Boyle County native Jacob Tamme says it is "amazing" to be mentioned with other SEC legends. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky has not had a tight end as productive as Jacob Tamme since his collegiate career ended after the 2007 season with 133 catches for 1,417 yards and 11 touchdowns. He still has the most career catches of any UK tight end and was second in the Southeastern Conference when he graduated.
That’s why the former Boyle County standout was one of 16 former players named to the 2025 Southeastern Conference Football Legends class that will be honored at the SEC “Weekend of Champions” Dec. 5-6 in Atlanta. The players will be recognized prior to the SEC Football Championship Game on Dec. 6.
“One of the finest to ever grace the UK football uniform, both on and off the field. Tamme played with such pride at Boyle County prior to UK. Not only did Jacob enjoy an All-SEC career at UK, he excelled in the NFL for nine years and has been one of UK’s greatest ambassadors since then,” former Cats’ Pause publisher Oscar Combs said.
“This is definitely a really high honor. It’s exciting to know we get to go to the SEC championship game and be part of the festivities there. To be mentioned in the same breath with some of the legends of this league is pretty amazing,” said Tamme.
He belongs in that class. He was an All-American his senior year and an all-conference pick both as a junior and senior. He helped Kentucky get Music City Bowl wins over Clemson and Florida and was part of the upset of top-ranked LSU, the eventual national champion, in 2007.
He won the Bobby Bowden Award given by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to an athlete for his overall excellence in academics, community service, football, and serving as a faith model for his teammates and community. He was the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and first-team academic All-American.
Tamme played nine NFL seasons (2008–2016) and got to the Super Bowl with Indianapolis, Denver, and Atlanta.
Not bad for a player who had his UK scholarship offer withdrawn midway through his high school senior season after receiver and future UK teammate Keenan Burton committed to Kentucky. That prompted then UK coach Guy Morriss to take away Tamme’s offer. Morriss left for Baylor when the season ended, and new coach Rich Brooks quickly reached out to Tamme after he was hired.
“I definitely believe God puts us in places for a reason,” Tamme said. “I remain grateful that things worked out for me at Kentucky. As a childhood fan of the program, briefly losing the opportunity to play there and then miraculously getting it back, and then to go have the experience I did was unreal.
“When I look back, it took me too long to originally commit, and there were extreme scholarship limits then. I am just thankful I ended up part of the team, and putting on that jersey meant so much to me. We had a few tough early years, and to be part of changing the program for the better was unbelievable.
“We had such a great group of guys. We have a text thread of 15 to 20 of us who played together in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, and they were all texting me. This is such a high honor, but really it is a tribute to our team, and hopefully there will be other guys (Wesley Woodyard was honored in 2023) from this period get the same honor.”
Tamme was part of four state championship teams at Boyle, and the Rebels went 58-2 in his career. He had 97 receptions for 1,866 yards — 19.2 yards per catch — and 32 scores. He also had 23 interceptions.
He graduated from UK with a degree in integrated strategic communications and also completed a master’s in business administration. He’s now a full-time financial advisor and also runs Tennessee Valley Farm in Boyle County. Tamme and his wife, Allison, founded “Swings for Soldiers,” which raises money to build homes for disabled military members. He’s also on the Board of Governors for Champions Blue, the new management model for UK Athletics.
Tamme, 40, said being part of Champions Blue lets him continue to “serve the university and athletics” in this changing time in college athletics.
“I was not around for NIL and players getting paid, but I feel like I benefited so much from being part of the UK program,” Tamme said. “This is my way to serve and use my expertise and experience to help guide the athletics department in this new age. The board is there to provide strategic vision and think about big picture projects, and we have some really talented folks on there.”
One Response
Quality man there!