Rosier could be a first

When was the last time that a Division I football player came out of Buffalo, Mo.?

That was the question that was posed to veteran coach Ed Hula, and after some internal deliberation, the answer became clear.

If he earns a scholarship offer this season, defensive end Cody Rosier will be the first player from the tiny town in Southwestern Missouri to play Division I football in a long, long, long time.

"In my 23 years of coaching, I've had a few guys that were faster or bigger, but I've never coached one that's as big, as fast and as versatile as Cody Rosier," Hula said.

"You can play him anywhere – linebacker, defensive end, tight end or even receiver. He can even throw the baseball 85 to 90 mph. He's a pretty special athlete."

Rosier was posed the same question as his coach about anybody else from the town that's gone on to play football on the highest level in college. And just like his coach, nobody could come to mind.

"My recruitment is already turning into a big deal for Buffalo," he said. "I think one of our coaches played for Missouri State on the offensive line, but that was back in the day. Other than that, I can't think of anybody that's played D-I football. We're a small town and a small school. We're 3A, so we don't always have a lot of big kids around here."

Except for Rosier.

"He's probably 6-5 and maybe even 6-6 now," Hula said. "He's coming close to it. His dad is 6-8 and his uncle is over 7-feet talk. He does come from some pretty good stock."

And that stock has been on the rise ever since his freshman season when he was thrust into the spotlight on the varsity team right away.

"He ended up starting quite a few games as a freshman," Hula said. "Up until that time, I had never started a freshman, period.

"I've been telling coaches since he's a freshman that I've got a special one here. My phone has really been ringing off the hook. Mizzou wants to take a closer look. Kansas State, Kansas, Michigan, Iowa – there's more than I can even mention now. They're all looking hard at him, and I can see why."

Hula said a lot of it has to do with his size and the ability to grow even bigger.

"He's gotten faster, bigger and much stronger," Hula said. "A lot of kids that are his height are often frail, but he' s a thick-boned guy. He's already at 230 and he could put on another 50 pounds and carry it well. I told him early on there will be life after high school football if he works hard."

That's something Rosier has definitely been doing, but competing in sports is nothing new for him. He's been involved in some sort of athletics for quite some time now as both football and baseball have been big in his life since he was young.

"I played sports all my life, baseball and football, then got into basketball in middle school. I'm not sure why I got into them," he said. "I love to play. Both football and baseball are my favorite sport. I pitch and play right field. I think only lost one or two games and a bunch of saves and wins.

"On the football field, I'm strong. I just like contact. That's just what I do. I read well. Most people have to study to know what's going to happen out there, but it comes naturally to me. It's a real fun thing."

A fun thing that could turn into an even bigger thing as schools come through the school during the spring evaluation process.

"It's very exciting, but I'm also real nervous," Rosier said. "Really nervous. I never thought I would get this much attention."

But he has from schools all over map.

"KU has been sending me a lot of stuff," he said. "I used to get a lot of stuff from K-State. I've met Ron Prince about eight or nine months ago, but I haven't heard much from them lately. I get a lot of stuff from Mizzou and Iowa. And coach said other schools have been talking to him about me, too."

Rosier said he's not a fan of a particular school and he doesn't watch a ton of college football.

"It's not as much fun unless you get to go out there and do it," he said.

But he does know he might have to become a bigger fan of it here this next fall when schools come knocking on his door. And Hula said he's confident Rosier will be able to answer the call and become Buffalo's first big-time college football player.

"I wish we had a lot more Cody's on our team," Hula said. "He's a very coachable young man. He'd be a tremendous asset to any program."