by Bill Seals
Iowa State’s offensive line for this season got a whole lot better on Sunday morning with USC graduate transfer Khaliel Rodgers’ announcement on social media that he would be headed to Ames following the conclusion of spring semester classes.
One week after returning from his Cyclone official visit, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound interior offensive lineman said he was ready to end the process and make his intentions known.
“The coaches really laid out the game plan for me, just basically letting me know what they needed,” said Rodgers. “They’ve been 100 percent clear to me the whole time, from Coach (Matt) Campbell, to Coach (Tom) Manning, to the entire coaching staff. They really showed me when I went on my visit.
“It also had to do with me trying to wrap this situation up. I thought this time was more hectic for me being a grad transfer than it was being a high schooler. I had a lot in high school, but this time was definitely more hectic and I wanted to get it under wraps. I felt like Iowa State was the best fit for me.”
Rodgers said that nothing really changed for him between this morning and when his visit wrapped up last Sunday, only that he had time to think about his decision.
“It wasn’t really much of a sell (from the coaching staff between then and now),” Rodgers said. “The first time I met with all of them when they came out to see me, they laid out the game plan and said, ‘this is what it is, this is what we’ve got going on and if you want to be sure about it you can come out and see for yourself’. At the end of the visit, me and Coach Campbell had a talk and 100 percent of what he said to me was true. I respected that about him – he didn’t BS with me and kept it real.”
Rodgers took one other official visit during the grad transfer process, and that was to Florida Atlantic over the weekend to meet with his former head coach at USC Lane Kiffin.
He also reported interest from Baylor, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Purdue and UCF since announcing his plans to transfer earlier this month.
“I just felt like after talking to my family and mentor, school is the most important thing to me right now and finishing out here,” Rodgers said. “I felt if I prolonged this process any more it would only be hurting me. I felt like Iowa State was the place for me. I can’t wait to get there and get to work.”
The newest member of ISU’s offensive line said he is planning on one more visit to Ames in the coming months, and that will likely come during USC’s spring break.
Rodgers will depart from the Trojans’ program after a 2016 season in which he was moved to the defensive side and played four games at tackle. Prior to that, he was a starting center for the final half of 2015 after being a reserve on the interior for much of his career. Rodgers originally signed with USC in the Class of 2013 and was a member of the Rivals 100.
Iowa State’s offensive line for this season got a whole lot better on Sunday morning with USC graduate transfer Khaliel Rodgers’ announcement on social media that he would be headed to Ames following the conclusion of spring semester classes.
One week after returning from his Cyclone official visit, the 6-foot-3, 315-pound interior offensive lineman said he was ready to end the process and make his intentions known.
“The coaches really laid out the game plan for me, just basically letting me know what they needed,” said Rodgers. “They’ve been 100 percent clear to me the whole time, from Coach (Matt) Campbell, to Coach (Tom) Manning, to the entire coaching staff. They really showed me when I went on my visit.
“It also had to do with me trying to wrap this situation up. I thought this time was more hectic for me being a grad transfer than it was being a high schooler. I had a lot in high school, but this time was definitely more hectic and I wanted to get it under wraps. I felt like Iowa State was the best fit for me.”
Rodgers said that nothing really changed for him between this morning and when his visit wrapped up last Sunday, only that he had time to think about his decision.
“It wasn’t really much of a sell (from the coaching staff between then and now),” Rodgers said. “The first time I met with all of them when they came out to see me, they laid out the game plan and said, ‘this is what it is, this is what we’ve got going on and if you want to be sure about it you can come out and see for yourself’. At the end of the visit, me and Coach Campbell had a talk and 100 percent of what he said to me was true. I respected that about him – he didn’t BS with me and kept it real.”
Rodgers took one other official visit during the grad transfer process, and that was to Florida Atlantic over the weekend to meet with his former head coach at USC Lane Kiffin.
He also reported interest from Baylor, Ole Miss, North Carolina, Purdue and UCF since announcing his plans to transfer earlier this month.
“I just felt like after talking to my family and mentor, school is the most important thing to me right now and finishing out here,” Rodgers said. “I felt if I prolonged this process any more it would only be hurting me. I felt like Iowa State was the place for me. I can’t wait to get there and get to work.”
The newest member of ISU’s offensive line said he is planning on one more visit to Ames in the coming months, and that will likely come during USC’s spring break.
Rodgers will depart from the Trojans’ program after a 2016 season in which he was moved to the defensive side and played four games at tackle. Prior to that, he was a starting center for the final half of 2015 after being a reserve on the interior for much of his career. Rodgers originally signed with USC in the Class of 2013 and was a member of the Rivals 100.
