Josh Hines-Allen is Rightfully Mark Stoops' First UK Athletics Hall of Famer

The 2025 UK Athletics Hall of Fame Class has star power. Josh Hines-Allen is representing the Kentucky football program, and there’s no more deserving player to be the first Mark Stoops player to receive Hall of Fame Honors.

For most folks reading this, Josh Hines-Allen is the most dominant defensive player you’ve ever seen in a Kentucky football uniform. If you’re debating the greatest defensive players of all time, Art Still is the only other one who enters the conversation.

Consider this: Only one other player in the Mark Stoops era has posted 7.0 sacks in a season. Bud Dupree had 7.0 and 7.5 over his final two years. Hines-Allen had 7.0 during his sophomore and junior campaigns, then returned for his senior season and had 17.0, five more than the previous single-season record held by Dennis Johnson.

Oliver Barnett’s career sack record stood for nearly 30 years. Hines-Allen set a new standard with 31.5 sacks during his illustrious career. That number actually feels low. He drew countless double-teams and was constantly held. While reviewing cut-ups from the Mississippi State win, officials missed at least three blatant holds, and he drew one 10-yard penalty.

Following the 2018 season, Hines-Allen won every National Defensive Player of the Year Award and was a Consensus First Team All-American.

It’s not just that he was a dominant pass-rusher. When the Kentucky defense needed to make a play, Hines-Allen made it. In a slobber-knocker vs. Vanderbilt, he had the game-clinching strip sack. The Wildcats were on the verge of breaking The Streak at Florida when the Gators went on a 99-yard scoring drive. They needed a 2-point conversion to make it a three-point game. Florida flooded the right side of the field, then leaked the tight end late to the backside of the play. It didn’t fool Hines-Allen. He got his hands on the pass and tipped it to force an incompletion. It’s a remarkable feat of athleticism.

Throughout his career, he just kept getting better and better, saving his best for last. He had a career-high 15 tackles on Senior Day against Middle Tennessee State, the same game where he broke Barnett’s record. In the peak of bowl opt-outs, Hines-Allen played in the Citrus Bowl and starred, tallying three sacks in the victory over Penn State.

When watching a college football game, your eyes follow the ball. Unlike any other Wildcat, your eyes stayed glued to Hines-Allen, especially on third downs. There’s never been one like Hines-Allen and there may not be another.

Hines-Allen’s Son Wesley is Cancer-Free

No offense to the UK Athletics Hall of Fame, it’s not the best news Hines-Allen has shared this week. His family recently revealed that his oldest son, Wesley, who took the stage with him at the 2019 NFL Draft, was diagnosed with leukemia.

Inspired by his son’s fight, Hines-Allen launched a campaign, “Four One for Hope,” to raise money and awareness for four organizations committed to fighting cancer: Nemours Children’s Health, the American Cancer Society, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville, and the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

During training camp this week, Hines-Allen revealed that Wesley is cancer-free. God is good.

Josh Hines-Allen says his son, who he recently revealed is battling cancer, is in full remission.

"He's doing well. He's back in school living like a 7-year-old." ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qfd6YE2uQH

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) July 29, 2025