Photo: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons²

Luke Fortner

Center, Carolina Panthers · #77.

Player facts

Team: Carolina Panthers
Position: Center
Number: 77
Born: May 15, 1998 (age 28)
Birthplace: Sylvania, OH, USA
Height: 6' 6"
Weight: 300 lbs
College: Kentucky
Experience: 5 seasons
Status: Active

About

Luke Fortner (born May 15, 1998) is an American professional football center for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kentucky Wildcats and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Luke Fortner, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Fortner grew up in Sylvania, Ohio and attended Sylvania Northview High School.

College career

Fortner redshirted his true freshman season at the University of Kentucky. He appeared in eight games as a redshirt freshman. Fortner played in 11 of Kentucky's 13 games during his redshirt sophomore season. 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. He moved to center during fall training camp and was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference by the league's coaches. Fortner graduated in May 2022 with three degrees: Bachelor's, master's in mechanical engineering, and MBA.