Every Day Guys Exclusive | 'Everybody's Gonna Remember Me for How I Treated Everybody': Rodgers Brings Winning Experience, Humble Personality to Illinois

Ty Rodgers was born to be a Division-I athlete. The younger brother of a former Power-5 football player, the son of a strength and conditioning and football coach, and the nephew of a top-five NBA Draft selection, Rodgers grew up with the expectation that he would eventually become elite in any sport he set his mind to.

So, that’s what he did. 

Taking interest in sports like swimming, track, and football – in addition to hoops – at an early age, Rodgers thrived in everything he participated in. Known for his humility and selflessness, Ty did not hold back, however, when describing his athletic abilities.

“I think I probably could've gone Division-I for any of the sports I played, honestly. I was very gifted at all of them,” Ty Rodgers said. “It was something I definitely could've done.”

With the only exception being baseball, Ty Rodgers simply loved sports. His dad, Will Rodgers, recognized that from an early age.

“Since he was born, either candy or basketball was his love,” Will Rodgers said. “He would always run around the house with a basketball in his hand. It was just something he truly loved.”

Though it was quickly apparent that basketball would be Ty’s true passion, Will Rodgers initially hoped his youngest son would choose football. His initials, after all, are “T.D.” That was no coincidence, either.

Ty’s parents, Will and Trameka, disagreed on names for their middle child before Ty was born. Finally settling on Ty after some back-and-forth dialogue, Will says he advocated heavily for a middle name that would allow him to call his son a football-related nickname.

“We agreed with Ty – which is short for one of her uncles’ names, which is Tyrone – but his middle name is Devin,” Will Rodgers said. “For me, it was so I could call him a nickname: T.D., for touchdown. That's really how the name came about.”

Ty started playing football in second grade and immediately excelled at wide receiver. Despite coaching eventual-D1 talent, Will Rodgers says his son “had the best hands I’ve ever seen.” As time went on, though, he could tell his son did not truly love the sport.

Will Rodgers identified this unfortunate reality when Ty was in fifth grade. Despite his son’s dominance on the football field, Will could tell his passion for basketball far outweighed his enjoyment for football.

Yet, Ty continued to play both football and basketball, along with swimming and track, through middle school. When it came time to pick one sport to pursue with all of his time and energy, Ty picked basketball, the sport he enjoyed and excelled at the most.

“Basketball was always something that came to me a little bit easier and was something I really had a passion for,” Ty Rodgers said. “I grew up around a lot of guys who went Division I. I was always around them and playing with them, like my older cousins, Brian Bowen II – he’s in the G League right now – and Eric Davis Jr. Since sixth grade, I was practicing with the varsity team at Arthur Hill High School. Growing up around those guys and competing with those guys, I knew I always had a chance.”

While Ty was comfortable with his decision to pick basketball over football, he did not know how to tell his dad, his longtime coach. His dad was the one who created the “TD” nickname. His dad was the reason behind his domination on the football field.

Little did Ty know, his dad knew the news was coming. In fact, his dad might have known before Ty himself that basketball was his destiny.

“In fifth grade, he was better at football than he was at basketball,” Will Rodgers said. “He just dominated, but I told my wife, ‘He's not gonna play once he gets to high school.’ She was like, ‘No, you're crazy. He's dominating. He's good.’ I said, ‘He just doesn't love it. He's bored at practice. I can tell he's just disinterested even though he's good.’ 

“Sure enough, in ninth grade, Ty thought it was gonna be a problem, so he came to his mom and said, ‘I don't want to play football anymore, but I don't know how to tell my dad.’ She just laughed and said, ‘You know, it's gonna be easier than what you think.’ When he told me, she finally said, ‘Yeah, you were right.’”

When it came to choosing a high school to attend, Ty opted for Grand Blanc High School, which was located 45 minutes away from his hometown of Saginaw, Michigan. The decision to stray away from their local school came down to academics, though Ty embraced the challenges thrown his way as he navigated the entire process.

