Known as a heavy hitter, Roderick looks to become complete player
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL
South Carolina sophomore safety R.J. Roderick already owns a reputation as one of the Gamecocks' hardest hitters. But heading into his second season with the program, he looks to prove he's far more than just that.
Forced into a starting role last season due to injuries, Roderick estimates he knew 30 percent of what it means to play safety at the major college level, a number he believes will rise considerably this year.
"I'm shooting for 100," a confident, smiling Roderick said this spring as the sophomore looks likely to start for the Gamecocks this fall.
"For me, it's just developing like team-bonding, but also just learning more about the game, learning tendencies and situations and things like that," Roderick said. "And also to try to get more turnovers. Turnovers are a big thing for us this year, so that's a big focus this offseason."
As injury after injury piled up in South Carolina's secondary last season, so did playing time for Roderick. A special teams performer for the first half of his freshman year, the high school quarterback turned college safety started the final five games of the season for the Gamecocks.
His first start, a road matchup in the Swamp.
"It wasn't hard, I was just nervous," Roderick admitted. "I believe the Florida game was my first start, so just the atmosphere and everything, it was a lot to take in, but it was also a lot to focus on too."
Roderick had what he called some ups and downs in his first season, but as his playing time went up, so did his comfort level. The 6-foot, 207-pounder collected 56 tackles, a pass breakup and two forced fumbles during his first season of action, quickly becoming a player the Gamecocks counted on down the stretch of the season.
“RJ is really smart," defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson said. "He knows and he’s a highly intelligent guy. He understands ball really well, and it’s funny because he played all quarterback in high school. He didn’t play much safety at all. It was funny to see how fast he was able to grasp everything like he was able to do it. You give a kid an opportunity and you’d be surprised sometimes what they’ll do. He got some opportunities to go out there and make plays and he made plays."
Roderick's playmaking ability started to shine through in the final game of the regular season, as two jarring hits he made against Akron helped him start to build his reputation as a thumper in the Gamecocks' secondary.
Not coincidentally, that was about the time that Roderick says he started to feel more comfortable with his role in the defense.
Advanced grades from Pro Football Focus back up that notion too as Roderick posted his two highest graded games of the season against Akron (81.7) and in the Belk Bowl against Virginia (73.0).
"R.J. is a physical guy," linebacker Ernest Jones said. "Playing out there on the field and you look behind you and you've got 10 back there and no matter what, 10's going to bring it. 10's going to bring it no matter what."
But while the big hits are nice, Roderick and his coaches believe there's plenty of upside left to be tapped into.
A forced fumble in the Belk Bowl when Roderick punched the ball out of a ball carrier's arms, demonstrates his continued focus on learning to become a ball hawk.
A bad busted coverage in the same game that led to a touchdown, Roderick says, in particular, drew the ire of head coach Will Muschamp, and showed there's still plenty for him to learn.
But that goes back to continuing to learn the nuances of a position that he rarely played before getting to college.
"Like i told him, we looked at his point of attack tapes and everybody talks about the good 25 plays he made and nobody wants to talk about the 45 bad plays he made," Robinson explained. "We want to improve on the 45 bad ones and make sure there’s 45 good ones and maybe 10 bad ones. If we can get that kind of ratio, then we may have something.
"RJ has a chance to be really good. He’s got to continue to learn what we’re doing; he’s got to continue to have work ethic and all the stuff it takes to get around the right people and do right the entire time.”
Muschamp and Robinson compare Roderick's skillset to that of Keanu Neal, the Atlanta Falcons' Pro-Bowler who played for them at Florida, a comparison they've made since recruiting Roderick out of Cane Bay High School.
But South Carolina fans see Roderick's big hits and the swagger in which he plays and naturally compare him to D.J. Swearinger, arguably the best in South Carolina history at smashing receivers and then telling them about it after.
In fact, Roderick's skillset resembles Swearinger's so much so that it led to No. 36 himself shouting out the freshman on social media last year and texting him some words of encouragement.
"It's great, just to feel that and know that somebody of his caliber is still showing love and stuff like that," Roderick says. "But it also just drives me, because I want to be where he's at and I'm not there. So, that constant motivation and going back to that and looking at that, is good for me."
