In the SEC, size and beef up front is a must, and the Kentucky Wildcats have bolstered their depth in the trenches with the signings of Justin Rigg and Luke Fortner.
Rigg may be listed as a tight end, but the 6-6, 245-pounder has the frame to develop into a college offensive lineman. If nothing else, he should be a solid blocking end who gives UK a big target in the red zone and short-yardage situations.
Fortner, a 6-6 305-pound tackle, gives UK some nice depth along the offensive line and can play tackle or guard in college. Expect him to redshirt and compete for playing time in 2017 with UK having good depth up front in 2016.
Here are the UK profiles and highlights of Fortner and Rigg:
Justin Rigg, Tight End, 6-6, 245, Fr.-HS, Springboro, Ohio (Springboro) A 3-star tight end who is rated the No. 47 tight end and No. 43 player in Ohio by 247sports ... Voted team captain his senior season and hauled in 35 catches for 394 yards and a touchdown ... Also key in the Panthers perimeter run and passing game ... Helped Springboro finish 11-3 and advance to the second round of the Division I, Region 2 playoffs ... Named Greater Western Ohio All-Conference ... Earned an invitation to the 2016 Ohio High Football Coaches Association North-South All-Star Classic ... Hauled in 23 catches for 256 yards and four touchdowns as a junior ... Coached by Ryan Wilhite ... Also a letter winner and team captain on the basketball team at Springboro, averaging 9.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a senior ... Picked UK over Bowling Green, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Pittsburgh, Toledo and Wake Forest.
Luke Fortner, Offensive Tackle, 6-6, 305, Fr.-HS, Sylvania, Ohio (Sylvania Northview) A three-star offensive tackle by ESPN, Rivals and 247sports Rated as the 69th best offensive lineman nationally and the 36th best prospect in Ohio by 247sports ... Coached by Doug Downing ... Scout says, "Physical player - does a great job of getting and maintaining leverage once engaged with defender. Majority of the time plays under control and balanced showing the ability to beat a defender on own. Played tackle and center in high school. We feel hes got the raw talent to work with but a year in a college system will help him with his footwork and learning more about pass-protection. Solid pick up for the Wildcats as Fortner is a player who will benefit from a season or two in the college game" ... Earned third-team All-Ohio for Division II ... Named second-team All-Northwest Ohio in 2014 ... Dual-sport athlete as he also was a center on the Northview basketball team ... Honor-roll student ... Chose UK over Akron, Cincinnati, Marshall, Maryland, Toledo and Western Michigan.