Football
Justin Rigg - Football - University of Kentucky Athletics 83

JustinRigg

  • position Tight End
  • height 6-6
  • Weight 246
  • class Sophomore
  • Hometown Springboro, Ohio
  • High school Springboro

Career

  • Four-year letter winner
  • Played in a a school-record 63 career games with 35 starts, including 16 in a row
  • Career totals included 50 catches for 547 yards and five scores, averaging 10.9 yards per catch
  • Graduated in December of 2020 with a degree in agricultural economics
  • Graduated with a second degree in communication on December 17, 2021
  • SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll (2016-17)


2021 –  Senior *

  • In 13 starts, had 20 receptions (third on the team) for 189 yards (9.5) and four scores
  • Celebrated Senior Day with two catches for 34 yards and a career-high two TDs in the win over New Mexico State … First time a UK tight end had multiple TDs in a game since C.J. Conrad caught three touchdowns vs. New Mexico State in 2016
  • Caught a season-high four passes for 24 yards, including a one-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter at No. 1 Georgia


2020 – Senior

  • Played in nine games with eight starts
  • Fifth on the team in receptions with 12 for 145  yards and a score … Averaged 12.1 yards per catch
  • Caught three passes for a career-high 79 yards in the win over South Carolina on Senior Day
  • Caught a 15-yard TD pass on UK’s first offensive possession vs. Vanderbilt, his first career TD reception … It was his second career TD after a fumble recovery for a score in 2019


2019 – Junior 

  • Started in 12 of 13 games played
  • Had at least one catch in six games, totaling 11 catches for 128 yards
  • Integral blocker for UK’s explosive running game which led the SEC and ranked fourth nationally with 278.8 rushing yards per game
  • Had five receptions for 50 yards, both career highs, vs. Florida
  • Scored his first collegiate touchdown on a fumble recovery in the end zone on the first play of the second quarter vs. Toledo


2018 – Sophomore

  • Played in all 13 games with two starts vs. MTSU and Louisville
  • Had four catches for 45 yards
  • Earned his first career start vs. MTSU and had a 29-yard catch, the longest of his career


2017 – r-Freshman

  • Played in all 13 games
  • Caught three passes for 40 yards, including a career-high two catches for 34 yards vs. Northwestern in the Music City Bowl


2016 – Freshman

  • Redshirt season
  • Played in two games before suffering a rib injury during the third week of the season
  • Returned to practice for the bowl game but did not see action
  • SEC First-year Academic Honor Roll (2016-17)


High School

  • A 3-star tight end rated the No. 47 tight end and No. 43 player in Ohio by 247sports
  • Voted team captain as a senior and hauled in 35 catches for 394 yards and a touchdown
  • 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 Assoc. North-South All-Star Classic
  • Coached by Ryan Wilhite
  • Also a letter winner and team captain on the basketball team, averaging 9.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as a senior
  • Excelled in the classroom as he was a three-time Basketball Scholar Athlete and earned the United States Marine Corps’ Distinguished Athlete Award
  • Picked UK over Bowling Green, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Ohio), Ohio, Pittsburgh, Toledo and Wake Forest


Personal

  • Born in Dayton, Ohio
  • Son of Jay and Robin Rigg
  • Has two brothers, Jake and Jordan
  • Grandfather, Joe Miko, played football at Ohio, while brother, Jordan, played at Miami (Ohio) and brother, Jake, played at Walsh University

Justin Says

  • His nickname is “Rigg”
  • He chose Kentucky because it felt like family
  • When he played football as a kid he pretended to be Shaun Alexander
  • One word to describe him on the field is “focused”
  • His hidden talent is card tricks
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