Although its football legacy is often overshadowed by the many power programs of the SEC, Kentucky has produced some tremendous football talent through the years, especially at the linebacker position.

Names like Joe Federspiel, Jim Kovach, Randy Holleran, John Grimsley, Marty Moore and Jeff Snedegar rarely register with casual fans of college football, but those linebackers were some of the best in SEC history. All six went on to play professionally after starring in the Bluegrass, extending Kentucky’s football reach to the game’s highest level.

But none of those stud linebackers holds a candle to the linebackers Kentucky has produced just in the last 10 years.

Of the five linebackers to earn first-team All-SEC honors, three of those players have done so since the 2006 season, two of them earning first-team honors multiple times. And not only have the Cats put three linebackers into the NFL since 2008, but all three have been impactful during their time in the league.

There’s Wesley Woodyard, the man who began the trend of UK linebackers funneling into the NFL despite going undrafted in 2008.

The two-time first-team All-SEC honoree in 2006-07 recorded at least 100 tackles in all three of his seasons at Kentucky, and he logged eight total forced fumbles in his two all-conference seasons.

He eventually latched on with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent, and by November of his rookie season found himself in the starting lineup as an injury replacement for original starter D.J. Williams. Woodyard registered 10 tackles in his first career start, a win over the Cleveland Browns, and that game ignited what would be one of the most productive careers by any UK player at any position in the NFL.

Now seven years into his carer, Woodyard has logged 528 tackles and 13 takeaways in that span, all in addition to winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2013 for his philanthropic work off the field.

Those legendary names listed above all went on to be productive in the NFL, but certainly not as productive as Woodyard has been.

Which makes fellow UK linebacker Danny Trevathan’s achievements all the more impressive. Trevathan was also a two-time first-team All-SEC honoree during his Wildcats career in 2010-11, and he led the SEC in tackles in both seasons with 144 in 2010 and 143 in 2011. He added 11 forced fumbles in his final three seasons at Kentucky and intercepted four passes as a senior before the Broncos took him in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Like Woodyard, Trevathan wasted no time making an impact in the NFL. He registered 33 tackles as a backup in 2012 and started all 16 games for Denver in 2013, recording 129 tackles and three interceptions for the eventual AFC champions. He was held back with injuries last season but is expected to start again in 2015.

But Kentucky’s string of star linebackers didn’t end with Trevathan’s departure. He was replaced by Avery Williamson, who led Kentucky in tackles in 2012-13 with 135 and 102, respectively. He earned all-conference honors but never on the first-team, and like Trevathan was a sixth round pick in the NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

Williamson has played just one season in the league, but he set a Titans rookie record for tackles during that season with 79.

And although he never caught on in the NFL as an undrafted free agent like Woodyard did, former UK middle linebacker Micah Johnson was one of the SEC’s best during his college years. He earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2008 with 93 tackles including 13 for loss, and he added 105 tackles in 2009 despite failing to repeat on the first team.

From Woodyard to Johnson, Trevathan to Williamson, Kentucky has seemingly had at least one elite linebacker on its roster for each of the last 10 years. The program’s all-time great linebackers from years past will forever remain immortals in the Kentucky history books, but the new age of linebackers in the Bluegrass has been nothing short of sensational.

The real question at hand isn’t how the two eras compare; it’s who on this year’s roster is poised to rise to stardom.