Kentucky junior DL Justin Rogers hints at departure
Typically, it’s best to leave cryptic social media posts from student-athletes alone. Emotions get the best of players at times — tough losses, lack of playing time and coaching changes being the prime examples — and they turn to social media to say things that oftentimes don’t amount to anything.
Kentucky defensive lineman Justin Rogers wants you to know this isn’t one of those times.
Back home in Michigan for the offseason leading up to Music City Bowl prep, the Detroit native sent out a tweet indicating his time in Lexington may be over. Two simple emojis: a man walking and a peace sign.
Insignificant and harmless? Rogers says otherwise, telling a fan hopeful the cryptic message doesn’t mean what everyone thinks it means to accept it.
As a junior this season, totaled 33 tackles (seven solo) and 0.5 sacks in 12 games for the Wildcats, including 11 starts. Over the course of his three-year career, he’s racked up 57 tackles (17 solo), four tackles for loss and three sacks.
Rogers signed with Kentucky as one of the program’s highest-rated commitments of all time, choosing the Wildcats over Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, and Tennessee, among dozens of other offers. Once ranked inside the top ten, he closed out as the No. 44 overall prospect and No. 6 defensive lineman in the On3 Consensus.
A four-year starter at Oak Park (MI), Rogers was a force on both sides of the ball playing offensive tackle and defensive end, not giving up a single sack on offense while picking up six sacks and three forced fumbles on defense. He was named to the Detroit News Football Dream Team and the All-North Football Team as a senior in 2019.
With all the recruiting hype came pro expectations, hoping to emerge as a day-one impact piece who could declare for the NFL Draft when eligible after three seasons. Playing behind the likes of Quinton Bohanna, Marquan McCall and Phil Hoskins, though, the opportunity for an early breakout wasn’t on the table. He finally got starting reps as a junior and produced, but didn’t make the superstar leap most hoped for as an interior pass-rusher and run-stopper.
Still, though, he’s projected as a sixth-round draft selection as the No. 41 overall draft-eligible defensive lineman by NFLDraftBuzz.com. The 6-foot-3, 332-pound prospect grades out as a strong tackler capable of setting the edge in the run game, but remains on the short side and relies on his ability to overpower blockers rather than developing pass-rush moves.
How will that translate to the next level, where offensive linemen have the size and strength to shut down bull rush attempts from Rogers? It appears the former blue-chip recruit may give it a shot regardless.
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