Tag: Luke Kuechly

Panthers great Luke Kuechly lands new job for 2024 season

Panthers great Luke Kuechly is going back to college . . . sorta.

Luke Kuechly’s star continues to grow, even five years after he last played a down of football.

On Monday, CBS Sports announced that the Carolina Panthers great will join their college football coverage as an analyst for the upcoming 2024 season. Kuechly will call select games for the network this fall.

Analysis is nothing new to the former NFL Defensive Player of Year, five-time First-Team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler—as he made a Hall of Fame career out of mastering film. He’s also made a career of it off the field, serving as one of the Panthers’ radio analysts over the past few years.

Kuechly’s last venture into the collegiate game was a dominant one. The Boston College legend and former unanimous All-American racked up an obscene amount of accolades prior to entering the NFL—including 2011’s ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Lott Trophy, Lombardi Award, Butkus Award and Jack Lambert Trophy.

He’d then be selected with the ninth overall pick by the Panthers in 2012—and the rest, of course, is history.

Oh, and don’t worry Panthers fans—you’ll still have yourselves some LUUUUUUKE. According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Kuechly will remain in the rotation for the team’s radio booth this season.

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Panthers host record 39 team legends at Back Together Saturday

Some familiar faces were in attendance for the Panthers’ Back Together Saturday event.

The “Back Together” in Back Together Saturday meant a little bit more for the Carolina Panthers this summer.

In addition to the 90 or so active players the organization currently employs, 39 franchise legends were in attendance for this morning’s training camp practice at Bank of America Stadium. Per Vashti Hurt of Carolina Blitz, the 39 attendees are the most in the team’s history of the event.

Those former Panthers are as follows:

  • Mario Addison
  • Steve Beuerlein
  • Tre Boston
  • Corey “Philly” Brown
  • Brentson Buckner
  • Matt Campbell
  • Vinny Ciurciu
  • Stephen Davis
  • Thomas Davis
  • Jake Delhomme
  • Kevin Donnalley
  • Dwan Edwards
  • Nick Goings
  • Deveron Harper
  • Roman Harper
  • Richard Huntley
  • Charles Johnson
  • Luke Kuechly
  • Kris Mangum
  • Brett Maxie
  • Justin Medlock
  • Dan Morgan
  • Muhsin Muhammad
  • Captain Munnerlyn
  • Cleveland Pinkney
  • Ryne Robinson
  • Mike Rucker
  • Don Sasa
  • Kawann Short
  • Jonathan Stewart
  • Dwight Stone
  • Quinton Teal
  • Charles Tillman
  • Mike Tolbert
  • Al Wallace
  • Wesley Walls
  • Will Witherspoon
  • Donnell Woolford

Before getting back at Back Together Saturday, the legends met up with each other at the stadium on Friday. Addison, who played for the Panthers from 2012 to 2019, spoke about the importance of the reunion.

“We need this. We need to do this more,” Addison said, via Kassidy Hill of Panthers. “People tend to leave the league and do their own things. Life happens. You have a family, have kids, and tend to never look back. But being able to come back and see all these guys in this environment—it’s like a (family) reunion. A football reunion…we need to share the stories for the younger generation can hear how we did it and how we paved the way.”

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Would Panthers great Luke Kuechly take prime Cam Newton or prime Lamar Jackson?

Panthers legend Luke Kuechly was tasked with choosing between a prime Cam Newton and a prime Lamar Jackson.

You might know where this one is going . . .

In light of Cam Newton anointing Lamar Jackson as the greatest dual-threat quarterback of all-time, former teammate and fellow Carolina Panthers great Luke Kuechly was asked about the topic on Monday’s episode of Up & Adams. Host Kay Adams tasked the future Hall of Fame linebacker with choosing between a prime Newton and a prime Jackson.

Here was his response:

“I’m partial to Cam, and I’ll say this—I think that playing against Cam Newton would be so difficult because of how physical he was. He’s big, he’s physical. Lamar is a pain to tackle, he’s a pain to get your hands on, he’s a pain to keep in the pocket. But you can get on him, you can get him on the ground.

“With Cam, he’s running through you on third down-and-1, fourth-and-1, fourth-and-goal, third-and-2 at the 2-yard line. You know exactly what play’s coming. He’s gonna be 6-5, 265 running with power with [Mike] Tolbert as a lead blocker and it’s like, good luck.”

Wait . . . 265 pounds?

“He’s huge,” Kuechly added. “He’s all of 6-5. I don’t care what his weight said. They always had him at 245 and I was like, ‘That’s just not correct.'”

Well, here’s one more number for you . . . 75—Newton’s career rushing touchdown total and the record for most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. The next closest? 53.

And that, my friends, is correct.

