Jacob Tamme is Kentucky's 2025 SEC Football Legend

At least one Kentucky Wildcat will attend the SEC Football Championship Game in Atlanta. Jacob Tamme has been named to the 2025 SEC Football Legends Class, which is made up of former stars from all 16 schools who excelled on the gridiron and helped write their program’s history.

Tamme, who played tight end from 2004-07, is an excellent choice. The Danville, Ky. native totaled 133 receptions, 1,417 yards, and 11 touchdowns during his Kentucky career, earning All-American honors his senior year and First Team All-SEC honors as a junior and senior. He finished his career ranked No. 1 in program history and No. 2 in SEC history in catches by a tight end.

Tamme was a key part of the most beloved and significant teams in Kentucky history. He, Andre Woodson, Stevie Johnson, Rafael Little, Keenan Burton, and Wesley Woodyard led the Cats to Music City Bowl wins over Clemson and Florida State, and, more memorably, regular-season wins over No. 1 LSU and No. 9 Louisville. For his efforts on and off the field, Tamme was named UK’s Most Inspirational Player, SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in football, the Bobby Bowden FCA National Player of the Year, and received the Jerry Claiborne Award for academics and team attitude. He graduated from UK with a degree in integrated strategic communications and also completed a master’s in business administration.

After college, Tamme played nine seasons in the NFL (2008-16) for the Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Falcons, playing in two Super Bowls. Nowadays, he resides in his hometown of Danville, where he runs Tamme Valley Farm and works in wealth management. Tamme was inducted into the UK Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018 and is still very involved with his alma mater, serving on the Board of Governors for Champions Blue LLC, UK Athletics’ new management model.

Tamme and the 15 other SEC Legends will be honored at the 2025 SEC Football “Weekend of Champions” December 5-6 in Atlanta.

2025 SEC Football Legends

• Alabama – C.J. Mosley, Linebacker, 2010-13
• Arkansas – Kenoy Kennedy, Safety, 1996-99
• Auburn – Cam Newton, Quarterback, 2010
• Florida – Brandon Spikes, Linebacker, 2006-09
• Georgia – Randy Johnson, Offensive Guard, 1973-75
• Kentucky – Jacob Tamme, Tight End, 2004-07
• LSU – Tyrann Mathieu, Cornerback, 2010-11
• Ole Miss – William “Bill” Smith, Punter, 1983-86
• Mississippi State – Gabe Jackson, Offensive Guard, 2009-13
• Missouri – Mitch Morse, Offensive Lineman, 2010-14
• Oklahoma – Lucious Selmon, Nose Guard, 1970-73
• South Carolina – Connor Shaw, Quarterback, 2010-13
• Tennessee – Kevin Burnett, Linebacker, 2000-04
• Texas – Derrick Johnson, Linebacker, 2001-04
• Texas A&M – R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M, 1989-2002
• Vanderbilt – Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt, 2010-13

To celebrate Tamme’s honor, here is his UK Athletics Hall of Fame speech from 2018: