Jacksonville Jaguar keeps engineering in his head and Kentucky on his cleats

You might remember hearing about Luke Fortner, the UK graduate with two engineering degrees and an MBA, who was picked up by Jacksonville in the 2022 NFL draft. The former student-athlete was often described as humble and hardworking. 

Since graduation, not much has changed. Fortner, Jaguar offensive lineman, still wears No. 79 and remains as humble and hardworking as ever. 

When asked what personal or professional highlights he might want to share from the last two years, Fortner spoke most passionately about one thing: the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative. 

Each season, NFL players have the opportunity to pick a cause that is important to them and represent their chosen organization of support on custom designed cleats. 

In all three of his seasons in the NFL, Fortner, a native of Sylvania, Ohio, has used the opportunity to call attention to Kentucky causes. In his first season, it was the Kentucky Children’s Hospital. His second season, he represented the Marco Shemwell Foundation. And this past season, Fortner choose the Lesley-Rhyan Prather Foundation. 

For Fortner, he may be gone, but Kentucky is not forgotten. 

“I still feel a strong tie to Kentucky and am honored to have a chance to represent some great organizations around the state,” he shared. 

It should come as no surprise that despite the demands of professional football, Fortner also found time this year to join the Pigman College of Engineering Young Alumni Philanthropy Council. He says he looks forward to being an active member and attending his first meeting in the spring. 

Becoming involved with the college is one goal Fortner has already checked off his list for 2025, but that is only one facet of his constant quest for self-improvement. 

“My goal for 2025 is to continue to improve professionally, both on and off the field,” Fortner said. “In the engineering realm, that looks like teaching myself Python, but the constant improvement is something that’s shared by both football and engineering.”

The culture of improvement shared by football and engineering is not the only aspect of engineering he uses in his day-to-day. Fortner says that engineering has trained him to think critically and efficiently process detail and ideas in all areas of life in the Information Age.

“Without getting in the weeds too much, I think the amount of information we’re expected to consume is mind-boggling, and engineering teaches us to analyze that ‘data’ critically, Fortner said. “Whether it’s something as superficial as purchasing a new vehicle, or something as introspective as politics/philosophy, taking a problem and breaking it down into digestible pieces is something I’ll always take from engineering.”

Talking to Fortner, it becomes apparent why “engineer” is the verb so often chosen to describe the act of planning and designing plays on the field. To succeed in football at the highest level, it takes the quick processing and decision-making skills that engineers embody. Teams are like systems – miscalculations are consequential, and mechanics are crucial. Players analyze opposing teams’ offenses and defenses and learn their patterns. Adapting strategy and optimizing performance is the key to success in both football and engineering. 

Though Fortner hopes his career keeps him on the football field for the foreseeable future, for him, engineering is like Kentucky – a part of his fabric. 

“Ideally, the next few years involve me continuing to be on the football field! In the meantime, I have been considering my Ph.D. in aerospace engineering,” he shared. “I’m currently assessing the feasibility of that while also looking to excel in football, so stay tuned!”

His post-football game plan?

“If football were to end today, I’d look to leverage both of my engineering degrees and my MBA to find a job I love, most likely in or near Kentucky!”