Luke Fortner
American football player (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.[1]
Fortner with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 | |||||||
| Carolina Panthers | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | May 15, 1998 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.[1] | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 307 lb (139 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Sylvania Northview (Sylvania, Ohio) | ||||||
| College | Kentucky (2016–2021) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2022: 3rd round, 65th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||
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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
| 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] | ||||||||||||
Jacksonville Jaguars
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. Fortner operated as a full-time starter in 2022 and 2023, before being used as a backup in 2024; in 51 total appearances for Jacksonville, he recovered one fumble while losing two.
New Orleans Saints
On August 17, 2025, Fortner was traded to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for defensive tackle Khalen Saunders.[14]
Carolina Panthers
On March 11, 2026, Fortner signed a one-year, $4.75 million contract with the Carolina Panthers.[15]
