Seven seasons, two torn ACLs and a broken wrist later, Bradley Rozner is still playing ball.
It’s far from how the 6-foot-5-inch receiver envisioned college football after he graduated from high school in 2016, but he has learned to embrace his unique circumstances.
He often questioned whether his body could hold up. But with perseverance – and a plethora of eligibility – the 26-year-old is ready to make an impact for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in his eighth college football season to cap off one “crazy journey.”
“I could have never predicted any of this,” Rozer told USA TODAY Sports. “I'm glad that I've gone on this journey. It's unique. It's not like anybody else's, which I'm really appreciative for.”
After playing high school football in Needville, Texas, Rozner stayed in state to play at Cisco College. He had hopes of one day playing Division I college football.
His first game? Injured, and out for the rest of the season. He prepared for a comeback the following spring but got reinjured and was forced to miss the next season. Two years into his college career, Rozner had appeared in only one game, and had a torn ACL.
“It was definitely frustrating. I wasn't a guy that usually got injured in high school and growing up,” he said. “You ask a lot of questions, like, ‘Why is this happening?’”
Rozner recovered and was finally able to get on the field in 2018. That’s when it got “fun,” he said, as he caught 13 touchdown passes, a junior college high that season, eight of which came in Cisco’s final four games. He had 616 yards on 44 catches and was an NJCAA honorable mention.
“It was kind of one of those hard work pays off moments. Just enjoying the fruits of all that labor,” Rozner said.
He was ready for the Division I jump. When Rice University made an offer, he said it only made sense for him to pick the Owls because it was a full circle moment. When Rozner got surgery for his torn ACL, it was in a Houston hospital that overlooked Rice.
Rozner continued the momentum at Rice as he led the Owls with 770 receiving yards and five touchdown catches, emerging as the team’s best offensive threat.
But the injuries returned. In 2020, as several schools and conferences tried to figure out how a season could be played during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rozner tried to stay in shape with a broken wrist. He decided to sit out the five-game season.
The following season, Rozner tore his other ACL in the 2021 opener against Arkansas, once again ending his year.
It was like déjà vu. Rozner had to start the process all over again, but the injury wasn’t the biggest challenge to getting back on the field. It was himself.
“I was, again, going back to why is this happening?” he said. “Just having to constantly ask myself, ‘Am I good enough? Will my body hold up?’ There was a lot of doubt. A lot of low points.
“The biggest thing was constantly battling myself and that little voice in my head.”
Rozner began to distance himself from his teammates, but they wouldn’t let him go through it alone. He cited his teammates as a major reason why he wanted to come back.
So in 2022, Rozner returned – and just like his last year at Cisco – he tore it up. He had a career-best 876 yards with 10 touchdowns as the Owls made their first bowl game since 2014.
Coming off his best collegiate season, Rozner entered his name into the transfer portal, looking to take his game to the next level. Once in the portal, N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren noticed his entry immediately. The 11th-year coach was looking for a tall receiver with reliable hands, and the experience Rozner had made it a “really good marriage.”
“Just getting an older player that's not only been through a lot like he has been, but can bring a wealth of experience on the field, off the field for some of the younger players on the team,” Doeren said of why he was interested in Rozner.
Rozner started to pick up attention nationally, and he’s on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List for college football's most outstanding receiver. Rozner said it's been a smooth transition at his third school, and he wants to be a reliable teammate for the receiving corps and transfer quarterback Brennan Armstrong in hopes of winning an ACC championship.
Seeing a 26-year-old still playing his eighth college football season might turn heads, and Rozner understands. He admits “it does sound a little ridiculous” for him to still be playing college ball. So how is it possible?
Rozner got a redshirt when he arrived at Rice, and he wrote a letter to the NCAA that requested a medical hardship. He was approved, and he repeated the same process for when he tore his ACL in 2021. He also had the extra year granted to all athletes in 2020 because of the pandemic.
“I kind of leave that up to compliance,” Rozner joked.
With his absurd eligibility, Rozner has been at the receiving end of several jokes about his age. He had a teammate at Rice who referred to him as “paw paw” and “grandpa” and has seen several posts about him on social media. He said he’s numb to it, but sometimes he has to give credit to what people come up with.
“I see a lot of comments that ‘this guy doesn't want to enter the workforce,’ or stuff like that.
“There was one, they had a picture of me vs. UTSA. It said something like, ‘You just got beat by somebody that was in high school during the Obama Administration,’” he laughed. “I love seeing that stuff because I like how it's funny. People are so creative.”
All fun aside, Rozner is excited for his final season. Doeren said Rozner has adapted to life in Raleigh well, and being one of the oldest guys on the team, the receiver is giving advice and insight into what college life is like. After this year, Rozner hopes to have a chance to play in the NFL or professional football. If not, he’s got his accounting degree to fall back on.
Looking back at all of his years, Rozner would summarize his college experience as “hard work and perseverance.” He’s overcome several challenges with his body and his mind, and while not ideal, he wouldn't have done it any other way.
“I'm just grateful for it all,” Rozner said.
