’26 safety played multiple phases in Fort Myers for Bishop Verot
Justin Rode is the son of a high school head football coach, Richie Rode. We got the opportunity to chat with Coach Rode last night about his son, Justin, and his recent commitment to play his college football for the Centre Colonels. For you Centre fanatics, if you are looking for a “play alike” to which to compare this new commitment, think Jay Becherer from Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Like Justin, Becherer was also from a football family and had a tremendous multi-phase career for the Colones both in the slot, in the defensive backfield, and on the return units where Becherer was particularly skilled. Enjoy this feature, Colonels!
HB Lyon, Scouting Director, “KPGFootball”
Fort Myers, FA/Danville, KY: We have before mentioned this but it bears repeating. No other small college, particularly a small college or university located in the commonwealth of Kentucky, does as fine of a job finding and bringing talent to campus than the Centre Colonels.
There are lots of reasons for this. Centre has division one facilities. Centre offers division one academic experiences and social opportunities.
Centre fully underwrites its students based on substantiated financial need. Centre has a centuries worth of football playing tradition at the highest levels for an institution with both its pedigree and academic standing.
Texas A&M created its 12th-man tradition playing Centre’s “Praying Colonels.” Look it up!
Centre College is Centre College. If that needs explaining, you are obviously neither from the Bluegrass nor any other contiguous state or commonwealth.
Centre has, once again, done it. This time the Colonels have dipped into one of the country’s more fertile recruiting grounds and plucked one of Florida’s more accomplished, polished, and premier safeties and students.
Justin Rode, from Bishop Verot High in Fort Myers, Florida has announced his commitment to join the Colonels roster for the ’26 Fall. Rode contributed throughout his career in multiple phases to his high school program. Rode was counted among the more versatile talents in Florida high school football.
First of all, Rode is the son of Bishop Verot’s head football coach, Richie Rode. We were able to talk to Coach Rode over the phone just last night (February 1, 2026).
Coach Rode told KPGFootball, “We made three (3) to four (4) trips to Danville, over the course of the recruiting process, and Centre just felt like home to us. The football staff and facilities were top-notch and considerably more impressive than what you arrived expecting.”
Justin Rode, Fort Myers, FA, has committed to the Colonels
Announced on Prospect’s X-Account
Coach Rode continued, “Justin built a great relationship with his position coach, Nate Simmons. I could also tell Coach (Andy) Frye was the type man you felt comfortable leaving in charge of your son’s development.”
Coach Rode concluded, “I am a coach myself. I know what it means to have families entrust their sons to you. Coach Frye has it.”
Justin Rode had a big, big year in ’25. Listed among Florida’s top DBs by most recruiting services, Rode was 20th in division two in kickoff returns and fourth in division two’s, 10th district.
Rode registered 54-tackles, 42 of which were solos, with a par of forced fumbles (FFs) and a pair of picks (INTs). Rode was one of the division’s and district’s leaders in passes defended or broken up (PBUs) and made the game sealing interception in the team’s first-round playoff game to insure its advancement to the second round.
Rode is 5’9,” 165-pounds and has off the charts backend speed and spacial quickness with the length and vertical explosion to play taller than he lists. If you are looking for a former Colonel with whom to compare Rode, think Jay Becherer from E-Town (Elizabethtown, KY).
Becherer, like Rode, was from a football family (grandson of HOF coach and former UK Wildcat football player, Tom Becherer). Becherer was also 5’9,” also weighed 166 pounds (instead of 165). Becherer was also off the charts versatile, fast, and explosive.
Don’t be surprised to see the Colonels use Rode similarly to how the staff used Becherer in his day. Lord knows that experiment was both extremely beneficial and productive for the Colonels program.
In the end, Rode is just a Centre kid. Culturally, Rode was just too good a fit on whom to pass.
Rode is an accomplished student (4.1-GPA, 1200 SAT). Rode is from a football family. Rode posses the intellect and athleticism to be (perhaps) an early contributor for the Colonels in its annual bid for conference supremacy and its perennial hunt for a year end birth in the NCAAs.
Saddle up Colonels, this may well prove to be an exciting ride. We can’t wait to see you guys in the Fall.
This is Friday Night Fletch, reporting for KPGFootball, reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!
If you enjoyed this article and wish to gain full-access to the site, then subscribe monthly to Kentucky Prep Gridiron by following the prompts!
© The information contained on this site is the copyrighted intellectual property of KPGFootball. Any unauthorized dissemination of this material without the author’s express written consent is strictly prohibited!
Leave a Reply