Enrolling early at Ohio State in January enabled Noah Rogers to go through spring practices with the Buckeyes before his freshman season. He’s glad he made that decision.
“I feel like it went fairly decent,” Rogers said regarding his first spring as a Buckeye. “I’ve seen a lot of stuff that is a great reason why I came in early to college, and I'm looking forward to building on to that in the fall.”
Rogers was among the early enrollees who stood out during this year’s spring practices. The 6-foot-2, 194-pound freshman from Rolesville, North Carolina, put his potential on full display in the spring game when he caught a pass over the middle and broke three tackles on his way to scoring a 57-yard touchdown.
The rookie wideout, who was ranked as the No. 53 overall prospect in 247Sports’ composite rankings for the 2023 recruiting class, was an impressive performer throughout Ohio State’s 15-practice spring slate and drew praise for his strong start from Ohio State offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline.
“I think the freshmen as a whole have a seriousness about them, they have a purpose about them … the whole group has done a great job, and Noah especially, he's done a great job,” Hartline said when asked about Rogers in March. “He has a high G.A.S. (give a shit) factor. He just really has the ceiling that's not calculable. He can be that good. It all comes down to what kind of work he puts in. But again, he shows every bit, he wants to put the work in. So, great young man.”
As he joins an Ohio State receiver unit that’s been the best in the country for multiple years in a row, Rogers knows he has a high standard to live up to. But he’s not shying away from putting in the work to get there.
“Living up to the Ohio State receiver expectations is very, very key in the room,” Rogers said Saturday while participating in the Volley For A Cure tournament. “Because it's a standard. And we hold that to the highest it can be. And matter of fact, like being out here, like receivers, we just don't want to lose.”
While Rogers clearly has the physical gifts and natural playmaking ability to be one of Ohio State’s next great wide receivers, he says the biggest thing he’s learned in his first half-year in Columbus is how important is to be focused and dedicated to his craft.
“I feel like when you stay focused and on top of your stuff, you'll see your results start building and stacking and a lot of improvement in yourself,” Rogers told Eleven Warriors.
He’s learned that from practicing alongside the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, two of the top wide receivers in all of college football.
“They’ve just been showing me what it takes to be great on this team and what it’s like to be a great receiver,” Rogers said. “Just seeing them and their work ethic, it just shows me what it takes to be great. And not just that, just small stuff that can enhance your game and be the best player you can be.”
Even though Rogers showed the potential to be an immediate contributor this spring, that doesn’t necessarily mean substantial snaps will come his way this fall. Hartline has said repeatedly that the backup receivers must show they can perform at the same level as the starters in order to take snaps away from the starters, and that’s a high bar to chase in a receiver room led by Harrison, Egbuka and Julian Fleming.
Add in the expected contributions of hybrid receiver/running back Xavier Johnson, third-year wideout Jayden Ballard also pushing for playing time and fellow freshman Carnell Tate also standing out this spring, and Rogers still looks to be on the outside looking in for a spot on the two-deep in 2023.
Rogers believes he can help the Buckeyes this season if called upon, particularly as a deep threat. But he says he’s more focused on his long-term development than on how much playing time he gets in year one.
“I mean, of course, I would love to play. But you know, at the end of the day, this is a four-year program and you gotta learn before you jump into the water,” Rogers said.
Rogers said his biggest goal for his freshman year is to finish the season knowing he’s a better player than he is entering the season.
“Year one, just competing hard and just seeing who I can be after this year and look back at my outcome and be like, ‘That's somebody that I’ve been looking up to all these years,’” Rogers said of his freshman-year goal.
