The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1506671
30 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY ETHAN MCDOWELL radley Rozner started his college career in 2016. At that point, Wolfpack sophomore quarterback MJ Morris was in middle school, Dave Doeren was about to begin his fourth year as NC State's head football coach, and Boise State transfer Ryan Finley was about to take the Wolf- pack's starting quarterback job. Rozner, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound grad- uate student, is now 25 years old and holds a master's degree in accounting from Rice University. He committed to NC State following an accelerated trans- fer portal recruiting process this sum- mer. After spending seven collegiate sea- sons in his native Texas, first at the Cisco College juco program, then at Rice, the receiver was not ready to end his career. Thanks to multiple waivers from the NCAA, he now has an oppor- tunity to play Power Five football. Self-belief was crucial throughout his journey to NC State, which began in earnest when he entered the transfer portal in early July. "I've gotten a lot of support about this whole ordeal, and I've gotten a lot of negative comments. I laugh at that kind of stuff," Rozner said. "If I didn't think I could do it, I wouldn't be here." The receiver has missed four seasons over the course of his career due to inju- ries, but when healthy, he's been highly productive. He received All-Confer- ence USA recognition in 2019 when he caught 55 passes for 770 yards and 5 touchdowns in 12 games. During the 2022 season, he led Rice with 44 recep- tions for 876 yards and 10 scores. "Bradley went through a lot of inju- ries at Rice and then had a really good season last year and showed that he can run by people and jump up and make some plays," Doeren said. "He has al- ready graduated; he has his master's. He's a guy who is very mature for that room as well." A Learning Process Rozner received his letter of admis- sion from NC State in July and was on his way to Raleigh just a few days later. Due to the NCAA recruiting dead period from late June to mid-July, he never vis- ited campus before enrolling. He did not know much about the program before the coaching staff began reaching out. "I knew of NC State, but I didn't have a lot of background knowledge of them," Rozner said. "I had to do some due dili- gence and homework in that regard." A family member's co-worker, who graduated from NC State, ended up ex- Rozner comes to NC State after a 2022 season in which he led Rice with 44 receptions for 876 yards and 10 touchdowns. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS LEAP OF FAITH Transfer Receiver Bradley Rozner Brings A Veteran Mindset And An Unwavering Belief In His Abilities To His First Season Of Power Five Football B