MISSOULA — Titus Rohrer can relate to the upbringing of many Montanans as a small-town product from Bryan, Ohio, a town tucked away in the northwest corner of the state.
So it's easy to stand out when you're 6-foot-7, a former SEC football player, and now a key focal point of a Montana offense that is among the best in the country.
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2:35"And it truly did make me the person I am today," Rohrer said. "I try to focus on all the relationships that I have and try to make sure that people are cared and loved about and that all just goes back to my roots for sure."
Rohrer was sought-after in high school by Iowa State, but the COVID-19 pandemic altered his recruiting.
So he entered the workforce and ran his own online eBay-style sales business after graduation, until a call came from a previous connection at ISU that brought the talented tight end to Rocky Top to compete at the University of Tennessee.
"The family atmosphere down there among the team was pretty unreal," Rohrer said. "A lot of my lifelong, lifetime buddies are either still going there or went there. So honestly, it was just a great personal experience to grow as a human being, see what I like, see what I don't like, and open my eyes to the things that I like now. So it was definitely a great learning experience for me and to set me up for my future for sure."
After three seasons in Knoxville, Rohrer entered the portal, searching for a place with a similar feel around the program, and a place where he could produce and play.
So he packed his bags and moved across the country to Missoula to suit up for the Montana Grizzlies.
"It's super scary. I was just a 21-year-old kid, thinking about moving across the country for this dream I still had and wanted to achieve," Rohrer said. "And honestly, to see everything work out the way it does, it's very humbling and I feel very blessed and very fortunate to be where I'm at. Because in a time where there's a lot of uncertainty, it's a place where I found a great family in the locker room. It's a place where I found great coaches who wanted to invest in me and genuinely wanted the best for me.
"Just the atmosphere here, I've never been a part of a team where all the guys love it this much and want to work as hard as they do. A lot of other places you see you got to kind of pull guys along to get them to work hard, but everybody here genuinely loves the game. We all love each other and we just love playing with each other and I think that shows."
"He's done a wonderful job. picking it up, being the guy to control a lot of things, directing traffic out there, getting guys lined up, getting routes, all that stuff organized, making blocking calls," UM tight ends coach Rob Phenicie added. "I'm proud of the way he's developed after he got here from Tennessee."
Now in year two with the Griz, things are good for Rohrer on and off the field.
He got married this offseason, as he took a big next step in life, and on the field, he's been part of an elite unit, as the Grizzlies embark on the stretch run, and Rohrer soaks up every moment in his final college season.
"Genuinely the best day of my life," Rohrer said. "And having her out here with me this year as to last year we were doing long distance and trying to figure all that stuff out. It's been awesome. I know I'd call this team my home and my family, but it's a nice it's nice to have an actual home outside of here too. And be able to go to a place that I can call home now and be with her. It's definitely special."
In this final run, Rohrer has eight receptions for 84 yards in his do-all role. In UM's latest game against Idaho, Rohrer had a career best two catches for 43 yards.
"One thing that comes to my mind is truly bet on yourself," Rohrer said. "People are going to say this and people are going to say that, but you're never going to figure out if you don't try. So my main takeaway is bet on yourself, try it, go do it, work hard at it. And it's paid off for me pretty well. So that would be my biggest thing.
"One of the big things I've been focusing on too is just enjoying time with the guys. The locker room is really the only place that you can get the relationships that I'm able to have. Work ethic, always been the same. I try to go out and work my hardest every single day, but trying to focus on all the little things that I'll truly miss about the game for sure."