Trevin Wallace Selected by Panthers in Third Round of NFL Draft

Kentucky junior inside linebacker Trevin Wallace was chosen in the third round by the Carolina Panthers as the 72nd overall pick in the 2024 National Football League Draft, it was announced Friday in Detroit.

Wallace, a 6-foot-1, 237-pound native of Jesup, Georgia, declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season. He was a three-year letterwinner for the Wildcats who saw action in 36 career games with 19 starts. In his career, he totaled 166 tackles, 18.0 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks, five quarterback hurries, three interceptions, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup.

His best season came as a junior in 2023 as he totaled 80 tackles (second on the team), 8.5 tackles for loss (tied for second), 5.5 sacks (second), three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and an interception in 12 games played. He had four of his five double-figure tackle games in 2023, including a career-high 12 tackles twice vs. Ball State and Mississippi State. Wallace ranked 13th in the Southeastern Conference in tackles per game (6.67).

Wallace also showed his outstanding athleticism when he got his hands on the ball.  As a junior, he intercepted a Florida pass and returned it 21 yards to set up UK’s first touchdown in the game in the win over the Gators.  As a sophomore, he had a pickoff vs. Louisville and returned it 19 yards, setting up a TD in the win over the Cardinals.

During his freshman season, Wallace scored the game-changing touchdown, off a blocked field goal, in UK’s 20-13 win over Florida.  With UK trailing 10-7 in the third quarter, he caught the tipped kick, weaved his way through traffic, then sprinted for a 76-yard TD.

Wallace totaled 32 tackles as a frosh, including four for loss, two sacks, one caused fumble, one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup.  He was named to the Freshman All-SEC team.

The 2024 NFL Draft presented by Bud Light kicked off Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET with the first round. Rounds 2-3 are Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET and Rounds 4-7 are Saturday, April 27 at noon ET in Detroit’s downtown Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. All rounds will be covered on NFL Network, NFL+, the NFL Channel, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.

 Kentucky/NFL Draft Notes:

• This is the sixth straight year UK has had at least one player taken in the first three rounds, the first time that has happened since the 1975-80 drafts.
• This is the sixth straight year that UK has had at least two players drafted, the first time that has happened since the 1986-91 drafts.
• Wallace is the 26th player drafted who played under head coach Mark Stoops at Kentucky, the second player in the 2024 draft, joining defensive back Andru Phillips. Twenty-two of those selections have come in the last six drafts.
• Wallace is the seventh UK linebacker selected since Stoops’ arrival in 2013, joining Avery Williamson, Bud Dupree, Za’Darius Smith, Josh Forrest, Josh Allen and Jamin Davis.
• There have been eight other Wildcats who have played for the Panthers’ franchise in Jeff Brady (1998), Chris Demaree (2003), Otis Grigsby (2006-07), Marlon McCree (2005), Dean Wells (1999-2001), Garry Williams (2009-14), Phil Hoskins (2021-22) and Marquan McCall (2022).
• Wallace is the second Wildcat ever drafted by the Panthers. Phil Hoskins was the first in 2021.