Ty would wake up at 5 a.m. every morning before commuting to school with his dad. He would then go to school and stick around for practice and would often not make it back home until 8 or 9 p.m. before doing it all over again the next day.

Though the adjustments to a new school, more rigorous academics, and long days proved challenging initially, Ty settled in.

After Grand Blanc was eliminated in the first round of the state playoffs during Ty’s freshman year, the Bobcats closed his sophomore campaign with 11 straight wins before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the remainder of the season.

As a junior, Ty put together the best year of his high-school career. Named the Michigan Division 1 Player of the Year by the Associated Press, Ty led Grand Blanc to its first state title in school history.

“It meant a lot to me to be able to do that for that community,” Ty Rodgers said. “Over the years I was there, I gained a lot of love from a lot of people in that community, and I love that community. They accepted me from the moment I got there. It was bigger than basketball. Everyone knows me for just being a good person, and I think that's how I'm always gonna be remembered.

“The stuff I did on the basketball court, I think that speaks for itself. I won a state championship and I was Player of the Year and things like that, but I think everybody's gonna remember me for how I treated everybody and for the human being that I was while I was there.”

Grand Blanc’s championship-clinching victory came at the Breslin Center at Michigan State, the same campus his uncle, Jason Richardson, played at in college before going on to have a 14-year career in the NBA. Ty not only won the title on his uncle’s collegiate home court, but also No. 23 at Grand Blanc, the same number Richardson donned at MSU, in a true full-circle moment for his entire family.

The following year, Ty transferred to a school across state lines, moving with his entire family to Illinois, where he chose to attend Thornton Township High School in Harvey. Connecting with his AAU coach, Tai Streets, who was also the head coach at Thornton, Ty spent the final year of high school in the Land of Lincoln.

After receiving college offers from several Power-5 programs, Ty announced his commitment to Illinois ahead of his senior season. Crediting the program’s culture and coaching staff in his decision to join the Fighting Illini, Ty arrived in Champaign ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

The summer prior to his arrival on campus, Ty Rodgers represented Team USA at the U18 FIBA Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico. One of 15 guys to earn a roster spot on the national team out of a selection pool of over 100 players, Ty called it “a dream come true” to play for his country at the international level.

Averaging 18.1 minutes, 5.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 72.7% from the field during the event, Ty helped guide the U.S. to a gold medal after the team won all six games during the week-long competition.

“It was a great experience and a crazy process,” Ty Rodgers said. “It was another full-circle moment. I can say that I won a USA championship, competed for my country, and took home a gold medal. A lot of people can't say they can do that, especially from where I'm from, so it's a blessing to say the least.”

Now in his second season at Illinois, Ty wears No. 20 in honor of his older cousin, Brian Bowen II, who played a big role in his basketball journey and has since gone on to compete professionally. Ty tagged along on Bowen’s college visits. It motivated Ty to pursue college hoops, so it only made sense to honor Bowen’s role through his jersey number. 

“Twenty was always the number that I wanted to wear. At my high school in Michigan, 20 wasn't an available number, so I just wore 23,” Ty Rodgers said. “Brian Bowen is someone who I always looked up to. I was always around him. He opened my eyes to a lot of stuff. I went on a lot of college visits with him when he was going through his recruitment, and he just put me around a lot of things and a lot of people. He was someone I always looked up to, and he's the reason why I wear 20.”

Representing the Rodgers family at the collegiate level, Ty does not take that responsibility lightly. Ty’s commitment to excellence extends beyond the basketball court, and he ensures he does everything to the best of his ability.

Making his dad proud every step of the way, Ty embodies the values of hard work, dedication, and – most importantly – selflessness and humility.

“A ‘journey’ is probably the best word for Ty’s basketball career,” Will Rodgers said. “He loves basketball. It's really what drives them. I couldn't be more proud as a parent of what he's done and continues to do. He just makes me proud all the time.”