An inside look at the summer schedule and travels of a top-flight quarterback prospect. Ryker Rohaley, a rising sophomore, will publish a daily diary from the Manning Passing Academy this week on Chronicle1909.com
SPRINGFIELD – “Going camping” is a veritable rite of Oregonian summers. For certain high schoolers, it has an entirely different meaning.
Top football prospects attend summer skills camps – often traveling all over the country – hoping to develop and improve their play and ultimately lay the groundwork for a college scholarship. Many of the skills camps are held at universities and attract well-known coaches and players to serve as instructors.
Ryker Rohaley, a Springfield native and rising sophomore at Sheldon High School in Eugene, has been racking up miles and accolades the past few months. Ryker, who lives with family in Eugene, still trains in Springfield, often under the watchful eye of his dad, Chris, owner of Area51 Tattoo and star of Epic Ink on Prime Video.
Rohaley starts a four-day stint at Manning Passing Academy today through Sunday. Located at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., it’s considered by many to be the premier football camp in the country. Patriarch Archie and his sons Peyton and Eli are among the instructors.
He will write a daily diary during the camp, posted on chronicle1909.com by 6 p.m. PST.
Hard work at home, too
Ryker’s days are full even when he’s just staying home.
He has morning field workouts three days per week, then heads to the gym directly after to lift weights. Later in the day, he throws routes for 1-2 hours with his receiver and best friend, Dakota Short of Springfield High School.
ROHALEY AT A GLANCE
■ Ryker Rohaley, age 15
■ Sheldon High School Class of 2028
■ 6-foot-0, 160 lbs.
■ Currently RANKED #2 freshman QB in Oregon (by Prep RedZone)
■ Currently ranked as a top-50 freshman player in Oregon (by Prep Redzone)
Other days, he has private speed-training lessons with former Oregon Ducks and current Bushnell track coach George Walcott.
He also has weekly private quarterback lessons at Hamlin Middle School with former Ducks and NFL player Chris Miller. Miller himself is a product of Sheldon High School in the early 1980s before his NFL career.
Weekly training and football don’t stop there. Ryker also referees youth flag football at Bob Keefer Center for NFL Flag one night per week and simultaneously fronts his own 7-on-7 team for Peak Football Academy – an entity he and his dad started as a non-profit team that provides free scholarships to youth regardless of family income.
He’s been attending camps since the new year, and most recently finished the “QB Tour” schedule, which took him and a busload of other hopeful high schoolers to half a dozen football camps in June.
Ryker was on the “QB tour” – a bus full of aspiring QBs attending several camps. From top: SMU’s camp was packed with more than 1,000 athletes; “Everything about Kansas was beautiful and memorable,” Chris Rohaley said. The University of Missouri camp was a hit; Ryker finished his first week of June at Northwestern University’s mega camp.
Earning rave reviews
Rohaley’s on-field performance and interactions with coaches and trainers have been documented in post-camp scouting reports.
• “He was among the more poised and polished passers … He profiles as one of the better 2028 NW QBs in the Northwest.” – Six Star Football analysis after Mizzou Elite Camp.
• “Rohaley continues to check every box as a developmental QB with a strong foundation, high character, and sharp field vision.” – Six Star Football analysis after Kansas Elite Camp
“Word gets around when you attend so many camps and perform well,” Chris said. “Ryker was invited as a future prospect to his first spring game to attend on the sidelines during the game at the University of Pikeville. Unfortunately, Dad isn’t made of money, so he couldn’t attend. But, the invite and attention alone were a great way to round out April.”
One high-profile coach, Super Bowl-winning and Hall of Famer Tony Dungy, invoked Justin Herbert’s name in a social media post about Ryker following a camp.
“I believe @RykerRohaley is going to keep the tradition going of outstanding QBs at Sheldon High School in Eugene. He’s got the same work ethic we saw in Justin Herbert. Can’t wait to see him play this year,” he wrote.
