Recruiting Insights: Colin Rosser of St. Joseph’s Prep crew focused on Navy from the start
While rowing recruiting may not be as intense or publicized as football and basketball, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Rosser has taken it seriously and the attention he’s received in stride.
Colin Rosser lives a structured life. He practices discipline, thrives with responsibility, and prefers a busy schedule to an open one. It’s been that way since he was in the sixth grade.
Now, heading into his final year at St. Joseph’s Prep, Rosser is coming off a junior season in which he helped lead the Prep’s varsity-eight boat to the Henley Royal Regatta in July in London after an impressive victory at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta here in June. While the recruiting process in rowing might not be as intense or publicized as it is in football and basketball, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Rosser has taken it seriously, and taken the attention he’s received in stride.
“For the most part, schools come to me because, other than the Naval Academy, I haven’t had other schools in mind that I absolutely wanted to go to," he said. "So I haven’t really reached out to other schools. They tend to email me, and then depending on if I think the school has a good rowing program or if it’s a good school overall, then I’ll email them back and continue talking to them.”
Rosser is very much in control of determining where he’ll take his talents. He reached out to Navy the summer before his junior year. He created his own recruiting profile, and he was quick to identify Navy, a more regimented institution than most, as his preferred destination, which it remains.
Rosser’s parents, Jeff and Tina, admire their son’s independent approach.
“Like any parents, the only thing my wife and I want is for our son to be happy," Jeff Rosser said. "He’s taken a very mature approach to handling the college recruiting process very independently. Pardon the pun, but he’s been steering his own boat. We’re certainly there to support him, but we’re really proud that he’s more or less done this on his own.”
In Navy, Rosser said he has found the school that matches his personality and will help him become the person he wants to be.
“I really like structure and discipline, and obviously the Naval Academy is exactly that," he said. “I just like always having a strong sense of accountability. I don’t really like having a ton of free time because I feel like always being busy helps you in the long run.”