At Myers Park, NC State commit Porter Rooks lighter, faster, ‘a heckuva football player’
Myers Park High wide receiver Porter Rooks has been an elite recruit for a long time.
He got his first offer in eighth grade from Louisville, when the Cardinals were a red-hot national power. As a freshman, he got offers from schools like Auburn and Alabama and was named an All-American.
But when it came down to choosing a school, Rooks -- a four-star recruit who’s No. 31 nationally at his position -- didn’t choose the bright lights of the SEC or Big 10. He picked N.C. State of the ACC.
“The recruiting process was really long for me,” Rooks said. “It was stressful because it started so early. When I really got to narrow my options down and see what’s best for me, and not only a winning program, but what’s going to be best for individually and life after football, it all came down to N.C. State.
“The coaches were really honest with me. They kept it real from the start.”
N.C. State offered Rooks a scholarship his freshman year, but he didn’t visit the school until the summer before his junior season began.
“It was all the other attention,” Rooks said. “I really couldn’t focus on the in-state. I definitely was blinded early. I was 14 when I got (the Louisville) offer and 15 (when I got Alabama and Auburn). But it was a different path for me. It wasn’t the hype or what everybody (wanted me to do) but about how I saw myself going through my collegiate career.”
Richmond Senior a ‘difficult place to play’
Rooks and Myers Park (12-0) jumped to No. 1 in the Charlotte Observer’s Sweet 16 football poll this week. The Mustangs are two wins away from their first state championship appearance since 1957. Myers Park has never won a state title.
The Mustangs will try to take their next step towards history Friday at Richmond Senior. The Raiders (12-0) are No. 2 in the Sweet 16 and have one of their best teams in years.
“I think they have a well-earned reputation for being a very difficult place to play,” Myers Park coach Scott Chadwick said of Richmond Senior. “But I think it’s what any player would want, to be a part of a place that’s rabid about football and a place that supports their team as well as they do. I can understand why their kids are so successful there. It’s the kind of fan base you want to play in front of.
“That said, we feel like we’ve got a pretty good group of fans that support us, and they’ll have their say on Friday, too.”
Chadwick said his team is ready for the challenge. And he said having a player like Rooks helps immensely with trying to win in one of the toughest places to do so in North Carolina.
Rooks ‘a heckuva football player’
Rooks, who was picked to play in the World Bowl, played his first three seasons at Providence Day but transferred to Myers Park this season, in part because he wanted to graduate early and head to Raleigh.
“He’s pretty much exactly what I thought he would be,” Chadwick said. “He’s just a really mature kid and he shows up every day and does his work and leads by example.”
This season, Rooks has 52 catches for 848 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he’s shown one quality that definitely surprised his coach.
“He’s a heckuva football player,” Chadwick said. “There’s not a real weakness in his game. He’s a very good route runner. He’s got very good hands and he’s a real strong kid with the football in his hands. And he’s a lot faster than people give him credit for. Nobody ever catches him and runs away from people. That’s been the one surprising part we’ve seen is his ability to run away from people at times.”
Rooks used to be very good at track in middle school, but said he had packed on some muscle, and pounds, and lost a little speed at Providence Day. That loss of acceleration became part of his reputation. So this year, he changed his diet cutting out heavy carbs and some meat, and he’s also reduced his salt intake.
So now, Rooks is down eight pounds, to about 185, and he said his horsepower has come back.
“For me, it’s about keeping my muscles stretched out,” Rooks said. “Yoga helped out a lot. And I watched videos of me in 13 -year-old Junior Olympic track and it brought back memories. I said, ‘I’ve got to get back to that.’”
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 3:45 PM.
