FOOTBALL: Rogers grows into his role for Volunteers

Kenny Perry saw the potential in Jessie Rogers, but it hadn’t been harnessed.

So during Rogers’ sophomore season two years ago, the Arlington Bowie football coach told him his career was at a crossroads.

“He was a 6-foot-2, 200-pound gangly kid that really wasn’t very tough,” Perry said. “I told his mom and dad that if he wanted to stay where he was, don’t do anything. If he wanted to become an athlete, he needed to get in the weight room and work.”

Rogers, a defensive end, took the advice to heart and took action. He started going to a training facility in nearby Mansfield, first focusing on improving his speed, strength and agility.

Then, after making three sacks for Bowie during his junior season, Rogers hit the weights hard. He said he gained between 20 and 30 pounds of muscle before his senior season.

Now Rogers is a “heck of a football player,” according to Perry. He’s 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in about 4.7 seconds and he’s verbally accepted a scholarship offer from the University of North Carolina.

“I knew I was capable of it. I knew it was there,” Rogers said. “Talking to Coach Perry and starting to (work out), that made my inner self really emerge.”

This year Rogers has emerged as the most dominant defensive player for Bowie (7-3), which faces Permian (6-4) at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a Class 5A Division I bi-district playoff at San Angelo Stadium. He leads the Volunteers with 10 sacks, four of which came in last week’s regular-season finale against Arlington High, and also has 42 tackles and 10 tackles for loss.

Rogers’ ability as a pass rusher has the Panthers’ attention. Permian offensive line coach Morgan Robinson said he’s “definitely a concern.”

“We don’t see guys of that size and speed anywhere in district,” Robinson said. “We’ve seen a lot of real fast guys. Abilene High has some really athletic defensive ends, and Midland High has big defensive ends.

“But just the combination of size and speed, there’s a reason he’s a Division I commit already. He’s a physical player.”

Rogers is continuing a Bowie tradition under Perry, who said he’s sending one of his defensive ends to a major college program for the fifth time in his six seasons as head coach. Preceding Rogers were Michael Amaefula (Minnesota), Jarrett Brown (Oklahoma), Eric Mebane (Purdue) and Mohammed Usman (Arizona).

“It feels really good,” Rogers said. “It is basically a tradition. I’m trying to tell the younger ends if they just keep grinding and stay hungry, they can really keep it going.”

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