Brookwood Alumni Shaping Next Gen Warriors
THOMASVILLE: Just a few short years ago, Rodge Waldrop ‘24 and T.J. Thomas ‘24 shared a backfield together at Brookwood School, setting records and racking up wins for a high-flying Warrior offense. Now, they reunited earlier this week to host a youth football camp at the place they called home.
Waldrop is now enrolled at Troy University, where he is competing for the starting quarterback job after
transferring from East Mississippi Community College earlier this year. When asked about what it means to come back to campus, Waldrop responded “It’s just cool getting to do this, because ten years ago, T.J. and I were kids coming to these sorts of camps. And now we get to be the ones to run kids through the same drills that we get to do in college. Just a great opportunity to give back to this place.”
Warrior Football head coach Coach Jason Hurst kick-started this idea. At the start of the spring semester,
administration approved a plan to construct a removable turf surface in one of the gyms on campus, in order to
give varsity athletes a place to train regardless of weather or heat index. Feeding off that excitement, Hurst wanted to showcase the new practice field with a proper christening. “We are trying to get your young people excited about football again. I don’t think there’s a better way to do that by having two of our biggest football alumni, and current Division One football players, come back and host a camp in our new facility. By celebrating Rodge and T.J., we can reinforce the message that every goal you set your mind on you can accomplish at Brookwood, regardless of school size.”
Hurst knows something about small school athletics. As a Brookwood alumnus himself, he was a three sport athlete in high school, starring on the football field, the basketball court, and on the diamond, where he played Division One baseball at Jacksonville University before finding a home at Georgia Southern University. He went to play professionally for several teams before transitioning into team administration in the Tampa Bay Rays. This, bringing to light small school athletics, is a personal mission for him, as well as a professional one.
Thomas also knows about small school ball. After starring for the Warriors, he chose to continue his academic and athletic career at Elon University, where he has started 16 games over the past two seasons. He obviously
showcased his skills enough, because he enrolled at the University of Minnesota in time for spring practice earlier this year. In the middle of one of the clinic break periods, Thomas responded to a question about how much this community means to him with, “It’s meaningful because I came from here. I’m just so happy to be giving back to this community. I just want these kids to know that no matter what school you come from, colleges will find you and give you a shot if you are good enough.”
Waldrop is now enrolled at Troy University, where he is competing for the starting quarterback job after
transferring from East Mississippi Community College earlier this year. When asked about what it means to come back to campus, Waldrop responded “It’s just cool getting to do this, because ten years ago, T.J. and I were kids coming to these sorts of camps. And now we get to be the ones to run kids through the same drills that we get to do in college. Just a great opportunity to give back to this place.”
Warrior Football head coach Coach Jason Hurst kick-started this idea. At the start of the spring semester,
administration approved a plan to construct a removable turf surface in one of the gyms on campus, in order to
give varsity athletes a place to train regardless of weather or heat index. Feeding off that excitement, Hurst wanted to showcase the new practice field with a proper christening. “We are trying to get your young people excited about football again. I don’t think there’s a better way to do that by having two of our biggest football alumni, and current Division One football players, come back and host a camp in our new facility. By celebrating Rodge and T.J., we can reinforce the message that every goal you set your mind on you can accomplish at Brookwood, regardless of school size.”
Hurst knows something about small school athletics. As a Brookwood alumnus himself, he was a three sport athlete in high school, starring on the football field, the basketball court, and on the diamond, where he played Division One baseball at Jacksonville University before finding a home at Georgia Southern University. He went to play professionally for several teams before transitioning into team administration in the Tampa Bay Rays. This, bringing to light small school athletics, is a personal mission for him, as well as a professional one.
Thomas also knows about small school ball. After starring for the Warriors, he chose to continue his academic and athletic career at Elon University, where he has started 16 games over the past two seasons. He obviously
showcased his skills enough, because he enrolled at the University of Minnesota in time for spring practice earlier this year. In the middle of one of the clinic break periods, Thomas responded to a question about how much this community means to him with, “It’s meaningful because I came from here. I’m just so happy to be giving back to this community. I just want these kids to know that no matter what school you come from, colleges will find you and give you a shot if you are good enough.”
As the camp neared the end, Coach Hurst could only exhale and smile as he watched the balls fly back and forth. “We have over thirty kids participating today. What a great day to be a Warrior.”
Brookwood School
Located in Thomasville, GA, Brookwood School is a private school for grades JK-12. Students benefit from a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics, and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.