Few names resonate in Kentucky football lore quite like Randall Cobb. The do-it-all dynamo from Alcoa, Tennessee, who dazzled Wildcat fans as a wide receiver, quarterback, and return specialist, has officially been named to the 2026 College Football Hall of Fame ballot, the National Football Foundation announced Monday. Cobb is one of just 79 players and nine coaches from the FBS ranks up for consideration, joining a select group of legends from across college football.
Cobb’s three-year run in Lexington from 2008 to 2010 was nothing short of electric. He left his mark all over the Kentucky record books, earning first-team All-America honors as a junior and back-to-back first-team All-SEC nods in his final two seasons. His 2,396 all-purpose yards in 2010 set a new SEC single-season record, while his 37 career touchdowns remain a UK benchmark.
From the moment he arrived on campus, Cobb was a difference-maker. As a freshman, he accounted for 11 touchdowns, throwing, catching, and running his way onto the SEC All-Freshman Team. By his junior year, he was a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile player, and stood alone as the only FBS athlete to rank first or second on his team in rushing, passing, and receiving.
Cobb’s knack for late-game heroics became his signature. He tallied five game-winning fourth-quarter touchdowns, including memorable moments at Georgia and Auburn, and at home against Arkansas, Louisville, and South Carolina.
After his junior season, Cobb turned pro, getting selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2011 NFL Draft. Over 13 NFL seasons with four franchises, Cobb racked up more than 7,600 receiving yards and 54 touchdowns, highlighted by a 1,287-yard, Pro Bowl campaign in 2014.
Despite leaving Kentucky early, Cobb kept his promise to his family, returning to complete his degree in community and leadership development in 2016. He became the first in his immediate family to graduate from college, a milestone he’d set his sights on as a child.
Already a member of the UK Athletics Hall of Fame (2017) and the Kentucky Pro Sports Hall of Fame (2023), Cobb now stands on the doorstep of college football’s ultimate honor.
The 2026 Hall of Fame class will be announced in early 2026, with formal induction set for December 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Cobb and his fellow honorees will also be celebrated at their alma maters during the 2026 season, ensuring Big Blue Nation will have another chance to salute one of its all-time greats. photo courtesy UK Athletics.