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Panthers great Luke Kuechly asked about Bryce Young’s leadership abilities

Is Panthers QB Bryce Young too quiet to be a leader? Franchise great Luke Kuechly answered that question on Monday.

Not all leaders lead the same. Just ask, well, a leader.

Carolina Panthers legend Luke Kuechly hopped on Monday’s episode of Up & Adams. Host Kay Adams brought up the questions surrounding the leadership style of Bryce Young, who tends to be more low-key than your prototypical quarterback.

But Kuechly, who will be entering his third year as a Panthers radio voice, doesn’t seem concerned.

“I think when you look at leadership and what that looks like and what guys believe, I think you gotta be yourself,” he told Adams. “And I think ‘yourself’ naturally comes through as you get older, as you get more comfortable.

“That was one thing that all the older guys always told me, especially guys like Thomas [Davis]. I got to learn from a very good leader who was vocal. And he always told me, ‘Hey, be true to yourself.’ Whatever that true to yourself is, is who you need to be because guys on the team have been around long enough that they understand when you’re being who you are and when you’re putting on a front.”

A five-time First-team All-Pro, a seven-time Pro Bowler, a former Defensive Player of the Year and a future Hall of Famer, Kuechly was known to lead Carolina’s defense with a vocal and fiery approach. And even if that isn’t Bryce’s thing, Kuechly believes he’ll still find his voice.

“I think Bryce has to continue to be himself, continue to be comfortable,” he added. “I think that the vocal ability of Bryce just comes with time. You look at last season, how last season went—it was a struggle.

“But I always kinda go back to—what were these guys like in college? If you ask Will Anderson, ‘What was Bryce like in college?’ I don’t think there would’ve been any question if he was the leader of that team. There would’ve been no question if he was a guy that they felt like was vocal, a guy that they felt like was energy.

“I think Bryce is very intelligent. He watches a lot before he makes his move. I think he’s very thought-out, I think he does things on purpose. And yeah, he was quiet. But I think, moving forward, he’s gonna be fine.”

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Panthers great Luke Kuechly: Greg Olsen can be a ‘professional wedding guest’

If you can, you might want to try and invite Greg Olsen to your wedding.

Some fans may have been taken aback by the wild photo of former Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen from Christian McCaffrey’s wedding. But another old teammate of his certainly wasn’t.

Fellow franchise great Luke Kuechly joined Monday’s episode of Up & Adams, where he was asked about this . . .

@oliviaculpo/Instagram

Kuechly, who was also a guest at the recent union between McCaffrey and model Olivia Culpo, told host Kay Adams that Olsen is made for these situations.

“I don’t think it’s surprising,” he stated. “Greg can be a professional wedding guest. You can tell him to come, he’s gonna bring great energy, he’s gonna have a ton of fun. If you need him to get on the microphone and make a toast, he might not even know you, but he’s gonna dominate that. He’s just a great guy to have at the wedding.”

He went on.

“That wedding was a ton of fun, it was up in Rhode Island,” Kuechly added. “A bunch of the guys from the Panthers, couple of Niners were there, a bunch of his [McCaffrey’s] college and high school buddies. It was a great time, just a great opportunity to see our buddies we haven’t seen in a long time.”

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Panthers great Greg Olsen goes viral for wild photo from Christian McCaffrey’s wedding

It seems as though Greg Olsen knows how to party.

Greg Olsen may be just as prolific of a wedding guest as he was a tight end.

The Carolina Panthers great was on hand for this past weekend’s union of former teammate and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and model/influencer Olivia Culpo. On Wednesday, Culpo posted some photos from the after-party—which, by the looks of the album, Olsen clearly enjoyed . . .

@oliviaculpo/Instagram

The shot of Olsen proceeded to go viral over on Twitter/X, giving us a few gems:

Olsen and McCaffrey shared a sideline for three seasons in Carolina. Their first together, in 2017, saw the Panthers go 11-5 to clinch a wild card berth. (That, sadly, is the last time the organization made a playoff appearance.)

But Olsen wasn’t the only familiar cat in attendance on Saturday. McCaffrey invited a handful of Panthers including Luke Kuechly, Jonathan Stewart, Ryan Kalil, JJ Jansen, Sam Darnold and Greg Van Roten.

Congrats, Christian and Olivia!

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NFL names Carolina Panthers’ Mount Rushmore of players

Which Panthers did NFL Throwback throw on Carolina’s Mount Rushmore?

Hey, did the renovation proposal for Bank of America Stadium include the installation of four really large heads . . . ?

Over on YouTube, the NFL Throwback channel just established each team’s Mount Rushmore. The nearly two-hour video presentation listed off the top four players from every franchise, forming their football versions of 32 prolific presidential quartets.

