SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah and Clemson receiver Amari Rodgers will be competitors on opposite sidelines Saturday night when the Buckeyes and Tigers clash in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl.
But off the field, Okudah and Rodgers have gotten to know each other a little bit and become friends.
“Me and him are pretty cool,” Okudah said Tuesday during the Fiesta Bowl press conference at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn.
Okudah, a junior from Grand Prairie, Texas, and Rodgers kindled a relationship at some point during the recruiting process and still keep in touch on occasion.
Okudah had an offer from Clemson but narrowed down his list to Florida State, Ohio State and Oklahoma before committing to the Buckeyes in January 2017.
“Camp, maybe a visit. I don’t know,” Okudah said of how he knows Rodgers. “We just talk every now and then.”
After Rodgers tore his ACL in the spring, Okudah reached out to offer some encouragement.
Rodgers has been an inspiration for Okudah because of how quickly he came back from the injury, returning to action just 166 days later in the second week of the season against Texas A&M.
A week later, Rodgers caught four passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns at Syracuse, including an 87-yard catch-and-run for a score that tied the fourth-longest pass play in Clemson history.
“I just wished him good luck after he had hurt his ACL,” Okudah said, “and then told him that his ability to come back from the injury so fast and score that touchdown against Syracuse, it really inspired me.”
While Okudah has plenty of respect for Rodgers, he is excited to match up against him and Clemson’s other receivers on Saturday.
“Any time that our secondary has a chance to go against a receiver corps that’s as good as them, we’ll welcome it,” Okudah said. “So, I think that we’re really excited to have a chance to show what we’re capable of doing.”
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