At the start of his senior year, Cassville tight end Cosmo Rhoads had no plans to go to college, let alone become a college athlete.

A recent stroke of opportunity altered his plans, as he signed on Feb. 7 to continue his gridiron career at Evangel University.

“It feels great and is very exciting — kind of surreal,” he said. “This is an opportunity I was presented with, and I’m doing my best to make it work.”

The road to signing with Evangel was a long one, beginning with a trip to Nebraska to a scouting event.

“My Southwest 7s coach in Springfield knew about a showcase in Nebraska and invited me to go,” he said. “I was getting looks from Nebraska coaches, but I did not want to go to school 8 hours from home. I did get to evaluate where I’m at compared to others, and I was pretty good, better than thought was.”

Not long after the showcase, Evangel came knocking.

“I’m excited for him,” said Clay Weldy, Cassville football coach. “I think he has a chance to be a better college player than high school player because he is still growing, and that’s what I told [Evangel] Coach [Chuck] Hepola. Cosmo was pretty raw in high school, and he will be more refined in college. I’m excited to see how he progresses.”

Rhoads played soccer early in his prep career, transitioning to football his junior year. Even in his two years on the team, he said he made some great memories.

“I loved being a part of the team and the great camaraderie we’d have during the Thursday night feeds,” he said. “And, I loved winning on Friday nights, of course.”

At 6-5 and 215 pounds, Rhoads had 9 catches for 57 yards this season, and a 2-point conversion. Defensively, he had 13 tackles, 18 assists, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 fumble recovery.

“Cosmo has that God-given stuff you can’t create,” Weldy said. “He’s big and tall with a good frame, and he runs well and is athletic for his size. He also has long arms, which will help him in college.”

Rhoads physical attributes are boosted by his mental characteristics, which Weldy said will also play into future success.

“He’s a hard worker, especially in the weight room,” Weldy said. “He’s intelligent and excels academically, and all of that will help.”

Now that the signing is done, Rhoads said he’s ready to get to work.

“I’m excited to play on Saturdays and be a part of the team,” he said.

“It’s always nice when you have a payer go to the next level,” Weldy said. “He will so a great job at Evangel.”

Having changed his outlook so drastically since August 2023, Rhoads said a key to success is to be aware at all times.

“Always give it your all,” he said. “Even when you think no one is watching you, there’s always eyes on you,” he said.

Rhoads plans to major in chemistry, possibly pursuing a pre-med program after that.