In search of more details on the new wide receiver offer that Clemson handed out earlier this week, The Clemson Insider spoke with the position coach of Rolesville (Raleigh, N.C.) 2023 four-star WR Noah Rogers.
In the words that follow, you’ll be able to see why there are few people more equipped than Malik Frazier to talk about Rogers and his story.
Frazier, who has been the wide receivers coach at Rolesville High School since 2019, was able to speak with Rogers on Wednesday night. He texted his wide receivers coach after Clemson officially extended a scholarship offer to the talented, Tar Heel State prospect.
“I could tell he was excited about it,” Frazier told TCI. “This offer for him was special. Just knowing Noah the way I do, I believe he’s very appreciative of every school that’s reached out to him and believes in him to extend an offer, but I believe this one was special for him. Clemson is one of those schools he’s talked about since I’ve known him.
“The funniest story I can remember on multiple occasions this year is him just asking me, “Coach, what are they waiting for? I need that O.’ I had to tell him to be patient, that Clemson is different. They’re different from a lot of other schools. Their recruiting process is very long and it’s very methodical. Trust me, I know.”
Frazier has been following Clemson football for a while, in fact, he’s had a couple of friends, who’ve played there. He and Hunter Renfrow grew up together in the Myrtle Beach area. They used to hang out with each other and Frazier knows his father, Coach Tim Renfrow, and his little brother, Cole, who was also a walk-on at Clemson.
Frazier has also known K.J. Henry since the Clemson standout defensive end, was a young teenager. His dad, Coach Keith Henry, served as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Catawba, where Frazier played football during his undergrad.
So, he’s quite familiar with Clemson’s process and how the Tigers go about their business on the recruiting trail.
“Clemson is different, like I said, different from a lot of schools,” he said. “When they’re going through their recruiting process, they don’t just see the talent of the kid on the field or they don’t just look at the film and say we gotta offer this kid. They want to dive deep into the kid’s background. They want to know the kid and know what kind of person he is. I always compare it to this. Clemson, not only do they want to make sure that their program is the right fit for you, but they also want to make sure that you’re the right fit for your program.”
He’s seen that first-hand in Rogers’ recruitment.
“It’s special for sure,” Frazier said. “I know how thrilled he was to receive that offer. He texted me right away. I know how proud his family is.”
Rogers’ older brother, Cyrus, who is a freshman receiver at North Carolina messaged with Fraizer on Wednesday night. He texted him: “How ‘bout that one?” in reference to Rogers’ big offer from Clemson.
The Clemson offer means a lot to him. We can tell you that much.
Prior to offering Rogers, Clemson wide receivers coach Tyler Grisham spoke with Frazier. He was trying to figure out who Rogers was, how he likes to be coached and what type of kid he is.
“I told Coach Grisham that he’s one of those kids that loves building meaningful relationships and Coach Grisham understood that,” Frazier said. “He loves Noah. He talks glowingly of Noah and he could tell how excited I was to talk about Noah.”
Grisham has been pretty consistent in who he compares Rogers to. He told him this past summer that he reminds him of former Clemson standout and current Cincinnati Bengals receiver, Tee Higgins.
“Coach Grisham, when we were talking the other day, he said that and I said, “Coach, that’s funny because I literally was saying that the other day to somebody,’” Frazier recalled. “And I was like Noah reminds me so much of Tee. The way he runs routes, the way he runs after the catch and his playmaking ability and the way Tee can play inside and outside. Tee would be the older version of Noah.”
Beyond the obvious comparison to Higgins, what more can Frazier tell us about Rogers?
“Noah’s just different from a lot of people his age,” he said. “I mean, he has such a calm demeanor when he’s on the field. He plays so relaxed and just has so much confidence in what he’s doing. I’ll give it to him too — he’s gonna love this — I hate giving a compliment to him. But his gameday attire as he would call it, ‘drippy, for sure.’ He’s always wearing a different pair of gloves or cleats or colorful spat.
“I just love watching him play because of how much fun he has out there. It just makes me feel like I’m out there. He’s just having so much fun. I think the part that makes coaching Noah such a blast for me is just seeing how happy he is when his teammates are having success on the field, which is rare for a high school kid of such a high caliber to be just so excited for his teammates. I’m just in awe of how mature he is and his mentality.”
Off the field, Rogers is humble. He’s a little shy at first, but when he starts warming up to you, he’s a goofy kid, who loves to crack jokes and have a good time. Rogers, as Frazier puts it, is a soft-spoken young man, who is very respectful.
“He’s just so different,” Frazier added. “It doesn’t seem like anything fazes him.”
And Frazier would know.
He’s gotten to build a pretty special relationship with Rogers over the past three years. Frazier’s first year of coaching high school football was in 2019, which was also Rogers’ incoming freshman year. Frazier has been his first and only receivers coach in high school.
“I think me and Noah’s relationship goes beyond the field,” he said. “Noah calls me any time and we just talk about life in general. I’ve known Noah since his freshman year, he was a 14-year-old kid playing varsity football. A lot of times, I wrap my arm around Noah, we walk out to practice and we talk.”
Frazier would always ask Rogers what he wanted to do with his life. He would always tell him and Frazier would follow up with a question about his biggest dreams and aspirations. And again, Rogers would tell him.
He understands the work that is required.
Frazier recalled telling Rogers that he was going to push him every day to be the best version of himself and to be the best player he wants to be because Rogers had told him that he wants to be the best receiver in the country.
There’s gonna be some days where Rogers is gonna hate Frazier’s guts. There’s gonna be some days that Frazier yells at him. But this is how he helps him get to his goals.
“I just love talking about him,” Frazier said, as he took a deep sigh of relief.
“Noah Rogers will be as good as Noah Rogers wants to be,” Frazier added, “and knowing him, knowing his work ethic, the sky’s the limit for him. Like I tell people all the time, he is special. I tell people I might be a little bit biased because I coach him, but I don’t think Noah’s just the best receiver in the country, I believe Noah is the best player in the country.”
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