USF's Bryson Rodgers: Born to be a Bull and back home where he belongs

South Florida receiver Bryson Rodgers believes he was born to be a South Florida Bull.

"I was. I felt like that in high school," he said.

He attended Wiregrass High School about 20 minutes from USF's campus. The first college football he attended was a Bulls game. His high school coaches talked up USF all the time. His family and friends are here. His posted a picture of him as a little kid wearing USF gear. his left hand making the trademark "Bulls horns" sign.

"It's been a blessing, man. Every week I'm seeing new people at the game. I was warming up Saturday and I saw my elementary school teacher with her daughters," he said. "It was just a real moment that something that you always dream about, you know, like kind of like almost a movie script I could write right now. Just the love I get from the fans, the support I get from my family, just everybody being there to watch me do what I love and really do it in the city I really grew up in.

"So it means everything. Just moments like that make me go harder, adds to the fuels for fire and that just keeps me going. I can sincerely appreciate all USF on Bulls Nation. They've been great and I keep looking forward to seeing y' all at the home game in supporting it."

So, I asked him -- er, um -- given all that, why did this 4-star rated receiver sign with Ohio State after his days at Wiregrass were done?

He grinned sheepishly.

"Man, Brian Hartline is how I ended up at Ohio State," he said.

That's the same Brian Hartline renowned for his development of receivers as an assistant for the Buckeyes. And the same Brian Hartline who now is the head coach at USF.

But some things are just meant to be.

Shortly after Hartline took this job, Rodgers was in the Transfer Portal and headed back home, where he is a key figure in USF's offensive plans.

"He's a little dinged up, but he's doing a good job fighting through it. That's a big growth opportunity. I think outside of that drop that he had, which is ridiculous, he's been much more consistent and I love his demeanor. I think he's really coming along as a player and I hope that he continues to stay on the trajectory of where he's at," Hartline said.

"He's got a lot of lofty goals and he's chasing those both as an individual and as a leader on his team. I'm really happy for where he's at. He knows he still has a long way to go, but I really like what he's doing."

During USF's late drive to pull out a win in Week 2 at Army, Rodgers was a key figure. Quarterback Michael Van Buren found him for four receptions that helped USF rally from a 3-point deficit for a 28-24 win. He tacked on seven more catches for 86 yards in a blowout win over Delaware State.

A little word of warning, though. Don't talk to him (or anyone else on USF) about stats.

"It's not about the statistics. It's about chasing steps and how I need this and that to do this. Like it's all about the brotherhood. It's all about being there for the love of your brother, giving everything you got. So that's what we chase. We don't really chase nothing else other than that," he said.

Fair 'nuff.

But Rodgers is a cool story apart from the statistics. He's the local kid who finally realized a dream to wear the green and gold, even if he took a slight detour of 1,023 miles from Tampa to Columbus, where he wore Buckeyes scarlet and gray. He was on the 2024 national championship team, so he knows what a band of brothers can accomplish.

He had an up-close view of Ohio State's otherworldly wide receiver room. He got to play with guys who became first-round NFL picks.

He got coached by one of the best in business.

And now he's home at a place he believes he was always meant to be.

"I remember telling my dad, I was like, I always want to play in NFL stadium. I'm always going to play NFL. So as a kid, Raymond James looked like this big thing. I always pictured, you know, dreaming of playing in the NFL, like, seeing that big stadium. And I remember at the game, I always told my dad, I'm gonna play in a big stadium like this one day, dad, like, I'm gonna do this. And he always motivated me and kept me going for it. And they just kept bringing me back to the games. I actually came to a couple games. That was my first game that he posted," Rodgers said.

"Man, I remember that whole day really vividly. It was a night game. Came up here with my boys, and even when we came up here, I remember the players giving us gear, like all the little kids and younger youth kids. I see in the stands that once was me, and I truly see that reflection. So I make sure even after the games to always try to give them a pair of gloves, give them my wristbands, just do something, you know, to make that memorable moment so valuable to them because that's how my career started,"

The stat sheet says the Bulls are 3-0. However, a better way to put it is that they've gone 1-0 for three consecutive weeks and will try to make it four on Saturday at Bowling Green, located 121 miles northwest of Columbus.

Coincidentally, it's BG's homecoming game. But for Rodgers, the real homecoming is when the Bulls land back in Tampa.

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