JuCo OL Jonah Rodriguez Commits to UNC

A pair of recent official visits set the stage for JuCo offensive lineman Jonah Rodriguez to make his college choice — and on Tuesday, he committed to North Carolina.

Rodriguez, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound lineman from Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Calif., officially visited UNC earlier in November. He took an official visit to Colorado last week. He initially planned to visit California over the weekend, but ultimately canceled that trip.

“I liked it a lot,” Rodriguez said of his UNC official visit. “I liked meeting all the coaches. It was great seeing how they operate, talking to [Michael] Lombardi, talking to [Bill] Belichick, talking to Coach [Will] Friend. I like the way they run [the football program]. They run it like a pro team. So, it’s what I’m looking for in development and getting me prepared for the next level.”

UNC is expected to lose the five offensive linemen who have logged the most snaps this fall.

According to Rodriguez, UNC is recruiting him as an “overall O-lineman.” This season at Southwestern, he played exclusively at offensive tackle. The year prior, at Arizona, he worked at both center and guard, although he did not appear in a game.

A 2023 recruit out of San Diego (Calif.) Madison High, Rodriguez originally signed with San Diego State. After redshirting as a freshman, he transferred to Arizona and later to Southwestern College.

Rodriguez has at least two years of eligibility remaining and plans to apply for a medical waiver that could grant him a third.