Justin Rogers Officially Enters Transfer Portal, Targets Emerge

It’s officially official. Kentucky defensive lineman Justin Rogers has entered his name into the transfer portal. On3’s Matt Zenitz confirmed Rogers made the move official Tuesday evening.

A former five-star recruit, Justin Rogers was a top 50 player in Kentucky’s highly-touted 2020 recruiting class. Hailing from the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, the offensive guard/defensive tackle was one of the highest-ranked signees in Kentucky football history. He slowly climbed the ladder up the depth chart, following in Quinton Bohanna and Marquan McCall‘s footsteps. Finally a full-time starter in 2022, this year he had 35 tackles, 1.5 for loss and a .5 sack.

Instead of running it back at Kentucky for a fourth season, Justin Rogers is exploring other options. 247’s Steve Wiltfong reports LSU, Georgia, Colorado, Miami, Oregon, Michigan State and Louisville are the first schools to reach out. He could take an official visit to LSU as early as this weekend.

While seeking out other options, he could also be persuaded to return to Lexington. According to KSR’s Matt Jones, Justin Rogers’ decision is motivated by NIL.

The loss of Justin Rogers (assuming it happens) is solely a NIL issue

This off-season is going to determine a lot for the future of UK Football in the NIL space. There is a ton of work to do and a lot of changes to be made for Kentucky to get where it needs to be

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) January 3, 2023

If Justin Rogers ultimately decides to take his talents elsewhere, Kentucky has a pair of players that contributed at nose guard last fall, Jamarius “Spider” Dinkins and former four-star recruit Josaih Hayes. As numbers in the defensive line room dwindle, Kentucky could also turn to the transfer portal for reinforcements.

Kentucky Players in the Transfer Portal so far

Wide Receivers: 5

• DeMarcus Harris (to Marshall)
• Chauncey Magwood (to UCF)
• Rahsaan Lewis
• Chris Lewis (to Troy)
• Tae Tae Crumes

Running Backs: 2

• Kavosiey Smoke
• Michael Drennen II

Tight Ends: 1

• Keaton Upshaw (to Georgia Southern)

Offensive Linemen: 2

• John Young (to Miami, OH)
• Kiyaunta Goodwin

Defensive Backs: 1

• Adrian Huey

Defensive Linemen: 1

• Justin Rogers

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire and the Kentucky Football Transfer Portal Tracker.