Justin Rogers, the highest-ranked recruit in Kentucky history, officially signs

Kentucky football coaches and fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Justin Rogers, a 6-foot-4, 314-pound senior from Oak Park, Mich., signed his letter of intent to play for UK on Wednesday, the first day of college football’s three-day early signing period.

Rivals ranks Rogers as a five-star prospect, making Rogers the second such player to sign with UK under Mark Stoops (Landon Young was the first, in 2016). He is the highest-ranked recruit to sign with Kentucky since Rivals began rating players in 2002.

Rogers ranks as the No. 15 overall player, nationally, in Rivals’ latest top 100 rankings for the class of 2020. He was once ranked as high as 10th nationally as an offensive lineman but is now rated as a defensive tackle, the position he’ll play at Kentucky. He’s considered the second-best defensive tackle in the 2020 class behind Clemson commit Bryan Breese, a 6-5, 290-pound Maryland native whom Rivals ranks as the No. 1 overall player regardless of position.

247Sports rates Rogers as the No. 6 defensive tackle in the country and 53rd nationally. That service has him as a four-star prospect.

Rogers committed to UK in May.

“They’re winning a heavyweight battle against upper-echelon programs in the SEC,” Steve Wiltfong, the director of recruiting at 247Sports, told the Herald-Leader then. “This is a kid who could have went anywhere he wanted.”

This story was originally published December 18, 2019 at 10:05 AM.

Josh Moore

Lexington Herald-Leader

Josh Moore covers the University of Kentucky football team for the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he’s been employed since 2009. Moore, a Martin County native, graduated from UK with a B.A. in Integrated Strategic Communication and English in 2013. He’s a fan of the NBA, Power Rangers and Pokémon. Support my work with a digital subscription