Michigan State football makes top-12 for 2023 4-star OT Roderick Kearney
Here is an important recruitment that Michigan State football should keep an eye on. This week, 2023 4-star offensive tackle Roderick Kearney dropped his top-12, and the Spartans are still in the mix for his services.
Kearney is the No. 182 ranked player in the 2023 class and has impressive size at 6-foot-4, 300-pounds. Securing Kearney’s commitment would be a major win for Tucker and co.
Michigan State football offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic has been hitting the recruiting trail hot and heavy and his work is paying dividends as Michigan State has been named in another top four-stars top schools list.
Roderick Kearney, a 6-foot-4 300-pound offensive lineman from Orange Park, Florida, is currently ranked as a 4-star and the 217th overall player in the 2023 recruiting class according to 247Sports.
Michigan State was listed in Kearney’s top-12 alongside Michigan, Florida State, Florida, UCF, Cincinnati, Georgia, Miami, Arkansas, Penn State and Rutgers.
The previous staff never established much of a relationship with four-star offensive lineman Roderick Kearney, but Napier’s army might get UF in the mix.
Four-star offensive lineman Roderick Kearney plays high school football at Orange Park High an hour and a half away from the University of Florida, but he’s just now starting to build a relationship with the Gators.
Dan Mullen‘s staff offered the in-state big man back in August but things didn’t move forward from there. Now that Billy Napier‘s staff is complete and fully focused on the class of 2023, Florida has begun to focus on Kearney. Offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Rob Sale has been his main point of contact, according to 247Sports, and he’ll get to meet the entire staff once he arrives on campus for an unofficial visit on March 5.
“We have talked a little bit, but we haven’t really talked a lot yet,” Kearney said. “I have talked to Coach Sale the most so far from there. He seems really cool. He tells me he has a lot to offer as a person and as a man for my all-around game. I feel like he’s given me a good first impression. You can say a lot over the phone, so I want to see that vibe from him in person. I want to feel that vibe from him and see if it’s genuine.”
The 6-foot-4-inch, 300-pound blue-chip prospect is very focused on picking a school that offers more than just football. Preparation for life after graduation is something he’s looking at while on his visits.
Kearney plans to make stops by Arkansas, Michigan and Miami, but he admits that he’s looking to visit anywhere he can. After finishing up unofficial visits in spring, he’ll schedule his officials for the summer and decided during the December early signing period. That officially puts a clock on his recruitment, and Florida is just getting into the race.
247Sports ranks Kearney as the No. 9 interior offensive lineman in the country and the No. 217 player overall in the class of 2023.
Here’s a look at how Florida’s 2023 targets fared at Under Armour Miami this past weekend.
Under Armour’s annual football camp series kicked off Sunday in Miami, displaying some of the best athletes South Florida has to offer. Florida had a flurry of top targets in attendance like defensive end Derrick LeBlanc, running back Richard Young and defensive lineman John Walker.
The event had a heavy focus on testing but also included some competition drills. Here is how some of them fared.
Four-star offensive tackle Lucas Simmons earned 247Sports‘ Alpha Dog at the event, given to the prospect who performed the best. He originally hails from Sweeden and has only played the game of football for two years, which makes his performance even more impressive. He starred in individual drills, showing off his light feet, body quickness and the athleticism that coaches seek at the left tackle position.
Offensive lineman Roderick Kearney, wide receiver William Fowles and Young were three Gators targets that were tagged as the best five performing offensive players at the Under Armour event. Kearney played the right tackle and guard spots during 1-on-1 drills and displayed solid agility. Fowles took home the camp’s wideout MVP honors, flashing strong route running and ball skills. Young still made 247Sports’ list despite an up and down day because of his short-area explosiveness and his strong ability to change directions on a dime.
Moving on to defense, LeBlanc, Walker and defensive back Dijon Johnson made the cut. LeBlanc and Walker demonstrated the explosiveness and power off the line of scrimmage most college coaches look for when recruiting players for the front four of their defense. Then Johnson illustrated good natural instincts and ball awareness in 1-on-1s.
Some other players who earned honorable mentions include offensive tackle Payton Kirkland, offensive lineman Bryce Lovett, edge rusher Isaiah Nixon and safety Elliot Washington.
