Another Rodman is coming to Pullman.
If you’ve been following the college football offseason, you might have noticed the Colorado Buffaloes and new head coach Deion Sanders have, shall we say, overhauled the Buffs’ roster, to say the least.
The Buffaloes have lost 47 players to the transfer portal since April 15, which is when the spring transfer window opened. One of those 47 is coming to WSU, as Jake Dickert announced yesterday the signings of two new players, including former Colorado defensive tackle Na’im Rodman.
For those keeping score, this will the third Rodman to sign with a WSU athletics program. Let’s hope this one is able to stick around!
Rodman played four seasons at Colorado, racking up 53 tackles, six tackles for loss and a sack. Rodman stands 6’2, 300 pounds and will add some heft to the middle of WSU’s defensive line, a position group looking to fill some holes. Three of WSU’s 2022 four-man rotation at defensive tackle have graduated, so this season’s fellas are a bit green, as a whole. Rodman will be expected to step in and contribute right away in his last college season.
Dickert also announced the signing of California high school player Ethan O’Connor, a defensive back from Los Angeles’ Los Alamitos High School. The 6’1, 170 pound athlete played both ways in high school, and The Spokesman-Review’s Colton Clark reports that O’Connor could get a chance at wide receiver, too.
Also interesting from Clark’s report is who WSU beat out for the late signee. O’Connor had offers from….are you ready?….UCLA, Georgia, TCU, Alabama, UW, USC, Penn State, Texas A&M and LSU.
Hell of a group to beat out for a kid. This may be due to O’Connor being available late in the recruiting cycle, as he was originally committed to UCLA. From Clark’s report:
“When I committed to UCLA, I felt like a big part of that was because my mom went to school there,” O’Connor told 247Sports. “It’s a great school, don’t get me wrong, but I feel like at Washington State, I can do my own thing and establish myself there.
Sorry mom, but it sounds like O’Connor is more interested in going to the same school as his uncle, who just happens to be former WSU great Jason David.
We always love a legacy. Go Cougs.