
From the small agricultural town of Richgrove to the fields of Division I football, 20-year-old Andres Rodriguez is proving that hard work and resilience can turn dreams into reality. The former College of the Sequoias defensive tackle recently earned a full-ride scholarship to play for the University of Northern Colorado, a milestone he never imagined when he first picked up a football in third grade.
“ I was in shock, it was a big surprise when I got the offer. Coach Fernandez messaged me on X, formerly known as Twitter, and well he said that he liked my film. Most of the recruitments now occur on X and not through emails. So we kept in touch and he wanted me to visit the facility on an official visit to continue talking about football. The whole Defensive staff at UNC came to an agreement and Coach Fernandez gave me a call to tell me that he would be giving me a full ride Division I scholarship. I was so happy. I was jumping around the house. I couldn’t stay still,” said Rodriguez.
Richgrove, California, a small rural town that sits 15 minutes away from Delano, is known for its rich agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting.
Rodriguez’s educational and athletic career began at Richgrove Elementary School. He was first introduced to football in the third grade and has since worked on his craft.
“I kept coming back each year to play and during seventh grade, I had a breakout year that made me realize that I was pretty good at this game..so I wanted to pursue it a little bit more,” Rodriguez said.
Shortly after middle school, he attended Cesar Chavez High School in Delano and continued his football career throughout his four years there. During his final year at Chavez, he was given an offer to play football at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia. “Defensive Line, Coach Ruiz from COS saw some potential in me that I didn’t yet have, to play at the Division I level, he helped me revamp my game and technique,” says Rodriguez.
Rodriguez is the oldest of three and the son of farm-working parents who have expressed their joy in watching their son achieve higher education and obtain a scholarship to continue playing football. Rodriguez is transferring in as a sophomore where he will be majoring in Sports Medicine with a concentration as a Physical Therapist.
“My cousins who were also first-generation [obtaining] higher education were a part of my own inspiration to achieve higher education. One of my cousins had a rough year in college- [they] didn’t attend the school they wanted but he played soccer at Taft College-so that pushed me into the community college route,” explains Rodriguez
“My mom and dad also pushed the narrative to go to school and get a degree. You know how it is here in the Central Valley when our parents take you to work in the fields to show you how it is-[in hopes we don’t want to do this]. My dad took me one summer to the fields and I never went back… I thought it was easy money, weekly paychecks, so I thought it was great. It was not a fun experience. I would not recommend it to anyone. I wouldn’t want anyone to be out there if they have the opportunity to go to school” says Rodriguez.
On top of being a full-time student and athlete, he was a part-time employee at a local business store. However, this did not discourage Rodriguez from perfecting his craft on and off the field. At one of the two parks in his hometown, late at night when he was in town he would work on his strength training, drills, cardio, and technique.
He held a career-high of 20 solo tackles, 25 assisted tackles, 45 total tackles, and 6 sacks his senior year at Chavez High School. These past two years at COS he managed to get 30 total tackles, 19 tackles, and 7 sacks. Rodriguez will be competing against others for a chance at making it on the roster sheet. Once he lands his spot on the roster, he aims to fight for a starter spot for the Bears. Another goal he has set for himself for the upcoming season is to make all conferences for Big Sky — one of the largest athletic conferences in football.
“God willingly, God bless me, hopefully, I can make it to even just a practice squad or to anything in the NFL. So that I can showcase that I’m from Richgrove and that I did it, so can you” said Rodriguez.
Andres Rodriguez stands at 6 ‘1, 290 pounds as a Defensive Tackle which is considered undersized for those in line as DT or DL but he isn’t allowing his size to become an obstacle as he achieves his goals.
If there is one piece of advice that he can give other kids watching him or wanting to pursue higher education to play collegiate level sports, “You really have to want it, there’s no avoiding it, you just need to do it. Work in silence,” said Rodriguez.
People interested in Andres’s stats and film can contact him directly at andres.rodriguez521@icloud.com.