W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
After landing an offer from South Carolina in mid-April, new South Carolina commitment RJ Roderick told fellow prospects and Carolina coaches at the Spurs Up Day two weeks later that he was going to be a part of the Gamecocks' class.
I've had a commitment story written since then as Roderick was likely to go publicly in the following week, but as more and more interest rolled in, the 6-foot, 207-pounder had to weigh the advantages of taking an open approach and seeing a bunch of schools or going with the offer he had coveted from the beginning. As he said in our commitment interview, Roderick eventually thought, "What am I waiting on?" and officially pledged to Will Muschamp in his office Saturday afternoon.
Roderick was receiving a ton of interest from places at multiple positions and was looking at seeing a number of them this summer. Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, UNC and Georgia Tech (as a QB) in particular seemed to have his attention as well as a potential running back offer from Clemson. With offers to play everything from quarterback to running back, receiver, safety and "SPUR", there was plenty for Roderick to consider. But the relationships he built at South Carolina ultimately won out, in my opinion.
I dropped by Roderick's school last month and chatted for a little while and he told me that Muschamp texted him literally almost every day. That personal touch from a head coach payed off in a major way and further illustrates what we've told you -- that Roderick was a major target for this staff and they think he's a great fit, despite the low number of offers when they first offered (he now has 22 offers). I asked Roderick what type of things he and Muschamp text about and he said it's usually not even about football, just day-to-day life discussions.
That personal touch as well as his relationship with Travaris Robinson was a major part of the decision. He and Robinson hit it off immediately and the Spurs Up Day event went a long way towards solidifying that relationship as the two played basketball and ping pong against each other (Roderick took the win in bball and T-Rob in ping pong).
As a player, Roderick was described to me as "tough as nails" and the type of leader you want on your football team. I've always thought that high school quarterbacks bring something extra to the table in their overall knowledge of the game and with Jaylin Dickerson and Roderick, Carolina will now have two former quarterbacks at safety. Roderick passes the eyeball test with flying colors and looks like you would draw up a big-time SEC safety. He now plans to turn his attention to his senior year and graduating early before enrolling in January at South Carolina.
I've had a commitment story written since then as Roderick was likely to go publicly in the following week, but as more and more interest rolled in, the 6-foot, 207-pounder had to weigh the advantages of taking an open approach and seeing a bunch of schools or going with the offer he had coveted from the beginning. As he said in our commitment interview, Roderick eventually thought, "What am I waiting on?" and officially pledged to Will Muschamp in his office Saturday afternoon.
Roderick was receiving a ton of interest from places at multiple positions and was looking at seeing a number of them this summer. Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, UNC and Georgia Tech (as a QB) in particular seemed to have his attention as well as a potential running back offer from Clemson. With offers to play everything from quarterback to running back, receiver, safety and "SPUR", there was plenty for Roderick to consider. But the relationships he built at South Carolina ultimately won out, in my opinion.
I dropped by Roderick's school last month and chatted for a little while and he told me that Muschamp texted him literally almost every day. That personal touch from a head coach payed off in a major way and further illustrates what we've told you -- that Roderick was a major target for this staff and they think he's a great fit, despite the low number of offers when they first offered (he now has 22 offers). I asked Roderick what type of things he and Muschamp text about and he said it's usually not even about football, just day-to-day life discussions.
That personal touch as well as his relationship with Travaris Robinson was a major part of the decision. He and Robinson hit it off immediately and the Spurs Up Day event went a long way towards solidifying that relationship as the two played basketball and ping pong against each other (Roderick took the win in bball and T-Rob in ping pong).
As a player, Roderick was described to me as "tough as nails" and the type of leader you want on your football team. I've always thought that high school quarterbacks bring something extra to the table in their overall knowledge of the game and with Jaylin Dickerson and Roderick, Carolina will now have two former quarterbacks at safety. Roderick passes the eyeball test with flying colors and looks like you would draw up a big-time SEC safety. He now plans to turn his attention to his senior year and graduating early before enrolling in January at South Carolina.
