As the football season begins to get underway, rising juniors will have the chance to showcase their abilities on the field and become targets for interested colleges. Cleveland High School receiver Brayden Carroll is one in-state prospect who already holds one of a handful of offers from Middle Tennessee for the next class.
After his scrimmage against Boyd Buchanan, he caught up with GoMiddle to discuss his recruitment, which started to surge this offseason.
Carroll traveled to Murfreesboro this summer to demonstrate his abilities in a camp setting. He impressed the coaching staff enough to earn an offer from the Blue Raiders. He says the overall experience was beneficial.
"It went great. I feel like I got better at the camp. I loved the coaches and the way they want to play football."
As he worked under the coaching staff, he was able to communicate with some of the coaches and get a feel for them as people, with the big one being Derek Mason. Talking to the head coach, he felt the family atmosphere that this year's team has.
"I like that with (Derek Mason), it's not all about football. He loves his family and is all about family there," said Carroll.
While his recruitment might just be starting off, his junior season of football is as well. He has set his focus on being one of the top playmakers in the state and doing what he can to help Cleveland compete for a TSSAA 6A state championship this season.
"My goal is to show every coach in the state what I'm about, and my goal for the season is to help put my team where they need to be and go win a state championship," he told GoMiddle.
Carroll says that to accomplish that goal, a Raiders team another year older will have to play complementary football to limit mistakes on Friday nights on both sides of the ball as he plays in the secondary as well.
"Our mindset is that we just have to help our teammates out; we have to pick up our teammates. If somebody does something they're not supposed to do and busts a coverage, you've got to help them out. Pick them up and go to the next play."
As he continues to make plays on the field, he should continue to see collegiate interest come his way. Cleveland will boast an offense that has the potential to be very explosive this fall, and Brayden Carroll will play a major part in that.
As he begins to set up his gameday visit plans for this fall, other programs, such as UAB, Cincinnati, Georgia, and Wisconsin, have also reached out to show their interest in the rising junior as well.
