Southern Miss receives verbal from Miami area QB
The Southern Miss football program received its third verbal commitment of the week on Wednesday afternoon.
Senior quarterback Marcelo Rodriguez of Miami, Fla., announced his commitment to USM in a Twitter post after receiving his first FBS scholarship offer from the Golden Eagle staff on June 18.
“I came up there this past week and I just loved it,” he said. “It was a great experience over there. I loved the campus. It was beautiful. The people were so nice and the coaching staff was great. I loved their coaching staff. They run the type of offense that fits me.”
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Rodriguez is entering his first season at Columbus High School after spending last year at Miami High. He threw for 1,535 yards and 20 touchdowns in his junior campaign at Miami High.
Rodriguez received his scholarship offer after putting together a nice day at the USM camp last week, earning the praise of head coach Jay Hopson and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson.
“They told me they really wanted me bad when they offered,” he said. “I talked with my family about making this decision and everybody was on board. I called coach Hopson and told him I wanted to be a Golden Eagle. I'm excited.”
Rodriguez said the decision to transfer to Columbus High was a badly needed change of scenery.
“At Miami High, the environment is really bad,” he said. “I wanted to be in an environment that fits me. Columbus has a great brotherhood. People are welcoming and nice. I wanted to be a part of that and hopefully I can lead the team to a state championship.”
Rodriguez describes himself as a pro-style quarterback that can take off running when the pocket breaks down.
He hopes he can one day put up similar numbers to those of USM's record-breaking senior quarterback, Nick Mullens.
“Nick Mullens is a great quarterback,” Rodriguez said. “He wears No. 9 and I wear No. 9. I envision myself being that at Southern Miss.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2016 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Southern Miss receives verbal from Miami area QB."