Ty Bryant Named a Finalist for the Campbell Trophy
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky senior safety Ty Bryant has been named a finalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, honoring college football’s top student-athlete with the best combination of academics, leadership, and on-field performance. Awarded by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, it is often considered to be the “Academic Heisman.”
Bryant, a native of Lexington, Kentucky, boasts a 3.83 grade-point average and earned a degree in communication from UK in May of 2026. He is currently pursuing a second degree in psychology. The senior is a two-time Southeastern Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll member after being named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll as a freshman. He has also been named to the UK’s Dean’s List five times. He was named to the Division I Academic All-District Team by College Sports Communicators as a sophomore.
In 2025, Bryant was the first Wildcat to be named a First-Team Academic All-American since Will Levis in 2022. Bryant is the 23rd player in school history to earn the official Academic All-America honor bestowed by CSC (formerly College Sports Information Directors of America). Those 23 players have been named first or second team a total of 27 times. Bryant is the 14th Wildcat to be voted a first teamer.
He’s also a leader off the field, serving on UK’s Student-Athlete Advisory Council and the SEC’s Football Leadership Council.
On the gridiron, Bryant has appeared in 44 career games and racked up 215 tackles, five tackles for a loss, eight interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and four pass breakups. With eight career picks, he ranks tied for fifth among all current FBS players. His three interceptions in 2026 rank him second in the SEC and eighth nationally this season.
Bryant had two picks in the win at Oklahoma, marking the second time in his career he has had multiple interceptions in the same game against an SEC opponent. He also achieved the feat against Ole Miss on Sept. 6, 2025. The 6-foot, 196-pounder also contributed nine tackles in the win over the Sooners to push UK’s record to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in SEC play.
He recorded his first interception of 2026 in the win over No. 10/10 LSU. Against Alabama, he registered his first career sack with 0.5 credit on a third-down play to couple with 10 total tackles. Bryant had 10 stops in the upset win at No. 9/8 Texas A&M, achieving double-digit tackles in consecutive games against ranked foes. For the season, he has amassed 52 tackles which ranks third on the squad.
A three-year letterman, Bryant earned Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2025 after leading Kentucky with 76 tackles and tying for the conference lead with four interceptions as a junior.
Bryant and the Cats return home on Saturday to face Vanderbilt. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will air live on SEC Network.
For more information on the UK football team, visit ukathletics.com/football and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and X.
