Four-Star WR Bryson Rodgers on Penn State Visit: "It was a special moment"
Penn State hosted one of Florida’s top overall prospects in the Class of 2023 Saturday in four-star wide receiver Bryson Rodgers.
Listed at 6-foot-1, 173 pounds, Rodgers earned an offer from the Nittany Lions almost a year ago, in November 2020. James Franklin and his staff were actually the second program to offer the Tampa native, and it was a connection to his high school, Wiregrass, that helped kickstart an early relationship.
“A former player at my school, Jordan Miner, is now at Penn State,” Rodgers said. “That’s how I really got to know the culture there. He introduced me then to different coaches, like Coach [Taylor] Stubblefield. The first coach I actually got to know was Coach [Terry] Smith. He’s the one I got the offer from. I talked to him a few times. I love Coach Smith. He’s a real laid-back guy. I also love the culture there that Jordan’s shown me.”
Rodgers’ relationship with Miner dates back to well before he was in high school. Back in 2017, Miner was a senior at Wiregrass putting up some impressive stats, and that grabbed the attention of a young Rodgers, who was just in seventh grade at the time, But even then, it was clear that Rodgers would be a pretty good player himself, so he was able to get around the varsity team at a young age, and that’s how he developed a friendship with Miner.
“I came to watch Jordan when I was probably in the seventh grade, and I was real impressed," he said. "Eventually, I got to know the coaches more that year, got in the locker room, and that’s when I got to know Jordan. Once he left, my school retired his number, which is number one. Then, when I got into my sophomore year, Jordan said he saw me as the next guy up for them, so he gave me his number to wear. That was real dope of him to do that, and that pushed me all last year. We’ve become pretty cool ever since then.”
His relationship with Miner also set a high bar for not just Penn State as a school and football program, but the entire White Out experience that he saw for the first time this past weekend. Rogers said he was impressed before he even got into the stadium.
“We got in early. I came with a few of my coaches and another running back recruit. My [offensive coordinator] is a big Penn State fan. He’s from Philly, so that was fun going with him,” Rodgers said. “We got up there pretty early, got to see the tailgates and everything. Seeing thousands and thousands of people three or four hours before the game was so cool. We saw everyone waiting for the players to get off the bus, tailgating, everything. There were just some great vibes there from like 4:30 and leading into kickoff. It was amazing. Just amazing.”
Once he got into the stadium, Rodgers said he was able to have a brief talk with Smith in the recruiting lounge. He went out onto the field a little over an hour before kickoff.
“There are probably dozens of fans when you’re walking through the tunnel and into the stadium, maybe hundreds,” he said. “I love that they’re not just there to watch the game, but also to come see the players who are their future. Then, to be on that sideline, it was a crazy experience looking up into those seats and seeing all those people in white before the game. There were thousands and thousands of people there an hour or two before the game. I got to talk to Jordan during that, too. I love getting as many opinions as I can, so we talked about how he and others see some things there. I enjoyed getting that input.
“But pregame was amazing, and then, when you sit down and the fireworks are going and everyone is ready to go, it gets crazy. That was unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my life. I always wanted to go to a Penn State game. It was a special moment.”
Rodgers is now up to 22 verbal scholarship offers. He visited Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and South Carolina during the summer, and all but the Gamecocks have offered. In fact, Rodgers already has a top 10 that includes Penn State, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Iowa State, Maryland, Oregon, Rutgers and UCF.
Since the start of the season, he’s attended games at Florida and Florida State, and said he plans to get back to Gainesville in two weeks for the game against Tennessee.
A member of the Rivals250, Rodgers is currently ranked No. 240 overall. He’s the 34th-ranked wide receiver and the 48th-ranked player in Florida for the Class of 2023.
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