Big Blue Wall embraced being able to run the ball on you even if you knew it was coming.

In 2021, the UK O-Line excelled in pass protection as well, setting QB Will Levis up with a clean pocket as he racked up big passing numbers.