Ohio State football class of 2023 scouting report: Bryson Rodgers

The Ohio State football recruiting class of 2023 is complete and despite some murmurs of negativity in the crowd, this class is fantastic from top to bottom. One of the studs of this class is a four-star recruit, a wide receiver from the state of Florida in Bryson Rodgers from Wiregrass Ranch High School in Zephyrhills, Florida.

Rodgers is regarded as a top 355 recruit in the country and a top 45 receiver in the entire country. He may not see the field immediately, but Rodgers has the skills to see the field multiple years during his time in Columbus, Ohio.

Name: Bryson Rodgers

High School: Wiregrass Ranch (Zephyrhills, FL)

Height: 6-feet, 0-inches

Weight: 175 pounds

4-Star Interior Wide Reciever

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Strengths

Bryson Rodgers

Breaking It All Down

Right off the bat, Bryson Rodgers has more than the ideal size to play wide receiver. He is listed as 6-feet tall, but I would be shocked if he is less than 6-feet, 3-inches, and he has great length with broad shoulders to gain at least 15 more pounds of muscle.

Rodgers has a number one receiver body to go with number one receiver athletic traits that will allow him to see either time in the slot or on the outside. He was a scoring machine as a junior, scoring 17 touchdowns in just ten games before his production dipped his senior season. Many of these touchdowns were earned due to his refusal to go to the ground. His quick feet make it very hard to tackle and bring to the ground and he constantly keeps his legs churning through tackles, which makes him a nightmare after the catch.

Weaknesses

Bryson Rodgers

Breaking It All Down

Bryson Rodgers will deal with the same large jump in competition that Lincoln Kienholz will deal with as they both come from schools and areas that do not have a reputation for producing top-level power-five starters. Both players check enough boxes to play at Ohio State, but adjusting to the Big Ten may force these players to sit on the sidelines longer than most.

Another concerning issue with Rodgers and his film was that he simply did not get the ball enough and his production fell off a cliff as he went from 42 receptions as a junior to only 21 as a senior. I do not blame him because he isn’t the one calling the plays, and I can truly relate to this situation, but it is something to monitor as lack of production is not something we see from Ohio State recruits often.

Comparison: Curtis Samuel

Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Breaking It All Down

Curtis Samuel is one of the more underrated Ohio State legends despite leaving as an All-American. He arrived on campus in 2014 and immediately saw action at both running back and wide receiver for three seasons before declaring for the 2017 NFL Draft and being selected in the second round.

Samuel’s legacy is confusing because he split time at both positions. Rodgers won’t have to worry about that, because he is a pure wide receiver. With that said, like Samuel, Rodgers has Pandora’s box vibes with a lot of mystery surrounding his potential. He has the athleticism and traits to see the field soon and be used in a variety of ways and moved all over offensive formations. Both players play with exceptional confidence and speed.

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Story originally appeared on Buckeye Wire