Bryson Rodgers prepares to join Ohio State football in January
Amanda Dorchock didn’t want her son to get his hopes up.
Bryson Rodgers already had his chance to play high-level college football, and was coveted badly enough that both Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Alabama coach Nick Saban each landed helicopters on the Wiregrass Ranch High School football field in Wesley Chapel, Florida, to watch him play.
But the 2023 wide receiver continued to wait, eager for that offer to bring him back home.
Dorchock remembers when Rodgers’ dream began to pick up steam in January, when he showed her a Twitter direct message from Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.
From that point, everything fell into place for Rodgers.
Ohio State football news:Sign up for the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Dispatch reporters
Hartline flew down to watch Rodgers run routes in person a week later and extended a scholarship offer. Three months later, Rodgers was on the sideline at Ohio Stadium, watching the Buckeyes’ spring game with no intentions of committing with other official visits already scheduled.
“As soon as he went to Ohio State, though, I just knew it,” Dorchock said.
It didn’t matter that Ohio State was Rodgers’ 33rd of 45 total offers. It was the one he wanted, committing to the Buckeyes on the spot, becoming the first of four receivers in their 2023 class.
It was the chance for the Warren, Ohio, native to join the pipeline of talent he felt he belonged in.
Bryson Rodgers finds motivation before size
Brandon Rodgers remembers playing football in the yard with his son Bryson for hours.
“He could catch the ball from 30 yards at 4 years old with no problem,” Brandon Rodgers said. “I knew he could catch, but I didn’t know how fast he would be in terms of route running and everything.”
“I knew if he could at least catch the ball, we had something to work with.”
Even as Bryson Rodgers and his family moved from Warren to Tampa for “better opportunities,” he knew football would play some role in his future.
“It hit home as soon as I got my hands on it,” Bryson Rodgers said. “It was pretty much a feeling once I was young and I just ran with it ever since.”
Motivation stemmed from the move, Brandon said, seeing that his son had to work harder to be accepted ahead of many other Florida players, turning his focus to earning a college scholarship while other players focused on youth trophies.
But Bryson didn’t have the size.
Heading into Wiregrass Ranch, he was a 6-foot, 135-pound lanky wide receiver with his eyes set on making the varsity football team.
Why Garrett Stover chose Ohio State:Why Garrett Stover chose Ohio State: ‘I’ve been wanting to be a Buckeye my whole life’
That’s when Dorchock saw the potential of her son’s path to the next level, seeing him excel against bigger players even while he hadn’t “come into his body yet.”
“After his freshman year, I was just convinced,” Dorchock said. “Like, I don’t know if it’s going to be Ohio State or whatever, but he’s definitely going to put his heart into it and, whatever he does, he’s going to play at the next level.”