Yusuf Corker, Kenneth Horsey earn off-field honors
Two of Kentucky Football’s best players on the field are making an even bigger impact off of it. Senior safety Yusuf Corker and junior offensive guard Kenneth Horsey are both being recognized for their efforts outside of football.
Corker was tabbed one of eight semifinalists for the 2021 Lott IMPACT Trophy, which was announced by The Pacific IMPACT Club on Wednesday. IMPACT is an acronym that stands for the Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community, and Tenacity that former NFL star Ronnie Lott represented. The IMPACT Trophy is handed out to the top college football defensive player for his ability to impact his team both on and off the field.
Meanwhile, Horsey was honored by the Southeastern Conference on Wednesday, as he was named to the SEC Community Service Team. Horsey was one of 14 SEC players to earn a spot, doing so as Kentucky’s representative.
Below are some of the accomplishments of each player, courtesy of UK Athletics, which will quickly showcase why these two are more than deserving of the attention they’re receiving.
Yusuf Corker
Corker, a 6-0, 204-pound safety from McDonough, Georgia, has played in 49 career games with 36 straight starting nods for the Wildcats. After 12 games this season, he ranks third on the team in total tackles with 73, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He also has a sack, an interception and a team-high eight pass breakups.
A two-time team captain, as voted by his teammates, Corker’s leadership, demeanor and blue-collar work ethic is revered in the locker room and been invaluable to the Wildcats’ success on the field. With Corker’s help, the Wildcats finished the regular season with a 9-3 overall, a second-place finish in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division and are advancing to their school-record sixth straight bowl appearance.
Off the field, Corker was named to the Dean’s List and the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll in 2020. He graduated in May 2021 with a degree in economics and is currently working on a second degree in communication. He has volunteered to deliver food for God’s Pantry and has been a volunteer speaker at area elementary schools talking about how to be a successful student-athlete in today’s climate.
Four finalists will be invited and the winner will be announced at the 18th Annual Lott IMPACT® Trophy award show in Newport Beach, California on December 12. Joel Klatt of FOX Sports will be the emcee and former Michigan Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson is the guest speaker.
The university of the winner will receive $25,000 for its general scholarship fund while the three runners-up will receive $5,000 for each of their schools.
Kentucky’s Josh Allen was the winner of the 2018 Lott IMPACT Trophy, which began in 2004.
Kenneth Horsey
Horsey, who hails from Sanford, Florida, has a remarkable comeback story that inspired his community service work for heart health.
In the spring of 2018, before he was to arrive at Kentucky for his freshman season, he was complaining of a pain in his side. His parents rushed him to the emergency room where doctors ultimately found a growth on one of his heart valves. He went through open-heart surgery on April 8, 2018 and was even told that his football career was over. However, Horsey would not be deterred. He came to Kentucky and redshirted the 2018 season with a goal of earning a starting spot on Kentucky’s offensive line, affectionately known as the “Big Blue Wall.” He has now played in 24 career games for the Wildcats with 20 straight starting assignments.
Because of his heart condition and how supported he felt through his surgery and recovery, he began volunteering with the Lexington chapter of the American Heart Association in 2020. Horsey was awarded the Finn Collier Service Award by the AHA earlier this season in recognition of his work to support its lifesaving mission – to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. He was also named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and was a nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy presented to the top community servant in college football.
Here are a few of his community service events:
- Spoke at 2020 Central Kentucky Heart Walk kick-off event
- Spoke at 2020 UK Healthcare Heart Walk kick-off event
- Dedicated his 2020 football season to Finn Collier, a seven-year-old who lost his life to heart disease
- Participated in American Heart Month and National Wear Red Day (2020 and 2021)
- Participated in the 2021 Central Kentucky Heart Walk Digital Experience (2021)
- Coordinated and planned a hands-only CPR training for the UK Football team and staff in the spring of 2021
- Helped plan a Hands-Only CPR media availability on June 14 that promoted Hands-Only CPR awareness to the media for CPR Awareness Month
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