Carson Rhodes, a 6-foot-7, 245-pound junior tight end from Nevada (IA) High, is one of the top football players in the state and recently made Junior Day visits to Iowa and Minnesota.
GopherHole recently caught up with Rhodes before his Sunday Junior Day visit to learn the latest on his college recruitment, what it’s like to live in Nevada and his junior year.
Gopher Hole: You are playing basketball this winter. How are you guys doing so far this season?
Carson Rhodes: We are 10-5, I think. We lost some close ones, but we are doing pretty good this year. We got a lot of seniors and a lot of talent. We should make a deep playoff run.
GopherHole: How much do you think basketball helps you with football in terms of footwork and your hands?
Carson Rhodes: I think it helps out a ton, because, one, becoming like I call it “basketball shape” and “football shape.” You always think that you are in shape after football is over, but once you hit that court, it is so much different, so I really think it helps me get in shape. Not only the catching aspect, but the footwork is insane. I’ve gotten so much better with my footwork throughout the season already and I can see a big change and I can see how it could help me in my future with football.
GopherHole: You were at the Iowa Junior Day the other day. What was that experience like?
Carson Rhodes: It was really interesting because I hadn’t been on a Junior Day yet. Getting to see all the coaches there and all the facilities was really nice to see.
GopherHole: Iowa has been known for producing really good tight ends, which is your current position, but because I know with your height and size, you could grow and get bigger and become a tackle. Is that something you talked to them about?
Carson Rhodes: Yes, I talked to the O-line coach and I talked to the tight ends coach. I talked to both of them. The tight ends coach hasn’t said too much about a tight end. My recruiter, Jay Niemann, has talked to me about becoming an O-lineman and I talked to the O-line coach and he said that he liked my size and my frame and he liked that my high school is a very run-heavy offense. I didn’t end getting the ball too much this past year, so he really liked that from an offensive line standpoint.
GopherHole: Do you have a preference?
Carson Rhodes: I really don’t. I just think that if I can make an impact, the most impact I can make at either position, I’d be really happy to play either.
GopherHole: You are planning on coming up to Minnesota this Sunday for their Junior Day. What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Carson Rhodes: I heard that they are really excited to have me. I’ve had tons of coaches call me from there the past few weeks and it sounds like I am going to be meeting with a lot of the coaches up there. Assistant O-line. Tight ends. I haven’t heard much about position-wise for me from Minnesota, but they are really excited to have me and I am really excited to get up there.
GopherHole: I think that you have two offers right now from Augustana and Northern Iowa?
Carson Rhodes: I just got one yesterday from Illinois State. (He has received offers from South Dakota, Kent State and Iowa State since this interview)
GopherHole: You have to be pretty pleased to get three offers from schools already, only being a junior, but does that make you want to work even harder to hear from more schools?
Carson Rhodes: Yes, definitely, because I know that I have the potential and I want to look back 50 years from now, knowing that I used all my potential to the fullest ability and that is my motivation to keep working as hard as I can to get to the highest level.
GopherHole: Did you get a chance to go to many college football or basketball games this year?
Carson Rhodes: I ended up actually going to Iowa State a lot because they invited me out four times and I think I only had one week so far that I haven’t had a visit and that was very early into my football season. Other than that, I had a visit every weekend and I have a lot of visits coming up, too. I haven’t made it out to any basketball games.
GopherHole: Any other plans to visit any other schools?
Carson Rhodes: Yes. I am planning on going up to NDSU, I think February 18th, I believe and looking to Iowa State, hopefully. I’m not sure. I haven’t got an invite yet, but knowing that I’ve had four invites in the past, I am kind of just assuming, hoping that I’ll get one from there to just keep that relationship going. Not sure about UNI. They have had a lot of coaching changes. Nebraska, I’m not sure. I haven’t received anything from them since I went on a visit there early football season. There are some “Illinois” schools, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois and Illinois State that are looking to get me out there and I just have to figure out my schedule.
GopherHole: How far are you located from Ames?
Carson Rhodes: We’re less than ten minutes.
GopherHole: Is it ever annoying when you tell people where you are from?
Carson Rhodes: Oh, yeah. It’s mostly the people on Twitter. They always make jokes about it. I see a lot of stuff like “Oh, not that Nevada.” It’s pretty funny.
GopherHole: What do you see as your strengths as a football player?
Carson Rhodes: I think my strengths are my catching ability and I think my ability to get off the ball, I would say. Some other people have some other opinions about that, but that is just how I see myself. I try to keep my head down into the guy and try to block him as well as I can, I guess. I also think adjusting to the ball is one of my better strengths and just my ability to play with my size.
GopherHole: How did you guys do this past year in football?
