THE SPORTS DESK
College Football: Rodriguez step closer to fulfilling dream
FORMER BLACK–HAWK,
COMBAT VETERAN APPROVED
TO PLAY BALL AT CLEMSON
BY ADAM HIMMELSBACH
Stafford County native Daniel Rodriguez was recently cleared by the NCAA to begin his college football career at Clemson this fall.
He is now awaiting final approval from the Atlantic Coast Conference’s faculty representatives, but a Clemson spokesman said that is essentially a formality.
Rodriguez, 24, played football at Brooke Point High School and entered the Army after he graduated. He served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and received a Bronze Star Medal for valor.
In 2010 he returned to Stafford, enrolled at Germanna Community College and began chasing his dream of becoming a college football player.
Last March, Rodriguez accepted an offer to be a non-scholarship walk-on at Clemson, but there were some academic hurdles that needed to be cleared.
Clemson’s compliance office applied for a waiver for Rodriguez, citing his strong recent academic record and the fact that he was just one class short of receiving his associate degree at Germanna. The NCAA granted the waiver, clearing the way for Rodriguez to suit up this fall.
“When I found out, I was extremely happy,” Rodriguez said by telephone from South Carolina on Tuesday. “It was a pretty smooth process.”
The Clemson spokesman said the vote of the ACC faculty representatives has been delayed because several of the reps are on vacation. Because Rodriguez is not fully cleared, Clemson’s coaches are still not permitted to comment on him.
Rodriguez, who will attend college on the GI Bill, has been at Clemson for about a month, participating in unofficial workouts with the Tigers and digesting the playbook.
“I’ve been doing drills and everything,” he said. “It’s been pretty cool so far.”
He said he is likely to train as a slot receiver when practices begin, and much of his work will take place on special teams.
“I guess it’ll all hit me more when I’m running down that hill [before games],” Rodriguez said. “But right now, I’m focused on trying to work for playing time.”
Rodriguez said he continues to be contacted by publishers and production companies about book deals and movie rights, but he is telling them to be patient, because his story will still be there when he graduates in three years.
“I plan to play football until I can’t play anymore,” he said.
Adam Himmelsbach: 540/374-5442
ahimmelsbach@freelancestar.com
