Broadneck’s Rose going with Towson

Andrew Rose always thought of himself as a basketball player first, which made sense, considering he’d played three years of varsity for Broadneck’s program. When Bruins football coach Rob Harris called Rose up to varsity, it set the 6-foot-6 senior down a different, unexpected path.

Rose made his announcement that he’d committed to coach Rob Ambrose and Towson University through a Twitter post on Thursday night.

“To be honest, a year ago if you would have told me I would be playing football at Towson, I’d say, ‘No way,’” the tight end said. “I wouldn’t have expected it. It’s an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up and I’m really happy about my decision.”

The mood of Rose’s home, like many across the globe, had been darkened by the threat of coronavirus. But the news of his commitment, a glimmer of hope for the future, brightened it.

“My family, we’re all just kind of celebrating it,” Rose said.

Rose, who earned a preferred walk-on offer from the Tigers, amassed 235 yards and two touchdowns on 22 receptions this fall. Rose was also a starting forward for the Broadneck basketball team, averaging 10 points and eight rebounds.

But one year of varsity football experience usually isn’t enough to win attention from a Division I school, let alone one that’s garnered a bigger platform thanks to quarterback Tom Flacco. Rose only began his football career as a sophomore, on the junior varsity team, and then lost his entire junior season to ankle surgery.

Rose entered his first varsity game plagued by jitters, but those anxieties melted away after he’d made his first catch. He realized this was something he could excel at, just like basketball. He reminded himself constantly that he could do this. And then, in October, was the evidence. Towson tight ends and fullbacks coach Bill Lang appeared before one of Rose’s practices to talk. It came like an epiphany for Rose. Suddenly, he wasn’t just a basketball player who played football after all.

“It’s all because of the coaches. We have some of the best coaches in the state, in my opinion,” Rose said. “… Doesn’t matter if they’re offense, defense, special teams, volunteers. They’re such a big help and they’ve taught me on and off the field.”