Former five-star recruit Justin Rogers makes first career start for Kentucky
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Game day: Kentucky 42, LSU 21
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday night’s Kentucky-LSU football game at Kroger Field in Lexington, Ky.
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Former five-star recruit Justin Rogers made his first career start for the University of Kentucky football team against LSU on Saturday.
Rogers, a sophomore who signed with UK as part of the 2020 recruiting class, was listed as the No. 2 player on this week’s depth chart behind Josaih Hayes, also a sophomore. Both played significant snaps in Kentucky’s 20-13 win over Florida last week after senior starter Marquan McCall suffered an injury to a “lower extremity” — he was observed having his left ankle bandaged on the sideline — in the first quarter of that game.
Rogers is the highest-ranked recruit to sign with the Wildcats since web-based recruiting services rose to prominence in the early 2000s. At the time of his signing he was considered the No. 15 player in the country and the No. 2 defensive lineman in the country behind Bryan Bresee, who signed with Clemson.
Rogers last year played in seven games, recording nine tackles and a sack. He’s played in all five games this season and has three tackles on the year.
Defensive linemen carried the torch for the 2020 signing class at the time and have quickly produced for UK. In addition to Rogers and Hayes, UK that class signed Octavious Oxendine — a former North Hardin High School star who’s started UK’s last three games — Tre’vonn Rybka and Sam Anaele. Anaele, a defensive end, is the only one of the five who hasn’t played this season.
This story was originally published October 9, 2021 at 7:29 PM.
