Inside the Rise of Brandon Rogers

[player_tooltip player_id="106707" first="Brandon" last="Rogers"]—The OU baseball commit—has become one of the fastest rising QBs in the state after dominating multiple offseason showcases and receiving an invite to the prestigious Elite 11 QB camp. I caught up with Brandon for an extended question and answer session where he talked about what drives him to be great, his baseball/football recruiting process, and why he chose to transfer to Mt. Carmel. <hr /> <em><strong>When did you first start playing football?</strong></em> I started playing football at the age of five for the Chicago Blitz. You wouldn’t be able to tell now but back then I was actually scared to run the football, only thing I wanted to do was block and lay the wood. <em><strong>Describe [player_tooltip player_id="106707" first="Brandon" last="Rogers"] the person and [player_tooltip player_id="106707" first="Brandon" last="Rogers"] the football player.</strong></em> [player_tooltip player_id="106707" first="Brandon" last="Rogers"] the person and the football player is very humble. I also love to take the leadership role on and off the field. I’m intelligent with a strong work ethic and every day I just go out and try to be the best version of myself. <em><strong>What is the strongest part of your game? What do you feel you do best?</strong></em> The strongest part of my game is definitely my athleticism. I also believe my mentality plays a big part in my game as well. I’m able to slow the game down and play at my own pace, because if you’re in a rush at the quarterback position you can’t really focus and everything will kind of fly by you, so it’s important to be able to slow the game down. <em><strong>What area of your game has improved the most since last season?</strong></em> First off, I’ve been able to get bigger, faster, and stronger, but to be honest I’ve gotten better in all aspects of my game, it’s really hard to pinpoint one area. I never liked for someone to outwork me so when I see other kids grinding and getting better, I just use that as motivation to get the results I want. So this offseason I really pursued the weight room and put the work in so I can be the best. <em><strong>In your opinion, name 3 attributes that every great QB should have?</strong></em> Leadership, decision making, and a great work ethic. I think leadership is the most important out of the three. <em><strong>Who’s your favorite NFL QB and why?</strong></em> Aaron Rogers. I love how comfortable he seems playing the position and he always seems to make the right decisions when hitting his receivers. I also like Kyler Murray cause he’s relatable. He’s a two-sport athlete like myself and we’re both outfielders on the baseball field, I also think there’s a lot of similarities in the way we each play the QB position. <em><strong>You’ve been dominating the showcase circuit this off-season, what have you learned most about yourself from traveling to different states and competing with elite level talent?</strong></em> To go in there with a mentality that I’m going to do what I’m supposed to do regardless of the circumstances. For instance, when I went to <em>The Show</em> there was all this talk about 3 and 4-star players being there—I didn’t care nothing about that, I knew I belonged. I just went in there and slowed everything down cause the atmosphere in 7on7 is all about hype. That’s when I realized that all you really have to do is slow everything down and make the right decisions and capitalize off what the defense is doing, because in 7on7 it’s only so much a defense can do. <em><strong>Elite 11 has seen QBs like Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray, Trevor Lawrence, and Tua pass through their camp, and over the past twenty years, seven QBs from Illinois have made it to the finals. How excited are you to compete while also learning from the coaches at the camp?</strong></em> From what I’ve seen it seems like an atmosphere that’s going to challenge you mentally. You’re going to have to be able to take and receive the information and be able to capitalize by doing what you’re supposed to do while you’re there. When it comes to the coaching, I’m just going to allow them to soak me with information so I can be the best version of myself. And with there being elite talent there it’s only going to make me go twice as hard. I want the pressure, because when you have it, it’s like all eyes are you and it’s up to you to perform—and I need those eyes on me. <em><strong>Talk about Next Level Athletix and the role they’ve played in developing you as a QB</strong></em>. Next Level has done a tremendous job with me being able to get out of the pocket because I struggled a little bit throwing to my left side on the run. He has definitely taught me how to use my body in a way to get the ball to where it’s supposed to be. For instance, if I have a defender coming from the right side, I have to slide step up, move to the left and get away from that pressure because somebody is going to be coming from backside; learning things like that is what makes you elite. I also got to thank Byron Dawkins over at QBWON—that’s my dawg. He has really instilled in me the fundamentals of football and has helped enhance my IQ for the game. Both of them together has made me a better overall QB. https://youtu.be/O5hrcYtcHC8 <em><strong>Even though you haven’t had a chance to showcase your QB skills on varsity yet, do you believe you’re one of the best QBs in the state? If so, Why?</strong></em> I believe I’m one the best QBs in the state! With all the training and dedication I’ve put into excelling at this position I see how I stack up against my peers. Being at Next Level and them having J.J. McCarthy and Dontrell Jackson I’m able to measure myself against them. I’m able to learn and know what makes them successful and incorporate those same things into my game to the point where I feel like I’m one of the best QBs in the state. <strong><em>Mt. Carmel has a history of producing great QBs (Donovan McNabb) and have amassed over 13 state championships in the program’s history. Did those factors play a role in you choosing to transfer to that school?</em></strong> Mt. Carmel is just the place I wanted to be. I appreciate them for allowing me to come over there to their winning squad. The atmosphere has been outstanding in the last couple of workouts I’ve attended. They have a great group of guys and everyone pushes each other to get better. <strong><em>What are some of your personal and team goals for the upcoming season?</em></strong> Honestly, I just want to build connection and a brotherhood. I just want to make sure we’re winning this as a team. I don’t want to make this an individual thing, I want everyone to be successful. <strong><em>As of now [player_tooltip player_id="20217" first="Justin" last="Lynch"] is the starting QB for Mt. Carmel, if you don’t beat him out for the starting job, in what other ways can we expect you to contribute to the team?</em></strong> It’s not about beating him out, Justin is the starting quarterback and deservingly so, he’s earned that right. I’m an athlete so I can pretty much play all over the field, especially at receiver. I’m very comfortable at the position. I’m very unguardable with the speed, quickness, and instincts that I possess and I believe I can be one of the best receivers in the state too. <strong><em>Luckily when it comes to baseball and football in college you can play both with no problem, but if you had to choose, which sport would you rather play and why?</em></strong> I love both sports. It’s my dream and goal to play both baseball and football at the collegiate level. When it comes to making a decision of which one I would want to consider as a career it totally depends on the options that are on the table. But as of now I’m going to continue to try and pursue playing both sports. <em><strong>How has your baseball recruiting process differed from your football recruiting process?</strong></em> With baseball you have to make a decision in a short period of time when it comes to an offer because they don’t give out offers like football does. With being committed to Oklahoma for baseball, what I’ve learned is that they really love the two-sport athletes, it’s something they really push. When it comes to football you can get an offer and not have to commit until your senior year, the two processes are certainly different. <strong><em>In what ways has your baseball training helped with football, and vice versa, how has your football training helped you on the baseball field?</em></strong> For baseball having to throw the rock has helped me with my arm strength, and because you have to consistently throw from different angles my arm has become very polished. And the strength from the football side helps me with my hitting and throwing from the outfield. They definitely play a role with each other and because the training styles are different, I’m never really out of shape. <em><strong>Will having the opportunity to play baseball and football play a significant factor in deciding which school you will ultimately attend?</strong></em> It affects the final decision if given the opportunity to play both. <em><strong>What is something that college coaches should know about you that won’t show up on film?</strong></em> Definitely my commitment to putting the work in, learning from others, and most off all, that I’m coachable. And I’m also very big on pushing my teammates to be successful as well