Carson Rhodes: We did really good. I think it was 9-2. We ended up going to the quarterfinals and we lost to an undefeated Harlan team that just ran through everybody in our class, but we made history. We had the winningest season in school history and we broke a lot of records along the way. Sadly, we did graduate 19 seniors.
GopherHole: Did you lose your quarterback then?
Carson Rhodes: Yes, but we do have a quarterback. Every year, for the past four or five years now, we’ve had a quarterback with little to no experience the year before, but now they are starting their senior year. He is more of a natural quarterback, while our quarterback from last year, he also had over a 1,000 rushing yards and about 1,000 passing yards. Obviously, he was a really good quarterback, but he was also a really good running back. This new quarterback coming up, he can really throw the ball, so I think it is going to be something special.
GopherHole: Do you play on the defensive side at all ever or just offense?
Carson Rhodes: Last year, we didn’t have to start. We only had one person play both sides of the ball, so I could have, definitely, and I did on third and long situations, but I just didn’t need to, because we had a good amount of depth. Next year, my coach has told me that I will be playing both sides of the ball most likely.
GopherHole: Would that be a full-time thing or 50% of the time or don’t you know quite yet?
Carson Rhodes: I would think, but I’m not sure at this time. It would be 100%, I would guess, but I’m not sure.
GopherHole: You have some good opportunities already with the three offers, but what would it mean to get that first Power 5 scholarship offer?
Carson Rhodes: It would really mean a lot to me and my family, because of the amount of work that I’ve had to put into all this. I think if I got one, then a lot more opportunities would likely roll in and then I could really expand my search for a new home in the future. It would be awesome to get that.
GopherHole: I know it is still a ways before you make your college choice, but what are going to be the main factors that are going to make you pick School A over School B or C?
Carson Rhodes: I always like to think academics. My intended major is Criminal Justice, so almost all the schools have it, so that’s a great thing for me. Another thing is location, because I don’t really have a range, but anywhere more than 12 hours or like a plane flight might be hard for my parents, so obviously you got to take that into factor. My brother is playing college football as well, so you kind of have to take that in, because my parents aren’t always going to be able to go to both games. I’d like to stay somewhere, like I’m not saying this for sure, but like Midwest. I can definitely expand a little bit more, but nowhere on the coasts or anything for me, I don’t think. That and the coaching staff. I like to call it the stability in the coaching staff. I’m just using this as an example, but like Iowa signing Kirk Ferentz through 2029. That is something that I would like to see. Knowing that the chances of him maybe not leaving are a little higher than some other teams that may decide to fire their head coach of what not and then the coaching staff in general. If they treat me well. If they’re nice. A good coach as well and then the family feeling that you get from the University is another big factor for me.
GopherHole: You mentioned your brother. Where does he play football?
Carson Rhodes: He (Ayden, a linebacker) plays football up at Augustana University in Sioux Falls. My cousin (Matt Chitty, a defensive lineman) also goes there as well.
GopherHole: Did you get to many Vikings games to watch Augustana?
Carson Rhodes: I got to two of them, I believe. I think that was the one weekend where I didn’t really have a visit. I had my first visit there. That’s when I got my first offer, but I had another visit where I didn’t have anything going on that weekend and I got to go up and see my brother for the first time in a while and it was just nice to get to go up there.
GopherHole: Obviously, you come from a football family. Did your dad or any uncles play football as well?
Carson Rhodes: My father did not, but both of my uncles actually did. My first uncle played at Simpson and my other uncle played at Waldorf. Other than that, we don’t have too much of a football standpoint, I guess. Some of my other family member all went to Simpson to play a sport.
GopherHole: What is it going to mean to you, when you walk on that field the very first game as a college freshman?
Carson Rhodes: It’s going to be huge, because just seeing all that you have worked for. It’s definitely going to mean a lot and definitely going to get me a lot more excited to keep working and then get my way up to a starting spot hopefully some day.
GopherHole: Sounds like you are a busy guy with football and basketball, but what do you like to do away from the field and court?
Carson Rhodes: I have a buddy, who is a senior this year and looking at his junior year film, you wouldn’t have thought that he would have become anything, but me and him lifted a lot this summer and he became just an animal for our level. Lifting with him was definitely one of my favorite moments, because I played with him for football and basketball and he is our backup post, so I spent a lot of time with him. Lifting with him and when my brother and my cousin get back, we like to lift together a lot, too and any other sports, too. I like to play soccer. I like to play any other sports that might not be available in high school.
GopherHole: Do you notice how much that strength that you added has helped your game in the past year?
Carson Rhodes: Yes, I’ve definitely been able to tell between even basketball and football, because going at it as a little sophomore, I didn’t get a ton of playing time. I wasn’t pancaking anybody or getting a lot of looks for anything, but my junior year, I could definitely tell a difference. I think already my strengths from the end of football until now have gone up a lot and is only going to go up from here, I hope. I’m really excited for my senior year.