SAN FRANCISCO — From an early age, Luke Kuechly started doing amazing things.

Tonight, he has the chance to do something that will further put him in a special class of football players, earlier than almost all of them.

If Kuechly is named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight, he'd become the second-youngest player ever enshrined into the Hall, behind only Gale Sayers, at 35 years, three months, and change at the time he'd put on a gold jacket.

(This would have also been true if Kuechly were elected a year ago, as his April birthday would have lagged behind Sayers' in May, when the former Bears running back went in at 34 years old in 1977.)

Youngest Pro Football Hall of Famers at enshrinement

Sayers played just seven seasons because of injuries, but jammed a lot of accomplishments into that time.

He was an All-Decade selection for the 1960s, the offensive rookie of the year after scoring 22 touchdowns, a two-time league rushing leader, and a five-time All-Pro. He's also a member of the league's 100th Anniversary All-Time team (as well as the 50th and 75th).

Kuechly played just eight seasons because of injuries, but jammed a lot of accomplishments into that time.

He was an All-Decade selection for the 2010s, was defensive rookie of the year in 2012, defensive player of the year in 2013, led the league in tackles twice, set a league record for tackles in a game, finished with over 100 tackles every season he played (even the year he played just 10 games), and had 1,092 tackles for his career, which included seven All-Pro recognitions and seven Pro Bowls.

So yeah, they have a lot in common, which Kuechly's former coach, Ron Rivera, recognized.

"The unfortunate part is, is his career was cut short," Kuechly's Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said. "I think that's the only thing you can look at as to why he's not in already."

Sayers was a first-ballot inductee in 1977, while Kuechly's in his second year of eligibility this year.

But being brilliant for a short amount of time is no longer the disqualifier it used to be.

While Sayers' brief, bright, brilliance was an outlier — when you're talking about the best of the best, it should be — Kuechly did the same kinds of things.

"If you look at it that way, Gale Sayers wouldn't have gotten in right away, and that wouldn't be right," Rivera said. "That shouldn't be a problem anymore."

Kuechly's short-term excellence has been recognized in a number of ways.

By being named All-Pro seven times in his career, 87.5 percent of his career included that recognition.

The only two players who did it at a higher percentage were Barry Sanders (10-of-10, 100 percent) and Jim Brown (9-of-9, 100 percent). The two players Kuechly's ahead of on that list are Reggie White (13-of-15, 86.7 percent) and Anthony Munoz (11-of-13, 84.6 percent).

If you're in a club of five with Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Reggie White, and Anthony Munoz, you are, by definition, a Hall of Famer.

And maybe we should have seen this coming during his rookie year.

In two games in 2012, Kuechly wore a Hall of Fame anniversary patch on his jersey, a hint of what he'd look like in gold 14 years later.

And because of his brilliance on the field, it will be no surprise if he hears his name called tonight, to the relief of many, and then is enshrined at the ripe old age of 35.

"He better get in, but Luke Kuechly is a first ballot Hall of Famer," his former teammate Thomas Davis said. "I watched him play. I've watched other guys that have become first ballot Hall of Famers, and I know what it looks like. I got to witness, I got to watch him, the work that he's been able to put in on and off the field, the amount of energy and effort that he put in to understanding the game of football and knowing what the other teams were gonna do, getting all of his teammates lined up, that is a guy that should have been a first-ballot Hall of Famer, so I hope and I pray that without a doubt that these voters got this right this time.

"Just his energy that he brought to it, the competitiveness that he brought to it every single day, every single day."

Again, the fact that he's spent the second-fewest days on Earth of any Hall of Famer if he's announced tonight matters.

Trailing Sayers is one thing. The other young Hall of Famers underscore what a special group he's on the precipice of joining.

If he's announced tonight, he'd join a select club of only 25 players to enter the Hall of Fame before their 40th birthday.

The other 35-year-olds to enter the Hall of Fame were Jim Brown and Calvin Johnson. The 36-year-olds were Barry Sanders, Dick Butkus, and Earl Campbell. The 37-year-olds Darrelle Revis and Kellen Winslow Sr. The 38-year-olds include Lance Alworth, Jack Lambert, Eric Dickerson, OJ Simpson, Marshall Faulk, and Joe Thomas, while the 39-year-olds are Troy Aikman, Jack Ham, Lamar Hunt, Jim Langer, Curtis Martin, Anthony Munoz, Jim Parker, Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, and Patrick Willis.

If those names sound like the best of the best, the elite among the elites, that's no accident.

And that's the kind of club Luke Kuechly could join, as soon as tonight.