From zero offers to four stars, the improbable rise of Jimmy Rolder

The Covid era has changed the recruiting world as we know it. Throw in an additional year of eligibility for current college athletes, a new transfer portal that essentially introduced free agency to college football, and you end up with a perfect storm which has led to limited opportunities for high school football prospects.

Even before this new era of recruiting, it was extremely rare for a prospect to get an initial Power-Five offer late in their senior season. The thought of an unranked senior getting four stars next to their name is almost inconceivable in itself.

Enter 2022 linebacker prospect Jimmy Rolder from Marist High School in Chicago. With everything seemingly against him, the senior linebacker defied the odds, and has become a modern day recruiting anomaly.

Rolder has picked up four Power-Five offers in the past week alone. A feat that has led many to consider him the fastest rising prospect in the 2022 class. Following his offer from Michigan on October 13, Rolder discussed his improbable rise, and what to expect as his recruiting process moves forward.

Unlike many prospect that blow up late in their high school career, Rolder isn't a case of late development. His lack of recruitment was purely circumstantial. Due to a nearly non-existent Junior football season in Illinois, and the fact that he plays 70+ baseball games a year, coaches did not have the information they needed, or the urgency to offer.

The combination of limited film, and baseball preventing him from hitting the football camp circuit, left Rolder with limited opportunities to impress coaches in person. He was also committed to Illinois for baseball which clouded things even further.