Farragut junior golfer Rodgers commits to Vols

College recruiting usually takes flight during a high school athlete’s junior year.

Brandon Rodgers hardly let that plane off the runway.

The Farragut High School junior committed to the University of Tennessee men’s golf program Sunday night. With no mind-consuming recruiting process to undergo, Rodgers can devote his full attention to his play and not a weekend itinerary at some university.

“That’s a big relief off my shoulders,” said Rodgers. “I can relax and play golf instead of worrying about my scores or ranking. It’s huge.”

Rodgers cited Tennessee men’s head coach Jim Kelson and assistant Bryce Wallor as key reasons for his pledge, as well as the building of the program’s new practice facility. But in all likelihood, the Vols were the leader all along.

“I’ve just been a fan of Tennessee all my life,” said the 17-year-old Rodgers. “They’re going to give me the best opportunity to play professional golf.”

In a year’s time, Rodgers jumped 581 spots in the Polo Junior Golf Rankings to 43rd. He beefed up his summer schedule in the American Junior Golf Association and then, July 29-31, won the Stanford Financial Junior Championship at TPC-Southwind in Memphis by eight shots.

With his new status, he’s received invitations to play in high-profile national junior events such as the Bobby Chapman Invitational (Sept. 13-14 in Spartanburg, S.C.), the Ping Invitational (Oct. 10-13 in Stillwater, Okla.) and the Polo Golf Junior Classic (Nov. 22-28 in Sea Island, Ga.).

None of the three should conflict if Farragut plays Oct. 6-8 in the Class AAA state championship in Murfreesboro.

“I’m really looking forward to finishing high school right now,” said Rodgers. “We have a great team.”