Bachelor Nation was introduced to Rodney when he was dressed as an apple to meet Michelle Young on night one of “The Bachelorette.”

Since then, he and Michelle have developed a sweet connection and even went on a fun one-on-one date.

Now, Rodney is stopping by the “Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation” podcast to discuss his time on the show and how his mom and being an athlete prepared him for this experience.

When it came to who Rodney was before his time on “The Bachelorette,” he said he was always known as “Rodney the football player.”

He played in high school and college and said the sport was his “first love” and his “passion” for the majority of his life so far.

But Rodney struggled with what came next in his life after football, something that many athletes face once they retire from playing their sport.

Thankfully, Rodney revealed that he had a good outlook, saying, “I really took it as an opportunity to figure out what the next challenge was for me. I knew I wasn’t going to make it to the NFL, so I wanted to figure out what else I could do in my life where I could still bring my competitive energy, enthusiasm, and passion somewhere else.”

He said that he is “very blessed and grateful” that he works in sales now and that the field allows him to be competitive while also letting him to be himself.

Both with working in sales and playing football, Rodney said he is constantly making new friends and loves creating new connections and building new relationships, which were obviously an advantage when coming to “The Bachelorette.”

And in addition to his career, Rodney said that his mom played a major role in his life story. She has taught him about vulnerability and how to treat women in a relationship, which Rodney said was a big help when coming to the show.

The Bachelor Nation star told Bryan and Mike, “I grew up with a single mom. She and I have been very close since day one. My dad left us when I was 6 years old, and even as a young kid, I was like, ‘Okay, I gotta step up and be the man of the house.’ I wanted to do whatever I could to really show my mom how I could help her out.”

Rodney said he has his mom to thank for his positive energy and outlook on life.

“She really showed me the way of just saying, ‘Hey, no matter what type of struggle you’re coming from, you can still be you as long as you pray through it all, stay hopeful, stay enthusiastic, and don’t let the world bring you down.’ She said if you can do that through the tough times, then you can really get through anything,” Rodney explained.

When it came to dating, Rodney said his mom has helped him navigate relationships in a mature, thoughtful way.

He said, “My mom made it clear how to treat a woman and how to make sure that I’m always communicating everything that’s on my mind and in my heart. She taught me to be upfront and really wear my heart on my sleeve. I’m blessed to have her for those teachings. I look back at my time on the show and she really helped me be as vulnerable as possible.”

Rodney added that these lessons were beneficial in his connection with Michelle and that he’s grateful for everything he’s learned from his mom.

So what does Rodney’s mom think of Michelle? She loves her, of course! Rodney said that when he left for the show, his mom gave him some advice.

He said, “Before I left, she’s like, ‘Rodney, I have two rules.’ She said no costumes and I broke that night one, so that was rough. And then her second rule was to bring Michelle back home. And I was like, ‘All right, Mama, I’m gonna do my best. Let me see what I can do!’”

Make sure to tune in on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ABC to see Rodney and Michelle’s love story continue to unfold.

Until then, if you want to hear more of Rodney’s conversation with Bryan and Mike, check out this week’s episode of “Talking It Out with Bachelor Nation” below.