In his coach's words: Rivals 250 2019 OL commit Branson Bragg
Stanford commit Branson Bragg wants to excel at everything he does and his quiet competitiveness is one of his strongest attributes, according Crandall High (Crandall, Texas) head coach Joe Dale Cary.
Cary has known Branson since the 2019 Rivals 250 prospect was in middle school and from the start saw great potential in the future Cardinal.
"He is one of the most driven teenagers I have ever been around. You don’t find a lot of young people with the kind of work ethic that Branson has. He is extremely driven and self-motivated," Cary told Cardinal Sports Report.
"Branson has that competitiveness in him with everything -- with academics, football and track. A lot of people don’t know that Branson is an exceptional pianist. He wants to be the best in that. He doesn’t accept losing very well. He’s had to learn a little about how you may not always be the best at everything you ever do. He certainly is going to try every time he can."
Bragg "blew up physically" during the spring of his freshman year when "he started growing and fell in love with the weight room." The coaches at Crandall knew he was ready to play varsity his sophomore year.
"It was a combination of his size, quickness and intelligence. The toughness -- he’s a tough, tough kid. He takes every play very personally. Every play is a personal battle for him. He wants to beat the guy across from him every single play. When he started as a sophomore on varsity you could tell he wasn’t intimidated by going against more mature kids. It was a competitive thing for him.
"I think a lot of the intangibles are what set Branson apart. There are a lot of talented offensive linemen out there, but I don’t know that they all have the little things that Branson has -- the intelligence he plays with and the physical nastiness he plays with is different.
"He loves watching film. He loves researching and watching guys who are playing at the college and pro levels right now. He’s always trying to improve his own game. He is a guy who is always learning."
Bragg played on both lines last year for Crandall and it was a defensive play against a district opponent that stood out to Cary as highlight. (It's the first play of this Hudl video.)
"We were playing Terrell last year and Branson recorded his first sack. It was one of the prettiest moves I’ve ever seen from a defensive lineman. I think college offensive line coaches saw that on film and thought, ‘This kid is different’. You don’t see a lot of offensive linemen do some of things that he did on the field, especially on the defensive side. He was playing defensive end, he came off the edge and he beat an offensive tackle. Branson used a really pretty move and came around the edge. He looked like a Division I defensive end. It was a defining moment. It was something on his film that set him apart from other kids playing offensive line."
Stanford defensive backs coach Duane Akina is one of the area recruiters in Texas. He was the first Stanford coach to speak with Bragg and his family. After that conversation, "it became very apparent that Stanford was at the top of his list."
Offensive line coach Kevin Carberry and offensive coordinator Tavita Pritchard have each visited Crandall twice.
"It’s awesome. Stanford is a different place," Cary said of the Stanford coaches. "There is a different caliber of student who attends school there. It’s very apparent when Coach Pritchard and Coach Carberry walk into the office that you can tell there is something about them that is very special. They coach at Stanford. They coach for David Shaw. You can tell they’re professional and classy. They sound and act like they belong at a place like Stanford. Like Branson said, ‘There is not a better school for me than Stanford’. I have a really, really hard time disagreeing with him. Coach Pritchard, Coach Carberry and Coach Akina have been incredible. We’re very excited for Branson to be a part of the Stanford family. We’re excited to cheer on the Cardinal for the next few years."