Kentucky announces signing of Dare Rosenthal

Former LSU Tigers offensive tackle Za’Darius “Dare” Rosenthal has officially signed to play football at the University of Kentucky, head coach Mark Stoops announced Friday.

“We are excited to welcome Dare to our team,” Stoops said in a press release. “He has SEC experience and is a tremendous talent. He will be a great addition to the Big Blue Wall.”

Rosenthal, a 6-foot-7, 327-pounder from Ferriday (LA), will be eligible immediately and have three seasons left to play. He’s played in 13 career games with eight starts for the Tigers.

In 2020, Rosenthal played in seven of the LSU’s 10 SEC-only games with five starting assignments vs. Mississippi State, Missouri, Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss.

As a redshirt freshman in 2019, Rosenthal appeared in five games with three starts, helping the Tigers go undefeated at 15-0 and win the College Football Playoff. He started at left guard in wins over Northwestern State, Utah State and Mississippi State while playing a total of 229 snaps with career-high 92 snaps coming against Utah State.

Coming out of high school, Rosenthal originally signed as a defensive lineman but shifted to the offensive line while redshirting in 2018. He was the top-rated defensive tackle prospect in Louisiana and the nation’s No. 18 overall defensive tackle. The consensus four-star recruit helped lead his team to the semifinals of the 2A state playoffs as a senior in 2017, while also playing on the offensive line for head coach Stanley Smith.

As a senior, Rosenthal recorded 60 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, six sacks, five quarterback hurries, four fumble recoveries (two for touchdowns), blocked a field goal, and an interception. He also participated in the New Orleans Regional for The Opening in both 2016 and 2017 and was a first-team All-State selection for Class 2A by the Louisiana Football Coaches Association as a senior.