In one of the bigger developmental success stories in recent program history, Kentucky's Luke Fortner was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 65 pick overall on Friday in the third round of the NFL Draft.

Fortner, a 6-foot-6, 297-pound grad senior, emerged as an NFL prospect after making the transition from guard to center for his final season at UK. He anchored the "Big Blue Wall," which was once again considered one of the top units in college football.

The Sylvania, Ohio, native was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and wound up playing 54 career games for the Wildcats. He graded out at 84.5% during the 2021 season with 19 knockdown blocks.

During his six seasons at UK, the Cats posted a 45-29 record and advanced to a school-record six straight bowl games, winning the last four.

Fortner graduated in December of 2019 with a degree in mechanical engineering and has been working on a master’s degree in aerospace engineering. While working on that, he also began working on a second master's degree in business administration. He is on track to graduate with both degrees in 2022.

He is a five-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and was named Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American.