Kentucky Football Countdown: No. 47 Justice Dingle

Good afternoon, BBN! We know nobody likes Mondays, but each one brings us one week closer to football season, right? Today, we sit at 47 days until Kentucky kicks off the 2022 season at Kroger Field.

No. 47 Justice Dingle

Another Kentucky boy here. Justice Dingle was born in Manning, South Carolina, but calls Kentucky home. After a few years down south, Dingle is heading back to the Bluegrass.

Dingle began his high school play at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He helped lead Oakland to back-to-back district championships as a freshman and sophomore before heading north to Kentucky.

Not too far north, though. Dingle played his remaining two years with Bowling Green High School where he had an impressive career. He helped lead the Purples to the state championship as a junior in 2016, earning him a spot on the all-state team.

He continued that success into his senior year, as well. His impressive stats earned him plenty of attention from colleges. He was ranked a four-star prospect by Rivals coming out of high school, as well as the No. 2-ranked player in his class in Kentucky and the No. 18-ranked inside linebacker in the nation. ESPN ranked him as the nation’s 16th-best at his position.

Dingle committed to Georgia Tech back in 2017. He picked the Yellow Jackets over Tennessee, Virginia, Louisville, and Purdue.

After redshirting his freshman year, He made 11 appearances in 2019, including his first college start at defensive end. He finished that season with six tackles (five solo), one sack, and three fumble recoveries. After some coaching and position changes, though, Dingle decided it was time for him to find a new home.

Thus, he entered the transfer portal in November 2020. Not even a month later, he announced he would be heading to Lexington to join the Wildcats.

Blessed to have the opportunity and to be a part of the family!!💙💙 Go #BBN !! https://t.co/tb0iDFed0f

— Justice Dingle Jr. (@justicedingle21) December 16, 2020

Dingle to join a familiar face in Lexington

For Dingle, Kentucky just made sense. Not only was it much closer to home, but he would also be joining a (very) familiar face in Lexington. Dingle’s younger brother Jordan committed to the ‘Cats back in 2020. Jordan was ranked a four-star tight end coming out of high school.

Justice will be playing fullback for new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello. Scangarello has several times expressed his excitement to implement a fullback (often referred to as an H-back in college football recently) in the Wildcat offense. “I’m a huge believer in multiple personnels and tight ends are a big part of that. They’re chess pieces,” Scangarello said.

Regardless of how he fits in the offense, we sure are excited to see what Dingle can do here in Lexington.