Miami quarterback commit Brad Kaaya just wrapped up a jam-packed week in Beaverton, Oregon for the Elite 11 competition and Nike’s The Opening. It was an incredible experience for Kaaya being able to work closely with the leader of Elite 11, Trent Dilfer.
“He really noted on the fact that there’s a life outside of football and that making the Elite 11 shouldn’t make or break who you are. He wants us to use the tools we learned on and off the field to be great individuals in general,” said Kaaya.
Kaaya was named as one of the 11 finalists, which is something he is proud of.
“It definitely feels good to be a part of this fraternity. It’s prestigious knowing that there’s only 174 that are a part of this. It’s a cool thing to know that 21 or 22 of NFL starters last season went through the Elite 11 process.”
The Southern California product does not get caught up in all of the media attention, but he has been receiving a lot more of it lately over the past couple months.
“I feel like it’s heating up. I try not to pay too much attention to it and just read it every once in a while. I’m sure it’s heated up especially since a lot of the main media reporters had a chance to see all of the blue-chip quarterbacks compete on the same field. I was able to prove myself with 18 other quarterbacks who they had higher ranked than me.”
Something that ‘Canes fans want to know is how successful Kaaya’s recruiting methods were throughout the week.
“I didn't really press too hard on people since the Opening is kind of like a get away. It's still hard work, but everyone was just kind of enjoying themselves and taking a step back from recruiting and their regular lives to come out and play some football. I still talked to Johnnie Dixon to keep a good relationship with him. I talked to Braxton Berrios a whole lot and it’s a tough situation with what’s going on with him. I definitely want Braxton and Johnnie on my team and Travis Rudolph as well was a guy I talked to.”
Miami target and current UF commit Dalvin Cook learned that Kaaya is not to be messed with on the virtual gridiron.
“The Nike headquarters had set up a lounge that they let us play video games and they had the NCAA 14 game early. I was playing with a couple guys and they told me to play Dalvin since he was good at it. So Dalvin sat down with me and played Miami and Florida and I beat him pretty bad (laughs). He stopped playing by the end of the first half.”
Miami’s future signal-caller has been paying close attention to the recruiting tear the staff is on.
“I love every bit of it. It’s awesome to see all these guys committing and hopefully we can keep this up. The class is looking like it’s shaping up to be really good and one of the best we’ve had. We’re already ranked third overall especially with Valentine committing. Getting a couple receivers will be big.”
Kaaya has high hopes for this year’s Miami team and hopes it will be the springboard into the future.
“It’s looking like Miami is going to have a good year this year. They have Stephen and Duke returning with a strong receiving core. I feel like if they can improve on the defensive side of the ball then they have a good shot to win the ACC. Hopefully it will be a launching point for the next four years to build that dynasty.”
‘Canes fans have already given Brad the nickname “HBK”, which stands for Handsome Brad Kaaya. He gave his thoughts on the moniker.
“It’s definitely interesting (laughs). I’ve never really thought of myself in that way. I hope it’s not guys saying that though, I hope it’s girls (laughs).”
“He really noted on the fact that there’s a life outside of football and that making the Elite 11 shouldn’t make or break who you are. He wants us to use the tools we learned on and off the field to be great individuals in general,” said Kaaya.
Kaaya was named as one of the 11 finalists, which is something he is proud of.
“It definitely feels good to be a part of this fraternity. It’s prestigious knowing that there’s only 174 that are a part of this. It’s a cool thing to know that 21 or 22 of NFL starters last season went through the Elite 11 process.”
The Southern California product does not get caught up in all of the media attention, but he has been receiving a lot more of it lately over the past couple months.
“I feel like it’s heating up. I try not to pay too much attention to it and just read it every once in a while. I’m sure it’s heated up especially since a lot of the main media reporters had a chance to see all of the blue-chip quarterbacks compete on the same field. I was able to prove myself with 18 other quarterbacks who they had higher ranked than me.”
Something that ‘Canes fans want to know is how successful Kaaya’s recruiting methods were throughout the week.
“I didn't really press too hard on people since the Opening is kind of like a get away. It's still hard work, but everyone was just kind of enjoying themselves and taking a step back from recruiting and their regular lives to come out and play some football. I still talked to Johnnie Dixon to keep a good relationship with him. I talked to Braxton Berrios a whole lot and it’s a tough situation with what’s going on with him. I definitely want Braxton and Johnnie on my team and Travis Rudolph as well was a guy I talked to.”
Miami target and current UF commit Dalvin Cook learned that Kaaya is not to be messed with on the virtual gridiron.
“The Nike headquarters had set up a lounge that they let us play video games and they had the NCAA 14 game early. I was playing with a couple guys and they told me to play Dalvin since he was good at it. So Dalvin sat down with me and played Miami and Florida and I beat him pretty bad (laughs). He stopped playing by the end of the first half.”
Miami’s future signal-caller has been paying close attention to the recruiting tear the staff is on.
“I love every bit of it. It’s awesome to see all these guys committing and hopefully we can keep this up. The class is looking like it’s shaping up to be really good and one of the best we’ve had. We’re already ranked third overall especially with Valentine committing. Getting a couple receivers will be big.”
Kaaya has high hopes for this year’s Miami team and hopes it will be the springboard into the future.
“It’s looking like Miami is going to have a good year this year. They have Stephen and Duke returning with a strong receiving core. I feel like if they can improve on the defensive side of the ball then they have a good shot to win the ACC. Hopefully it will be a launching point for the next four years to build that dynasty.”
‘Canes fans have already given Brad the nickname “HBK”, which stands for Handsome Brad Kaaya. He gave his thoughts on the moniker.
“It’s definitely interesting (laughs). I’ve never really thought of myself in that way. I hope it’s not guys saying that though, I hope it’s girls (laughs).”
