The 1987 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth season under head coach Jerry Claiborne, the Wildcats compiled a 5–6 record (1–5 against SEC opponents), finished in a tie for seventh place in the SEC, and outscored their opponents, 258 to 187. The team played its home games in Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.