Introducing Greg Rogers, the area’s next great college football recruit

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 | 2 a.m.

In more than two decades of coaching high school football, Centennial’s Leon Evans hasn’t seen anything like this when dealing with college recruiters.

Greg Rogers, his sophomore defensive tackle, is attracting interest from some of college football’s heavyweights.

“I’ve never received letters from Florida, Florida State and Miami for a player,” Evans said. “It’s rare. It’s definitely been a good change of pace.”

It’s a pace that won’t stop anytime soon.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Rogers has five scholarship offers, picking up the latest last week from UCLA. He expects Arizona State to offer this week.

By the time signing day comes in February 2017, he will have more than double-digit offers to select from. Hometown UNLV offered last month and he’s already taken a visit.

“It’s a blessing to see all the hard work I have put in starting to show,” Rogers said.

Rogers was typically the biggest player on the field during his youth football days, using the size advantage to overwhelm much smaller competition. But when he was promoted to the Centennial varsity team as an underclassman, Rogers quickly learned it took more than size to be successful.

The players he was going against were also big. And, more times than not, they were stronger.

So, he transformed his game to become a more complete player — the type of player UCLA would have interest in recruiting. UCLA coaches spoke to him on the phone for about an hour when offering the scholarship. He’ll take an unofficial recruiting visit to Los Angeles this weekend.

Rogers added muscle to his frame and has used the strength to fight through blocks. He also improved his speed and footwork, showing during spring recruiting camps the ability to race past slower offensive linemen.

“When I was younger I could go through people and outplay everyone,” Rogers said. “With the national competition (at camps) and some of the teams in Las Vegas, I have to use my body in other ways.”

Rogers’ first scholarship offer came from Utah when he was a 14-year-old freshman — a time reserved for the most elite players to receive offers.

Now, after shining at various scouting events, including locally at the Phase 1 Sports Skills Camp and Combine last weekend, those letters to the school and other communication from colleges are skyrocketing. He picks up a new offer each week.

“He’s a dominant player on the defensive side of the ball,” Evans said.

Heavy recruiting interest isn’t always a good thing in the development of a prospect. Some get complacent because they’ve been offered a scholarship and stop progressing. Rogers doesn’t appear to have that mentality, especially with Evans — who has known Rogers for years because his son is in the same graduating class and played on the same youth teams — watching over his prized pupil.

“The best thing he can do for himself and this football team is be a team player,” Evans said. “Do the little things — be on time, work your tail off in practice. If he does, younger kids will follow suit.”

Rogers, though, isn’t the most coveted recruit at Centennial. That honor goes to basketball standout Troy Brown Jr., who is considered one of the top players nationally regardless of graduating class, and has offers from the likes of Duke and Kansas.

Rogers and Brown played on the same AAU basketball team in middle school and remain close friends. They share recruiting stories, compare offers and have someone to lean on who is also going through the process.

“We’re going to see who has more offers by our senior year,” Rogers said.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 702-990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21