5/5/2017 football Edit

Mississippi State leads for Georgia RB

Chad Simmons • Rivals.com

Recruiting Analyst

Chad Simmons is a Recruiting Analyst for Rivals.com. He was the expert on The Next Class on Fox Sports South from 2011-2015. He currently covers Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

THE LATEST...

Chris Rodriguez is closing in on double-digit offers. The 6-foot, 200 pound running back out of McDonough (Ga.) Ola has offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas State Georgia State, Mississippi State, Troy, Tulane and a few others.

Middle Tennessee could be next to offer. The Raiders are showing a lot of interest and the in-state Georgia Bulldogs have been in communication with the three-star rising senior as well.

Not the Georgia Bulldogs, but the Mississippi State Bulldogs have the early lead for Rodriguez and he hopes to spend some time in Starkville (Miss.) this summer.

IN HIS OWN WORDS...

"Mississippi State is the school I like the most right now," said Rodriguez. "My recruiting coach is coach [John] Hevesy (offensive line) and he has talked to me about them wanting to build around a running back. He feels I have the right mind-set and the right body to be a good fit for them over there.

"I want to get over there to visit soon. I hope to get over this summer. I know Dak Prescott went there and he is one of my favorite players. It is a big school and I want to get out to see the campus, spend some time with the different coaches and just see what the surroundings are like there.

"We keep in touch a good bit. It is not like every day we are texting, but we stay in contact a lot. I know I have a lot of interest in them and that I want to take a visit out there."

RIVALS REACTION...

Rodriguez is a strong, powerful back who gets north-south. He will pick up more offers and his recruitment could pick up in the coming months. Mississippi State offering him early means a lot to him. He is not a big college football guy, he is more into NFL, but Rodriguez knows the Bulldogs play in the SEC, he knows they have produced some good talent over the years and he likes the consistency they are showing with him right now. When he makes his decision, he is looking for the fit off the field just as much as he is on the field. He wants to go where he feels comfortable even when he is not playing football.