To date, Clemson has extended only a handful of offers to offensive linemen in the 2023 class. But another on the Tigers’ recruiting radar and under consideration for a potential offer moving forward is Orange Park (Fla.) High School four-star …
To date, Clemson has extended only a handful of offers to offensive linemen in the 2023 class. But another on the Tigers’ recruiting radar and under consideration for a potential offer moving forward is Orange Park (Fla.) High School four-star Roderick Kearney.
The 6-foot-4, 290-pound junior received a school visit from Clemson offensive line coach Robbie Caldwell in late November when the Tigers’ coaching staff hit the recruiting trail.
“It was great,” Kearney said to The Clemson Insider of Caldwell stopping by to see him last month. “I’d really love to have an offer from them, go see what they have to offer me and see if I can fit in their program.”
Orange Park (Fla.) High School 2023 4-star OL Roderick Kearney (photo courtesy of @RoderickKearne5 on Twitter)
Kearney and Caldwell couldn’t speak at the school due to NCAA rules, but they were able to have a conversation over the phone at a later time.
“He was just like, he liked the way I play,” Kearney said of what he heard from Caldwell. “They want to get me up there to Clemson.”
Kearney has high interest in Clemson and says he will certainly make a visit there if he scores an offer from the Tigers.
“I always like how Coach Caldwell coaches,” he said. “They’ve got some good linemen up there, so I’m pretty sure he does a good job with them. I would love to learn from him what he teaches. They’ve got a pretty good fan base – really supportive, and on game days, they’ve got really good crowds. So, I would really want to experience that.”
Right now, Kearney is more intent on checking out some of the schools that have already offered him. This spring, he plans to visit schools such as Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia Tech and UCF.
According to Kearney, his recruitment is relatively wide open right now, with his suitors on a level playing field.
“It’s pretty even right now,” he said. “People have been keeping up with me, but everybody’s pretty even right now. Nobody’s above anybody. Everybody’s on that same radar, it seems.”
Kearney isn’t planning to make his commitment until next December, around the early signing period. He is considered an offensive guard by ESPN and an offensive tackle by Rivals, while 247Sports ranks him as the No. 9 interior offensive lineman and the No. 218 overall prospect in the 2023 class.
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Clemson is keeping tabs on a standout Sunshine State offensive lineman with close to double digit scholarship offers. Orange Park (Fla.) High School class of 2023 prospect Roderick Kearney has been hearing from Clemson and his area recruiter for the …
Clemson is keeping tabs on a standout Sunshine State offensive lineman with close to double digit scholarship offers.
Orange Park (Fla.) High School class of 2023 prospect Roderick Kearney has been hearing from Clemson and his area recruiter for the Tigers, C.J. Spiller, heading into his junior campaign.
“They send me mail, and I talked to the running backs coach,” Kearney said of Clemson and Spiller. “He just said he was going to keep an eye on me and see how this season goes, then they’re going to get back at me.”
Orange Park (Fla.) High School 2023 OL Roderick Kearney (photo courtesy of @RoderickKearne5 on Twitter)
The 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive tackle appreciates the interest from Clemson and is using it as motivation going into his season.
“It means a lot to me,” Kearney said. “It makes me want to work harder.”
Right now, Kearney is paying less attention to the recruiting process and more attention to honing his craft as a lineman. He knows if he does that and develops his game, then his recruitment will take care of itself.
“I’ve been just focusing on getting better at football and just letting the recruitment come,” he said.
Kearney was only able to visit a couple of schools this summer – both in state, Florida State and UCF – but named FSU, UCF and South Carolina as schools he hopes to check out on gamedays this season, along with Clemson.
“Just experience the area,” he said of what he hopes to get out of a future Clemson visit. “They’ve got a lot of good fans over there, and I heard it’s a really good campus, too.”
“I like how they’re a family over there,” he added when asked about his overall impressions of the Tigers. “They bond together, they win games together. Very good program.”
Kearney — who also plays defensive end for his high school team and describes himself as a “fast, aggressive playmaker” at the line of scrimmage — has collected offers from FSU, Florida, Miami, UCF, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Ole Miss, West Virginia and Oregon.
Clemson has the potential to shake things up in Kearney’s recruitment if it comes calling with an offer of its own in the future.
“It would impact my recruitment majorly,” he said. “It would just make more schools come. But down the road, if they do end up giving me an offer, I would be blessed.”
