Former Kentucky DL Justin Rogers Transfers to Auburn

One of the highest-ranked recruits in Kentucky football history will be taking his talents to another SEC school after three years in Lexington. Justin Rogers announced Thursday afternoon he will transfer to Auburn.

Rogers entered the transfer portal following the Music City Bowl Jan. 3. During his time in the portal he took visits to Alabama and LSU before ultimately choosing to play on Hugh Freeze’s inaugural Auburn football team.

Now it’s time for me to open a new chapter and with that being said, I want to thank Auburn University’s staff for me this opportunity. PS #5 #WDE #WarEagle #auburnnation #auburnfootball 🦅🦅🧡🧡 #DetroitvsEverybody #Detroit pic.twitter.com/lIWJuVcWwr
— Justin Rogers (@AllAmerican52JR) January 12, 2023

“I like the environment at Auburn. It’s a small college town. That’s one thing I wanted, a real-life college town,” Rogers told On3’s Auburn Live.

He also was a big fan of Auburn defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett.

“That’s my guy,” Rogers said. “He’s funny, a funny guy. I feel like he can coach me hard in the SEC West. That’s what I’m looking for, a great coach who can push me to get to the next level.”

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Justin Rogers was the highest-ranked recruit in the Wildcats’ 2020 recruiting class. He was the No. 6 defensive lineman, the No. 44 overall recruit and No. 1 recruit from Michigan, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally-weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

He had 16 starts at Kentucky over the last two seasons and tallied 35 tackles, 1.5 for loss and a .5 sack in 2022. Rogers was on track to become the third straight UK nose guard to reach the NFL, following Marquan McCall and Quinton Bohanna. Unable to make the leap to the pros after year three, he decided to try something new for his fourth and final college football season. Auburn primarily plays four down defensive lineman, allowing Justin Rogers to move away from the zero-technique and play more as a traditional 4-3 defensive tackle. Before announcing his commitment to Auburn, he shared a farewell message with the Big Blue Nation.