Auburn Tigers defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett’s phone will go off at any hour of the day. It could be first thing in the morning or late at night, well after practice and meetings have wrapped up at the Woltosz Football Performance Center.

On the other end is often one of two people: Jeffrey M’ba, who is settling into his new role at defensive end, or Justin Rogers, Auburn’s new defensive tackle transfer from Kentucky. When it’s Rogers on the line, the conversations usually involve the massive 340-pounder hounding Garrett about coming in to watch specific film cutups to study and dissect.

“He’s a fundamental guy,” Garrett said. “He’s very coachable. He’s explosive, and he’s one of those leaders in the room also who will call me at any time.”

Read more Auburn football: Auburn has “a lot of work to be done” at wide receiver as passing game takes shape under Hugh Freeze

Rivaldo Fairweather a “late bloomer,” but Auburn has high hopes for the FIU tight end transfer

Auburn lands top in-state 2024 running back in Andalusia standout J’Marion Burnette

Rogers is one of three Power Five transfer additions to Auburn’s defensive line room this spring — along with Maryland transfer Mosiah Nasili-Kite and Purdue transfer Lawrence Johnson — and figures to make an immediate impact as an anchor in the middle for Garrett’s group this fall. After spending the last three seasons at Kentucky, where he started 16 games over the last two years, Rogers transferred within the conference this offseason and has quickly caught the attention of his new coaches and teammates this spring.

“Justin Rogers is pretty good,” Garrett said with a smirk. “Justin is a good player, an explosive player.”

At 6-foot-3 and 340 pounds, Rogers is a quintessential nose tackle in Auburn’s three-man front. He’s a space-eater, the type of player who requires double-teams from the offensive line — as has been the case this spring at Auburn, according to head coach Hugh Freeze.

A former four-star recruit in the 2020 class, Rogers was a force in the middle for Kentucky for much of the last three seasons. He played in 26 games during his time with the Wildcats, including those 16 starts (12 of which came last season), and totaled 61 tackles, with five for a loss and three sacks. He improved in each of his three years at Kentucky, and now he brings valuable SEC experience to a position that needed depth after losing a handful of seniors from last year’s roster.

“It’s huge, with that experience, because he’s not shocked about what he’s going to see on Saturday,” Garrett said. “He knows what it’s going to look like, he knows how it’s going to feel. He knows what it takes to win games and to play these teams that we’re trying to beat. He knows what that feels like, so it’s awesome.”

That SEC experience has stood out in practice this spring, as Rogers has made himself at home on Auburn’s defensive line. M’ba said this week that Rogers’ run-stopping ability has been impressive, while offensive lineman Jeremiah Wright said Rogers was someone who immediately jumped out to him when the Tigers put on pads for the first time.

“He was very disruptive,” Wright said.

But Auburn is hoping it can get more out of Rogers this spring and into the fall. While he is a natural at nose tackle, Garrett said the next step is getting him comfortable playing at the other tackle spot on the line as well. At nose, Garrett wants a powerful and heavy lineman who can take on double-teams and hold the point of attack, like Rogers has already shown capable of doing. At tackle, he wants someone who can win one-on-one matchups and create some pass-rush opportunities while still holding the point.

It’s part of Garrett’s bigger-picture plan, as he tries to identify eight guys to rotate among the three defensive line spots. Versatility is an asset in that regard, and the hope is to get Rogers to the point where he can seamlessly switch between nose tackle and defensive tackle in defensive coordinator Ron Roberts’ system.

“Justin Rogers is a football player,” Freeze said. “He’s a handful. He’s going to be somebody that, Lord willing, stays healthy and we depend upon to be a factor in the middle.”

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.