Current Panthers players grateful to be “close to greatness,” and learn from Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly

Hunt’s not the only one quick to introduce himself to Kuechly. For running back Chuba Hubbard, it happened in an elevator in Connecticut at a college awards ceremony.

‘In my head I’m like ‘Damn, that’s Luke Kuechly, and he knew who I was,” Hubbard said. “He’s like, ‘What’s up, Chuba, how are you doing?, blah blah blah.’ We’re just having an honest conversation, and in my head I’m like, ‘Bro, how the hell does Luke Kuechly know who I am?’

“And that just shows who he is. He’s such a genuine person and a good guy, obviously one of the best football players to ever grace the field, one of the best football players to come through this organization. So to have a guy like that around that is obviously of that caliber, but also just a genuine human being, you don’t really meet humans like that, so it’s very rare, and it’s something I don’t take for granted. I try to make sure other people don’t take it for granted because it’s not always like that.”

Hubbard, who is one of the leaders of this place because of his work ethic, said Kuechly’s presence is a reminder of what it’s supposed to look like.

“He set the standard, you know what I mean?” Hubbard said. “It shows guys that like, I was a great player, I was a great human, I did all the right things, and obviously he was rewarded, deservingly so. Having a guy like that around and just his presence, especially for the young guys, that are aspiring to obviously get their foot in the door, be something great, especially for me, I want to be one of the great Panthers to come through here, so being able to even talk with him, pick his brain, take anything, even if it’s something small, it goes a long way.

“Not every team obviously is able to have Hall of Fame players just walk around and be able to have a normal conversation, let alone normal people in this life. So like I said, it’s not something I take for granted.”