Nineteen scholarship players from Ohio State’s 2023 roster entered the transfer portal during the first transfer window of the offseason, but only eighteen of them transferred to other schools.
Unlike the other 18 Buckeyes who entered the portal in December or January, Bryson Rodgers remains at Ohio State for the 2024 season. He spent two weeks in the portal, entering the portal on New Year’s Eve, but withdrew from the portal on Jan. 13 after conversations with his family, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Ohio State wide receivers coach Brian Hartline made him realize he still wanted to be a Buckeye.
“I let God really take control of my path and take control of my faith, and just long talks with my family, long consideration with my family and just knowing that this was the right place for me,” Rodgers said of why he returned to Ohio State. “Long talks with Coach Hart and Coach Day as well, just getting clarity in the moments and the areas I needed clarity in. And just moving forward man, it’s been nothing but the best decision I made in my life. Even coming here in the first place. Just having that type of bond with Coach Hart now and Coach Day and us seeing eye-to-eye was just a wholesome moment for me. And that's what led to me coming back.”
Before entering the transfer portal, Rodgers said he “wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye in certain areas” with Hartline and Day, and he wanted to go somewhere where he felt like he would be valued. The conversations he had with Day and Hartline after entering the portal, though, showed him he was already in a program where he was valued.
“Even though it took some time and that's what I had to do to get that, that's what it was. But I mean, we're pretty much past that now,” Rodgers said Thursday. “We’re just really moving on, getting into spring, just really giving it my all for them and giving my all to this team.”
Hartline said he didn’t hold Rodgers’ decision to enter the portal against him.
“College football is different, and ideologies and understandings have changed. And I think that the portal is a variable. And I would say that, not him in particular, but everyone doesn't really know how to handle it properly,” Hartline said Thursday. “You see it currently. I mean, it's a variable that's new, and how to handle it, there's not a transcript on how to handle that variable. So guys just try to do what they think is right, it's all they're really trying to do. I’m not saying they’re right or wrong, but he was trying to do the same.
“And I think at the end of the day, he realized he made the wrong decision. And we connected on it and talked about it. And it was a great opportunity to right a wrong. And obviously, we're very glad he's here. I've always believed in him, we believe in him, and he believes in himself. And that's part of his trying to understand what's my path.”
Rodgers, who is originally from Warren, Ohio but spent most of his childhood in Zephyrhills, Florida, made visits to Florida and UCF before returning to Ohio State. He said he heard from “a lot of schools” after entering the transfer portal, and some of those schools promised Rodgers NIL money and playing time in their efforts to lure him. But the interest Rodgers received from other schools validated his belief that he’s good enough to play at OSU.
“That just shows you that this is the right place for me,” Rodgers said. “I mean, they threw the NIL opportunities, they threw chances to start, they threw everything they could at me, because coming out, I mean, you’re coming from Ohio State … they want somebody like that in the room.”
“It’s been nothing but the best decision I made in my life. Even coming here in the first place.”– Bryson Rodgers on returning to Ohio State
As a freshman last year, Rodgers said there were days when he doubted himself and second-guessed his decision to become a Buckeye. The four-star prospect, who was less highly touted than the typical Hartline recruit as the 357th-ranked prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2023 class, played only six snaps in his first year and did not catch any passes.
Hartline said Rodgers is already starting to push for playing time at slot receiver this spring, though, citing Rodgers’ growth in addition to that of Brandon Inniss as a reason why Emeka Egbuka could play more snaps outside this year than he has in past seasons. His fellow receivers believe in his ability, too.
“He can make an impact this year on offense, definitely,” Carnell Tate said. “He probably can change direction the fastest in the room right now. Super twitchy and quick.”
Rodgers might still face an uphill path to playing a major role this season as Inniss and Jeremiah Smith are viewed as the top candidates to join Egbuka and Tate in the starting lineup. But Rodgers is confident in his ability to compete with Ohio State’s other receivers and prove he belongs on the field.
“I feel like I'm a very talented guy and I can compete here. And I could compete anywhere in the country,” Rodgers said.
Even in such a talented receiver unit, Rodgers believes he can bring a lot of value to the Buckeyes’ offense.
“A playmaker, man. A great route runner. Versatile,” Rodgers said when asked what he can bring to the offense. “I just love making plays. And I love winning. I mean, that's what Coach Hart preaches to us is having that elite competitive excellence and fierce competitor in you. I feel like I bring that. A lot of speed, a lot of downfield plays I can make and just really keep the defense on their heels, and just give us the best opportunity to win football games. So that's what I'm here to do.”
Hartline said Rodgers is “nowhere near where he knows he’s capable of being,” and Rodgers knows playing time won’t be given to him unless he earns it. But Rodgers believes his decision to stay at Ohio State, rather than transferring somewhere that playing time might have come more easily, will make him better in the long run and allow him to maximize his development.
“Like we say in our room and Coach Hart preaches every day in our room, it's like, ‘You gotta be uncommon amongst uncommon.’ And that's the definition of Ohio State. You can’t have a bad day amongst the best athletes in the world, the most elite players in the country,” Rodgers said. “Being in that and being in those shoes of being a player and actually going through that, it gets real. Absolutely, it gets real. There are days you doubt yourself. There are days that you second-guess yourself. But I mean, it's just all part of really just staying true to yourself and keep believing in everything you can do.”
