2014 Leesville Road (NC) WR Braxton Berrios got a call yesterday that he had been waiting for almost his entire life, as his childhood favorite Miami offered him.
“I’m in Atlanta at the lake with a bunch of my family so I was actually on the lake at a friends’ place and I was talking to Coach Scott and Coach Carroll through Messenger and then I called Coach Scott and he told me to call Coach Carroll and he ended up offering me and it was a great feeling. I’ve had a great week with the Opening, now I’m with family, and then I got that phone call so it’s amazing,” said Berrios.
After winning camp MVP for his position group back in June, Berrios did not receive the offer. Why did the staff wait until now to pull the trigger?
“I was going to ask, but I ended up not getting around to it. What he did say was that he kept reiterating to Coach Golden that he wanted me and that finally Coach Golden said go get him.”
Berrios still has family who live in the South Florida area and his father, Rafael, was born and grew up in Miami.
“My dad was standing right next to me and I told him that I was calling Coach Carroll and I thought they were about to offer me. He walked outside with me and he was excited to hear it because he knows what I know that I’ve loved the school throughout the process. He was ecstatic because it’s been his team since he was alive and the rest of my family freaked out when he told them. It’s amazing that it’s an option now and I can’t say that I haven’t been waiting for it because I’ve always had dreams about it. By no means is it a done deal, but everybody knows it’s a huge offer and that I love the ‘Canes.”
The shifty slot receiver had previously stated that Miami would be seriously considered if they offered, and he reiterated that.
“I have no numbers with any of my top schools, but they are in it. Obviously everybody knows that's my childhood team. They’re in the top schools for sure and they’ll be in it ‘til the end. I haven’t thought about committing anywhere yet so I don’t want to freak anybody out.”
Berrios has had a timetable for a commitment for a while, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t necessarily happen earlier.
“I’ve always said late-September, early-October. That’s really to give some room for some official visits and I’ll see how the rest of the summer plays out. If I don’t need that time then I’ll go ahead and commit, but I think I need the rest of the summer to figure some stuff out.”
Something else going in Miami’s favor with Berrios is the relationship that he has built with QB commit Brad Kaaya, who first reached out to Braxton about a month ago.
“It’s huge. We had a good weekend at The Opening and we were hanging out a lot just messing around and talking, not necessarily about Miami or football all the time, just as boys. I know they’ve taken a few quarterbacks, but regardless he’s a great one and I don’t see anyone beating him out in our class.”
After running a 3.81 20-yard shuttle time and posting one of the top SPARQ scores in the nation, Berrios has become a national name.
“That’s what I was going after when I came out to The Opening. I wasn’t going after Nike gear or a free trip to Oregon. I was going after respect and I’ve always really felt that I’ve never gotten it. I’ve always felt there was nobody that I’ve seen that is head above heels better than me and that there wasn’t a DB who could shut me down. I think I did get it and that was the perfect stage to get it. I don’t know what’s going to happen over the next month because of it, but regardless I got it.
“I’m in Atlanta at the lake with a bunch of my family so I was actually on the lake at a friends’ place and I was talking to Coach Scott and Coach Carroll through Messenger and then I called Coach Scott and he told me to call Coach Carroll and he ended up offering me and it was a great feeling. I’ve had a great week with the Opening, now I’m with family, and then I got that phone call so it’s amazing,” said Berrios.
After winning camp MVP for his position group back in June, Berrios did not receive the offer. Why did the staff wait until now to pull the trigger?
“I was going to ask, but I ended up not getting around to it. What he did say was that he kept reiterating to Coach Golden that he wanted me and that finally Coach Golden said go get him.”
Berrios still has family who live in the South Florida area and his father, Rafael, was born and grew up in Miami.
“My dad was standing right next to me and I told him that I was calling Coach Carroll and I thought they were about to offer me. He walked outside with me and he was excited to hear it because he knows what I know that I’ve loved the school throughout the process. He was ecstatic because it’s been his team since he was alive and the rest of my family freaked out when he told them. It’s amazing that it’s an option now and I can’t say that I haven’t been waiting for it because I’ve always had dreams about it. By no means is it a done deal, but everybody knows it’s a huge offer and that I love the ‘Canes.”
The shifty slot receiver had previously stated that Miami would be seriously considered if they offered, and he reiterated that.
“I have no numbers with any of my top schools, but they are in it. Obviously everybody knows that's my childhood team. They’re in the top schools for sure and they’ll be in it ‘til the end. I haven’t thought about committing anywhere yet so I don’t want to freak anybody out.”
Berrios has had a timetable for a commitment for a while, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t necessarily happen earlier.
“I’ve always said late-September, early-October. That’s really to give some room for some official visits and I’ll see how the rest of the summer plays out. If I don’t need that time then I’ll go ahead and commit, but I think I need the rest of the summer to figure some stuff out.”
Something else going in Miami’s favor with Berrios is the relationship that he has built with QB commit Brad Kaaya, who first reached out to Braxton about a month ago.
“It’s huge. We had a good weekend at The Opening and we were hanging out a lot just messing around and talking, not necessarily about Miami or football all the time, just as boys. I know they’ve taken a few quarterbacks, but regardless he’s a great one and I don’t see anyone beating him out in our class.”
After running a 3.81 20-yard shuttle time and posting one of the top SPARQ scores in the nation, Berrios has become a national name.
“That’s what I was going after when I came out to The Opening. I wasn’t going after Nike gear or a free trip to Oregon. I was going after respect and I’ve always really felt that I’ve never gotten it. I’ve always felt there was nobody that I’ve seen that is head above heels better than me and that there wasn’t a DB who could shut me down. I think I did get it and that was the perfect stage to get it. I don’t know what’s going to happen over the next month because of it, but regardless I got it.