Included on Carolina’s mountain was linebacker Luke Kuechly, quarterback Cam Newton, defensive end Julius Peppers and wide receiver Steve Smith Sr.

All of these individuals are undeniably some of the best to ever do it at their positions, and certainly some of the most memorable Panthers of all-time. And while Peppers is currently the only Hall of Fame player of the bunch, that is certainly bound to change over the coming years.

Some debate could be had for the likes of franchise legend and mantra holder Sam Mills, legendary linebacker Thomas Davis Sr. and one of the most productive tight ends ever in Greg Olsen. But outside of that company, it’s difficult to argue with the cornerstones of the franchise being these four players.

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Panthers great Luke Kuechly gives thoughts on 3rd-round pick Trevin Wallace

Former Panthers LB Luke Kuechly was asked about the team’s third-round pick Trevin Wallace.

Carolina Panthers radio voice Luke Kuechly may know a thing or two about playing defense in the NFL. So, team reporter Kristen Balboni asked him about one of their newest linebackers.

Balboni recently interviewed Kuechly as part of “The Panthers Huddle Offseason Special,” a 23-minute video released by the organization on Friday. While going over a few of Carolina’s 2024 draft picks, the future Hall of Famer spoke about third-round pick and former University of Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace.

“He’s athletic, he can run, he’s explosive and I’m curious to see kinda how they play him,” Kuechly said. “Can he rush? Can he come off the edge? Can you put him on a running back and just say, ‘Hey, cover him. It’s gonna be man coverage, use your athletic ability, give him a little bit of technique.'”

Wallace displayed that athleticism and explosiveness during his collegiate career with the Wildcats. Between 2022 and 2023, the 6-foot-1, 237-pounder recorded 14.0 sacks, three interceptions and a forced fumble.

Kuechly then likened Wallace’s situation to his own, stating he should have a pretty good mentor to learn from during his rookie campaign.

“So if I’m him and I’m comin’ in, I got two older guys to learn from,” he added. “Shaq [Thompson] is fantastic. And I think I was very fortunate to play with a guy like Thomas [Davis]. And now I think Shaq will probably look forward to the opportunity to help a young guy out. So I’m excited about him.”

Well, if you say so, Mr. Defensive Player of the Year/seven-time All-Pro/seven-time Pro Bowler.

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Panthers great Luke Kuechly gives his thoughts on selection of Xavier Legette

Luke Kuechly believes Xavier Legette will open a fresh window for the Panthers offense.

Well before getting the chance to call Xavier Legette’s NFL games, Carolina Panthers color commentator Luke Kuechly was able to give his thoughts on this year’s 32nd overall pick.

Kuechly, who was also apparently a linebacker prior to his radio days, joined Friday’s episode of Up & Adams—where host Kay Adams asked about his team’s selection of the versatile wideout.

“I think what he does for us is we’ve got a vertical threat that can get down the field now,” Kuechly stated. “And I think last year, when you watch games and you watch the Panthers, everything was so compressed and tight to the line of scrimmage. Safeties were at 10, 11 yards. They weren’t scared of guys getting down the field. And what that does in the pass game, it closes windows.”

The windows were certainly shut for the Panthers, who ranked dead-last in total offense this past season. That primary victim of that listless attack was rookie quarterback Bryce Young, whose lack of diverse and effective weapons helped result in just 179.8 passing yards a contest and 11 touchdowns.

Fortunately for Young, Legette could bring quite a bit of versatility to his arsenal. The Mullins, S.C. native was named a second-team All-SEC member following his breakout 2023 campaign—one where he averaged 17.7 yards per reception.

So if this Luke guy knows anything about football, the offense should be in better shape moving forward.

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Cam Newton recalls hilarious story about Luke Kuechly’s hard-hitting practice

Don’t mess with Luke Kuechly.

A wise man once said that nobody messed with Luke Kuechly. Actually, that wise man used a much naughtier word than “messed,” but the sentiment is the same nonetheless.

In the latest episode of his YouTube show 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers legend Cam Newton recalled quite the story about his former teammate and good buddy—Luke August Kuechly. And of all the Luke stories we’ve heard, this one is easily amongst the Luke-iest.

Enjoy:

Poor Devin Funchess.

Funchess, Kuechly and Newton shared a sideline from 2015 to 2018. The first of those seasons saw the Panthers blast their way to Super Bowl 50, winning 17 of their 18 games leading up to their eventual loss to the Denver Broncos.

The trio was also a part of the franchise’s last trip to the playoffs in 2017, when Carolina clinched a wild card berth at 11-5. Unfortunately, that bid for the Lombardi Trophy was also cut short—as they suffered a painful 31-26 defeat at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Round.

But luckily for Funchess—and the rest of the league’s receivers, for that matter—Kuechly hasn’t had to hit anyone for a few years now.

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