Bryson Rodgers withdraws from transfer portal, returning to Ohio State
COLUMBUS — After just one year with the Ohio State football program, wide receiver Bryson Rodgers decided to enter the transfer portal on New Year’s Eve.
Two weeks later, he’s deciding to return to the Buckeyes instead of leaving. That’s right; Rodgers is returning to Ohio State, a rare case of a Buckeyes player withdrawing his name from the transfer portal to go back to an absolutely stacked position group.
“Good morning everyone,” Rodgers posted on social media Saturday. “I appreciate all the coaches that blessed me with an opportunity to come to their program. This has been no where easy for me. Buckeye nation, with deep reconsideration and thought, I will be returning to The Ohio State University.”
Rodgers earned a lot of buzz in the buildup to the Cotton Bowl last month as a freshman who had emerged through bowl practice, even earning a nickname of ‘Mr. Consistency’ from star receiver Emeka Egbuka before Rodgers decided to test the transfer portal waters.
Rodgers ranked as the No. 358 player according to the 2023 On3 Industry Ranking. He also was the No. 55 wide receiver and the No. 67 player in the state of Florida for his recruiting class.
He visited Florida just Friday and could have ended up back in the Sunshine State for the duration of his career. Instead, he’s coming back North to Columbus for another season under Brian Hartline in the Ohio State wide receiver room.
And the depth in the wide receiver room is going to be quite impressive.
What Lettermen Row wrote about Bryson Rodgers last month…
Ohio State wide receiver Bryson Rodgers was the lowest-ranked wide receiver to sign with the Buckeyes last recruiting cycle, but he immediately began turning heads after a good first offseason, especially after he enrolled last January and got to work early.
He’s earned a nickname from star receiver Emeka Egbuka:
“Mr. Consistent,” Egbuka said. “I mean, I say it all the time. There’s that statistic I said from fall camp. It was like, the wildest catch percentage I’ve ever seen. But that’s truly what Bryson is. And he’s continuing to do that throughout the months and throughout the season. He’s a reliable young guy with great hands, great routes. Obviously, he’s a little slimmer type of frame. But I have no question that coach Mick is going to get him in that weight room and get him right in that sense.”
Rodgers just works hard and doesn’t say much, leading Ohio State to be impressed with how he operates.
“Bryson’s really done a good job, continuing to grow,” Hartline said. “And those two guys [Inniss and Rodgers] really provide a bright future for the wide out room.”
