Ex-Slippery Rock QB Roland Rivers stays ready as he awaits opportunity

When the NFL Draft came and went in April, former Slippery Rock quarterback Roland Rivers III never received a call.

So he waited, hoping a team would sign him as a free agent afterward. Still, nothing came.

Now, almost a month after the draft, Rivers still is without an NFL contract. However, the reigning Harlon Hill Trophy winner as Division II’s top player remains unfazed.

“I understand I haven’t really been seen due to the coronavirus, and teams haven’t been able to see me with their own two eyes and stuff,” said Rivers, who threw for 4,460 yards and 52 touchdowns as a senior. “But I am very confident once a team is able to bring me in, watch me throw the football around, see who I am as a person and see what I’m about, then I’ll be able to get that opportunity to get into a camp.”

In 26 games at Slippery Rock, Rivers passed for 7,181 yards and 80 touchdowns, ran for 1,297 yards and 16 touchdowns and set single-season school records for total offense, passing yards, passing TDs and completions.

“I don’t think I’ll find another Roland Rivers at the Division II level,” Slippery Rock coach Shawn Lutz said. “We knew coming in he had the physical attributes. He was big. He was strong. There is not a throw he can’t make, and he’s just a relentless competitor.”

Despite the lack of offers, Rivers is ready to go. He said he is working out two to three times a day and is staying in shape. But that’s not even the most difficult part for the Ellenwood, Ga., native.

Throughout his career, Rivers has become a student of the game. He said he has always been a film junkie, especially after a torn labrum forced him to sit out the 2017 season at D-II Valdosta State (Ga.). So when Rivers heard a few of his friends on NFL teams already have started to dive into their playbook, he got that itch.

“As tough as it is, one of the things that is the toughest for me right now is not being able to have that playbook,” Rivers said. “I know they send out iPads to the players who have been signed. I have friends who are already in their offensive playbook, and that’s what I’m looking forward to, gaining that knowledge of the game.”

The coronavirus pandemic has shut down any opportunities for Rivers to get in front of NFL teams. Playing at D-II likely hurt his draft stock, but Rivers just wants a chance.

“When it comes to the game of football, every time I have stepped on the field, every time I have played, I have excelled,” Rivers said. “So I can’t really speak much for people saying I am coming from Division II or a lower level or whatever the case may be. All I’ve known is success when I’m on the field. That’s all I can speak on.”

“So, I’m ready to be on an even playing field with these guys and go from there.”

Lutz believes Rivers will seize the opportunity if it comes.

“I really do. It’s his drive. It’s his will,” Lutz said. “I mean he won the Harlon Hill. He was the best player in all of Division II football, and he’s not going to take no for an answer. That’s the drive, the competitiveness, and shoot, he’s training every day and working hard to be the best he can be.”