An Ohio State interview: Linebacker Brian Rolle
by Doug Lesmerises
Friday July 03, 2009
OSU Brian Rolle
Brian Rolle was a star of the spring for the Buckeyes. For two years, the linebacker from Immokalee, Fla., stayed in the background at Ohio State, popping up with some big plays on special teams, but otherwise biding his time with veterans like James Laurinaitis and Marcus Freeman in front of him. A little undersized at 5-foot-11, but with big-hit ability, it was hard to get a read on him as a person and a player.
Here's a read. This guy could be a star of the fall as well.
At Jim Cordle's charity bowling event last Friday, about 40 Buckeyes showed up to mingle with fans and raise $18,000 for the Special Olympics. Most of the Buckeyes had obvious ties to Cordle, as either fellows seniors or fellow linemen. Then there was Rolle, an out-of-state linebacker who smiled the whole night and enthusiastically interacted with the fans more than any player besides Cordle.
He likes to bowl and hang out, so what? From where I stood, Rolle looked an awful lot like a leader. And from what his teammates saw during spring ball, he looks an awful lot like a difference maker. So in that middle linebacker competition that many assumed was between Austin Spitler and Etienne Sabino, keep your eye on Rolle when practice starts in August.
Here's our conversation from Friday.
Plain Dealer: Why are you so enthusiastic about this event?
Brian Rolle: Where I grew up, I always had it hard. And I've got a love for kids, and when I found out this was for kids and the Special Olympics, I was excited. If a place has more kids than grownups, I'm loving it.
PD: You seem like you're really into it.
BR: I'm loving it right now. This is probably the most fun I've had in a while. I love to bowl, but being here with all the kids and everyone here who loves the Buckeyes is pretty cool.
I just had a guy tell me that he thinks some of the guys are stuck up, and I just tell guys we're regular people, too. We like to have fun and I'm glad Jimmy had a chance to set this up so we can hang out with people in the community and show them we are real people and we like to have fun just like they like to have fun.
Most of the guys here could be out partying or being with their girlfriends, but they chose to come out here and show we care about people and we care about the community, and I think it's the least we could do. I wish we could do this every other weekend or something like that, just to pay it forward like Coach Tressel always tells us.
PD: We talked a lot about you in the spring. What did you think of your spring?
BR: In the spring, I told my dad, man, I did great. I told him I did great, but to me it wasn't good enough. I say it was great because it was a big step up from last year. But I just feel like I've got a long way to go to get to where I want to. I want to be a great player, not just this guy who was good on special teams for a couple years and played linebacker for a couple years. But I made a big step toward where I want to be this season.
