GREAT NEWS: Raiders get a former Kentucky nose tackle…….

According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Las Vegas Raiders have added former Kentucky nose lineman

Marquan McCall to their practice squad.

The New England Patriots claimed McCall in August, but he was cut the next day after failing a physical. After

joining the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent the previous season, he recorded 15 total tackles and two

tackles for loss. However, he has not participated in any NFL games this season.

McCall, who is listed at 379 pounds, should be able to improve the Raiders’ run defense, which is ranked 23rd in the

NFL.

As a highly sought recruit, McCall signed with Kentucky as a member of their 2018 signing class. McCall, an

offensive guard, was listed as the third-ranked player in the state of Michigan, the sixth-best offensive guard, and the

196th top prospect in the country.

McCall rejected offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, and numerous other schools

in favor of Kentucky, having been primarily recruited by the former defensive backs coach at UK, Steve Clinkscale.

Putting more emphasis on the defensive end of the court and the nose guard position in 2018, McCall made an

immediate impact for the Wildcats as a freshman.

He made three tackles, one sack, 1.5 tackles for loss, and one forced fumble throughout his eight games of action. In

the blowout Wildcat victory over Murray State, he was sacked in a strip sack.

In 2019, McCall participated in all 13 games as a sophomore. In addition to four tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, a

quarterback hurry, and a pass breakup, he had 21 tackles.

Against Tennessee-Martin, he recorded two tackles for loss, four total tackles, a quarterback hit, a tackle for loss

against Florida, a tackle for loss against Louisville, and a fumble recovery against Ty Chandler.

He participated in 10 of the 11 games the Wildcats played during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, starting

three of them.

Playing only against SEC opponents, he recorded a single-season career-high 22 tackles, one tackle for loss, one

recovered fumble, and half a sack.

In Kentucky’s first victory over Tennessee at Neyland Stadium since 1984, McCall recorded a single-game career-

high six tackles against Missouri in his first collegiate start. He also shared a sack of Ole Miss quarterback Matt

Corral with JJ Weaver and recovered a Jarrett Guarantano fumble.

McCall made physical improvements prior to his 2021 senior season, reducing his weight from 381 to 344 pounds.

Despite missing four games due to an ankle injury, he still managed to start eight and play in nine games. He got two

quarterback hurries, 3.5 tackles for loss, and nine total tackles for the season.

After going undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, he signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers, with whom he will

report to training camp this summer, and received an invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl. He meets up with Phil

Hoskins again there; the two were teammates on Kentucky’s defensive line in 2018 and 2020.

Over the course of 40 games and 11 career starts as a Wildcat, McCall—a four-time bowl champion—racked up 57

tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one pass

breakup.

Aaron Gershon of CatsPause.com listed McCall as the 62nd-ranked player in Kentucky during the Mark Stoops era.

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