In search of more details about how a newly offered wide receiver prospect enjoyed his Elite Junior Day visit, The Clemson Insider spoke with the position coach of Rolesville (Raleigh, N.C.) 2023 four-star WR Noah Rogers.
“He definitely enjoyed it,” Malik Frazier said regarding Rogers’ junior day visit.
Frazier said he asked Rogers what he discussed on his visit and he talked about everything from football to school to life after school. It was different than what Rogers had experienced before on other visits. Rogers really had a great time and was glad that he went.
Did he hear what he wanted to hear from Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham?
“Yeah, he definitely did,” Frazier said. “I guess Coach Swinney was able to answer a lot of his questions. Noah’s one of those kids, he loves football, he enjoys the game, but he tells me all the time that he gets tired of talking about football sometimes. They were talking about more than that, they barely brought football up. They were talking more about the family aspect, how Clemson’s a family and that was, I think, different for him and he enjoyed it.”
Swinney gave a nearly three-hour speech last Saturday, but Rogers told Frazier that he was able to retain a lot of insightful information.
When we spoke with Frazier previously, he told us that Clemson has always been one of those schools that Rogers has talked about since he met him. Meaning the offer he received from the Tigers last month was pretty special. Last weekend’s visit gave Rogers an opportunity to see behind the scenes of a school he’s seriously considering.
“I think the best thing is his mom got to go down there with him, which was awesome,” Frazier said, “just allowing her to be around that environment as well because as much as she says that this is Noah’s decision — and it is — he wants to go somewhere where his family is happy with him going as well. And so, having his mom down there, getting to learn about Clemson and everything, the ins, and outs of everything, was, I think, important, especially going into the summer, where the recruiting circuit is gonna be heavy, he’s gonna start taking official visits and that’s something to look forward to.”
What stood out to Frazier the most during his conversation with Rogers?
“Just how glowingly he talked about Clemson and he didn’t talk about it from a football aspect,” Frazier said. “That was one of the biggest things for me and I told Noah, ‘Football doesn’t last forever.’ We say football doesn’t last forever, but it’s not just about, I go to Clemson, I’m a football player. I get to develop as a man there. I get to become a better person. Eventually a great father and eventually a great husband. And so, I think for him, being at Clemson, being around that environment, he’s like ‘Dang, this is a place that wants to develop you not only as a football player but wants to develop you as a man.'”
Knowing Rogers the way he has over the past three years, Frazier wanted to make clear that football doesn’t define who Rogers is. Football is something that he’s really good at, that he loves, but Rogers is way more than that.
“The fact that he got to be on a visit and they weren’t just slamming football down his throat, I think was very important for him,” Frazier added. “Clemson’s not just about football, it’s a family aspect and that’s something Noah kept touching on. He’s like, ‘Coach, they talk about family a lot.’ They mean it, Clemson is a family.”
While he was at Clemson, Rogers got to spend time with the other 2023 receivers on campus, like Edison (Miami, Fla.) four-star wide receiver Nathaniel Joseph, a Clemson commit, and Lakeland (Fla.) High School four-star WR Tyler Williams.
Rogers told Frazier about Williams.
“He was saying how they were really cool and how he got along with them really well,” Frazier said. “Just the fact that he got to talk to guys his age and talk about playing at the next level and seeing guys who are kind of similar to him because he’s more of a big fish in a small pond here in Raleigh and now he gets to go out at Clemson and be around a whole lot of big fishes.”
Rogers was just one of 19 players on Clemson’s campus for the program’s Elite Junior Day. The Tigers went with quality over quantity and made sure that everyone that was there felt like they were a priority.
“I’ve told Noah how special of a place Clemson is, as far they don’t offer a lot of kids and when they really want you, they go after you,” Frazier said, “and I think for him just seeing that aspect of it, was like ‘Oh, they really care about me. They really want me to be a part of the Clemson family.’ And so, being one of three receivers — technically one of two, since (Nathaniel Joseph) is already committed — he kind of sees firsthand that they don’t just offer anybody. You got to be a special kind of kid for them to offer you. You got to be the right fit for them. It means more to be around that kind of environment.”
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