BYU Target Roman Rashada Discusses BYU Official Visit

Roman Rashada is a JC defensive back out of California

Over the weekend, BYU hosted Diablo Valley Junior College transfer Roman Rashada for an official visit. Roman is a versatile defensive back that has played various positions in the defensive backfield at Diablo Valley. He has three years to play two, meaning he has two years of eligibility and one redshirt year remaining.

Washington was the first to extend Rashada an offer back in December. A few weeks later, he received an offer from BYU after an in-home visit with Jernaro Gilford and Ilaisa Tuiaki. He also received an offer from Colorado State before signing day.

Another Blessing From GOD. After an amazing home visit with @coachtuiaki and Coach Gilford i am humbled to receive an Offer from BYU. #GoCougs #JESUS pic.twitter.com/WAu4AIPkgH

— Roman Rashada (@romanrashada_) January 20, 2022

Roman only had time to make take official visits to Washington and Oregon before signing day, so he declined to sign a letter of intent in February. Rashada maintained contact with BYU's staff and once the recruiting dead period was over, he took his official visit to BYU. 

Following the visit, we caught up with Roman to discuss his visit.

A Family Affair

Roman's visit was unique because he was able to bring his brothers with him to Provo. His brother Harlen Rashada also plays at Diablo Valley College as a hybrid OLB/SS/EDGE. His younger brother Jaden Rashada is a five-star 2023 quarterback with 30 FBS offers. Jaden named a top 10 of Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Auburn, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, Penn State, UCLA and Washington on Christmas day. During the visit, Jaden received an offer from BYU.

FAMILY business ⏰👀 … #GoCougs @romanrashada_ @Harlen_Rashada pic.twitter.com/rLhtZUvkbG

— Jaden Rashada 5️⃣ (@jadenrashada) March 5, 2022

Jaden enjoyed his time in Provo with his two older brothers, at least according to his Twitter account:

Love it here 👀⚪️🔵!

— Jaden Rashada 5️⃣ (@jadenrashada) March 3, 2022

"Bringing my brothers made it even more unique because you really got to see how much they were about families," Roman Rashada said on what it was like to take a trip with his brothers. "They showed it even more than they said it. We've been in places where schools will say they are about family. [BYU] flat out showed it."

Roman is the first of his brothers that will go on to play college football, and he relished the opportunity to show his brothers where he could end up taking his talents. "It was cool for my brothers to see Provo," Roman said. "We all play football and just to see a place where we could potentially all play, but more importantly, to see a place that I'm potentially going to be at for the next couple of years. I thought that was important for them...not many people get to experience that with their brothers. So that was pretty unique."

Meeting with Coach Gilford

During official visits, recruits will typically sit down with position coaches. Roman was able to meet with cornerbacks coach Jernaro Gilford, and that stood out as his favorite part of the official visit.

"I would say my favorite part had to be sitting down with Coach G. He's from California too so more than anything, we relate off the field more than on the field."

Roman spent an hour and a half studying film with Coach Gilford in a session that was supposed to be 20 minutes. They discussed the scheme and Coach Gilford's coaching philosophies. "That was my favorite part I have to say."

Roman also got to spend time bowling with California natives Kody Epps and Malik Moore. "Those dudes are both from California and we just have a lot of fun. Just getting their perspective...I would say that was the highlight of the trip as far as like activities go."

What Made the BYU Trip Unique?

"I'm gonna just be honest. It just felt like home," Roman said when asked what made his BYU visit unique. "When me and my brothers went down there, like as far as the people in the city of Provo and the support, we never got that much support from the players all the way to the staff, to the fans...even sitting down with Coach Kalani. I didn't get that feeling like you were talking to the head coach. It was more like you were talking to like a family member or something."

What Comes Next

Roman has taken three official visits, meaning he can take two more official visits per NCAA rules. Rashada tells Cougs Daily that multiple schools have been contacting him over the last few days, including Miami. The Hurricanes and new head coach Mario Cristobal are another school that could host him for an official visit before he makes his decision, but his plans are still up in the air.

Either way, Roman hopes to make his decision in the next two weeks.

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Did you enjoy the video at the top of this article? Listen to the rest of my conversation with Chaz Ah You and Lorenzo Fauatea here.

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