Key Stats:
Crandall High School|Crandall, TX
Center|6'4"|305 pounds
Rivals Rank: Four stars|#2 Center
Key Offers:
LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Princeton, Texas, Texas A&M, USC
Profile:
Branson Bragg is not your typical blue chip recruit. Yes, if you walked past him in the mall you'd peg him as a football player, but would you guess he's also an accomplished jazz pianist? While some elite prospects might spend the morning of signing day soaking up the lime light by posting up in the quad and watching the cheerleaders walk by, Bragg instead opted for an early jam session with the Crandall Jazz Band. In a conversation with Alexa Philippou, Bragg dropped perhaps the most Stanford quote of all time, explaining "the contrast between being a really violent football player on the field and a soft-spoken piano player off the field." Is it any surprise that he chose the home of Intellectual Brutality?
On the field, Bragg is certainly brutal. When he arrives on campus this summer he'll officially become a member of the Tunnel Workers Union, but for the past few seasons he's been part of Crandall's Roach Patrol, an offensive line dedicated to smashing roaches, that is, defenders who get in their way. That dedication leaps off the screen when you watch his senior highlight film (see below). Although Rivals.com has evaluated Bragg as a center, the majority of the clips in the film package show him at right tackle, which is also how the Cardinal coaches see him, either as a tackle or guard.
Watching Bragg in action, it's difficult to square the violent football player in the video with the jazz pianist we saw on signing day. Whether he's simply bulldozing the man in front of him, pulling from his tackle spot to dispatch a would-be tackler, or hunting linebackers (roaches) on the second level, Bragg takes to his work with a level of aggression not often seen. Quite honestly, he looks ready to do some serious run blocking in the Pac-12 right now.
If there's something to work on -- maybe -- it's pass blocking. Crandall's offense was run heavy, averaging almost three hundred yards rushing per game, and it's notable that there are no passing plays in Bragg's highlight package. But there's time for that, isn't there?
