As early as Friday, star wideout and defensive back David Rodriguez got the news that he received his first Division I offer from Umass Amherst.
Rodriguez just came off a stellar freshman campaign in which he made First Team All Division at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence, RI and quickly caught the attention of a lot of people in the area early on in his high school career along with coaches and scouts as well.
Playing since he was 8 years old and being the youngest in the family, Rodriguez has had that competitive spirit instilled in him at a very young age. Combining that, with seeing his older brothers on the field has always left Rodriguez with a chip on his shoulder.
Playing in a competitive D II league with teams like Classical, St. Raphael Academy and other schools, definitely pits Rodriguez against high end talent early on in his football career.
First coming into the program, Coach Jay Addison thought highly of Rodriguez "He had a lot of potential. He was highly polished as a freshman coming in".
Rodriguez caught the eye of his coaches very early in the season, immediately becoming a starter at wideout for Mt. Pleasant. The coaches were a little weary of him playing both sides of the ball, but after 4 games, the coaching staff believed it was best for the team to start him both on offense and defense.
Coach Addison continued on with his praise on where Rodriguez is now as a player, "For his age, he's as polished as they come. Whether it's getting in and out of breaks...he's got the height, he's got the length... he's got a football mind...his work ethic is off the charts...there is nothing negative about David's game right now".
"It couldn't happen to a better kid". Addison added on about first hearing the news of the offer.
"David is a leader... he's not looking to draw attention to himself, he's not looking for pats on the back. He's really just looking to show up and achieve what it is he's trying to achieve... he's a solid young man". Addison stated when describing Rodriguez off the field character.
Going back to Rodriguez, a breakout game for the elusive receiver came against West Warwick in which he hauled in over 100 receiving yards on the day.
Upon hearing his offer from Umass Amherst, Rodriguez said "It feels great. I'm just trying to stay humble and continue to work hard".
A lot of people only see what happens during the games, but Rodriguez takes pride in the grind itself "I believe that no one will work harder than me and I'll make sure of that every play".
Rodriguez continued on about his on field skills "I'm fast. I'm twitchy. I can make contested catches." Ceedee Lamb and Jerry Jeudy are two receivers that Rodriguez models his game after the most.
It's only been one year of high school football, but Rodriguez has proven that he is a legit player to keep an eye out for. As the next three years go on, it's definitely interesting to see which universities are looking to make a move on this highly talented and humble football star.
The journey only goes up from here.
Evan Mallios -
find me @es_mallios4 on IG
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