Cane Bay safety RJ Roderick helps bolster state of South Carolina in 2018
April 24, 2017
Even with the defections to other states by several of its top-rated prospects, the 2018 haul from the state of South Carolina remains impressive.
Emerging recruits like R.J. Roderick is among the reasons why.
By trade, Roderick is an option quarterback at Cane Bay High School, a 9-year-old school that hasn’t produced a lot of players for the next level.
“I feel like the biggest thing is if people could see him on film, not only on film, but also in person,” Cane Bay coach Russell Zehr said during an on-site interview with SEC Country.
“He’s a very aggressive runner. He’s got good speed. He leaves people. But, at the same time, he ain’t going out of bounds. He likes stiff-arming and stuff like that. I felt like, when colleges started seeing his film, he’d get interest.
“But, when you meet R.J in person, No. 1 is he’s a big kid. He’s a big, thick kid. He looks durable. And just his attitude and his demeanor, his respectfulness and that kind of stuff. I feel like, once coaches meet this kid, they’re going to realize he’s the real deal. I felt like, once coaches started coming around, he would start getting offers.”
Perhaps the biggest is South Carolina. Roderick picked up an offer from Will Muschamp and the Gamecocks last Monday while he was on campus for his second visit of the month.
East Carolina, Virginia, Air Force, Army and The Citadel have also offered Roderick, who will return to Columbia on Saturday for the next SpursUp event.
The Gamecocks and Pirates view him as a safety. Virginia and the option schools want him to play quarterback.
“I think he could go anywhere and be a quarterback,” Zehr said. “Now, if it was a spread-passing team, I’d bring him in, redshirt him for a year, work on his mechanics, throwing. But he’s got a powerful arm. He could be a great spread-type quarterback, if that’s what we worked on and we don’t.”
For Roderick, there is no preference for position at the next level. His deciding factors are more focused on academics and relationships.
But he relishes the responsibility that comes with playing quarterback.
“At quarterback, I kind of have control. I can rely on my teammates as well. I also like when the pressure is on and I feel responsible, where I can take on the burden of leading the team,” he said. “Also, chemistry with my teammates, it forces me to speak with them and develop a relationship, to be friends with them on and off the field. I just like to play my role.”
The defensive side of the ball also offers plenty of appeal.
“I get to fly to the ball, for the most part. Then, that transition from offense, you can read linemen and do certain type of stuff that gives me an advantage over the opposition,” Roderick said.
He added, “Also, flying to the ball, I get to show off a little bit of athleticism that I don’t get to on the offensive side.”
Zehr, whose background is as a defensive coach, believes Roderick could fit at a number of different positions.
“He could be a cornerback. He could be an outside linebacker,” Zehr said. “He could be a defensive end.”
That last one was accompanied by a laugh from his 6-foot, 207-pound rising senior quarterback/safety.
“R.J. is one of those kids, he’s a hard worker. He’s a great athlete. He’s a great competitor. But I think the biggest advantage for us is he’s a smart kid,” Zehr said. “He understands our offense. He understands what we’re doing. He understands what plays you can run against what defenses, so probably 50 percent of the plays we run he calls at the line on his own, based on what the defense is giving us.
“Having a weapon like that over there, you can never run a bad play. You’ve got a good chance to be successful, and that’s probably why he spends most of his time on offense. Can’t have many kids do what he does over there, so we keep him over there, where we can use his brains and his athletic ability.”
And that suits Roderick just fine.
“Wherever I can benefit them the most and wherever they feel like I should play, that’s where I’ll play,” he said.
April 24, 2017
Even with the defections to other states by several of its top-rated prospects, the 2018 haul from the state of South Carolina remains impressive.
Emerging recruits like R.J. Roderick is among the reasons why.
By trade, Roderick is an option quarterback at Cane Bay High School, a 9-year-old school that hasn’t produced a lot of players for the next level.
“I feel like the biggest thing is if people could see him on film, not only on film, but also in person,” Cane Bay coach Russell Zehr said during an on-site interview with SEC Country.
“He’s a very aggressive runner. He’s got good speed. He leaves people. But, at the same time, he ain’t going out of bounds. He likes stiff-arming and stuff like that. I felt like, when colleges started seeing his film, he’d get interest.
“But, when you meet R.J in person, No. 1 is he’s a big kid. He’s a big, thick kid. He looks durable. And just his attitude and his demeanor, his respectfulness and that kind of stuff. I feel like, once coaches meet this kid, they’re going to realize he’s the real deal. I felt like, once coaches started coming around, he would start getting offers.”
Perhaps the biggest is South Carolina. Roderick picked up an offer from Will Muschamp and the Gamecocks last Monday while he was on campus for his second visit of the month.
East Carolina, Virginia, Air Force, Army and The Citadel have also offered Roderick, who will return to Columbia on Saturday for the next SpursUp event.
The Gamecocks and Pirates view him as a safety. Virginia and the option schools want him to play quarterback.
“I think he could go anywhere and be a quarterback,” Zehr said. “Now, if it was a spread-passing team, I’d bring him in, redshirt him for a year, work on his mechanics, throwing. But he’s got a powerful arm. He could be a great spread-type quarterback, if that’s what we worked on and we don’t.”
For Roderick, there is no preference for position at the next level. His deciding factors are more focused on academics and relationships.
But he relishes the responsibility that comes with playing quarterback.
“At quarterback, I kind of have control. I can rely on my teammates as well. I also like when the pressure is on and I feel responsible, where I can take on the burden of leading the team,” he said. “Also, chemistry with my teammates, it forces me to speak with them and develop a relationship, to be friends with them on and off the field. I just like to play my role.”
The defensive side of the ball also offers plenty of appeal.
“I get to fly to the ball, for the most part. Then, that transition from offense, you can read linemen and do certain type of stuff that gives me an advantage over the opposition,” Roderick said.
He added, “Also, flying to the ball, I get to show off a little bit of athleticism that I don’t get to on the offensive side.”
Zehr, whose background is as a defensive coach, believes Roderick could fit at a number of different positions.
“He could be a cornerback. He could be an outside linebacker,” Zehr said. “He could be a defensive end.”
That last one was accompanied by a laugh from his 6-foot, 207-pound rising senior quarterback/safety.
“R.J. is one of those kids, he’s a hard worker. He’s a great athlete. He’s a great competitor. But I think the biggest advantage for us is he’s a smart kid,” Zehr said. “He understands our offense. He understands what we’re doing. He understands what plays you can run against what defenses, so probably 50 percent of the plays we run he calls at the line on his own, based on what the defense is giving us.
“Having a weapon like that over there, you can never run a bad play. You’ve got a good chance to be successful, and that’s probably why he spends most of his time on offense. Can’t have many kids do what he does over there, so we keep him over there, where we can use his brains and his athletic ability.”
And that suits Roderick just fine.
“Wherever I can benefit them the most and wherever they feel like I should play, that’s where I’ll play,” he said.