Luke Fortner

Luke Fortner (born May 15, 1998) is an American professional football center for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Luke Fortner

Fortner with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022
No. 79 – Jacksonville Jaguars
Position:	Center
Personal information
Born:	(1998-05-15) May 15, 1998 (age 27) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.[1]
Height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:	307 lb (139 kg)
Career information
High school:	Sylvania Northview (Sylvania, Ohio)
College:	Kentucky (2016–2021)
NFL draft:	2022: 3rd round, 65th pick
Career history
Jacksonville Jaguars (2022–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-SEC (2021)
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Games played: 51 Games started: 34 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

Fortner grew up in Sylvania, Ohio and attended Sylvania Northview High School.^[2]

College career

Fortner redshirted his true freshman season at the University of Kentucky.^[3] He appeared in eight games as a redshirt freshman.^[4] Fortner played in 11 of Kentucky's 13 games during his redshirt sophomore season.^[5] He became the Wildcats' starting left guard going into his redshirt junior season and started 13 games in 2019 and 10 in Kentucky's COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. Fortner decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to Kentucky for a sixth season.^[6] He moved to center during fall training camp and was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference by the league's coaches.^[7][8] Fortner graduated in May 2022 with three degrees: Bachelor's, master's in mechanical engineering, and MBA.^[9]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 4+1⁄8 in (1.93 m)	307 lb (139 kg)	33+1⁄8 in (0.84 m)	10 in (0.25 m)	5.21 s	1.77 s	2.99 s	4.95 s	7.75 s	29.0 in (0.74 m)	8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)	31 reps
Sources:[10][11][12]

Fortner was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round, 65th overall, of the 2022 NFL draft.^[13] He was named the Jaguars starting center as a rookie.