WR Braylon Staley of Aiken hopes to burn through the competition in the 4A state track meet Friday at Lower Richland, and then he’ll prepare to burn up the roads in June for his four official visits. Staley has arranged his visits with Clemson June 2nd, Miami June 9th, Tennessee June 16th and North Carolina June 23rd.
“They just stood out to me,” Staley said of his final four. “I got a great amount of contact from each receiving coach and other coaches on the coaching staff. It just felt like I was a priority to the teams, so I just put them up there for my official visits.”
Clemson was a late addition to the list. He visited there in late January and thought he had enough to go on with the Tigers, but receivers coach Tyler Grisham encouraged him to come back for an official visit, and Staley rethought his plans.
“In the beginning I didn’t have them set for an official. I had Miami at the (June) 2-4 weekend, but I realized I needed to get back down to see the place one more time, so I added them back and pushed Miami to (June) 9-11. Coach Grisham has been telling me he’s ready to get me up, he’s ready to see what the offense is going to be like. He wants me to be in his offense. Same thing from really the other coaches.”
All four schools have, of course, been in contact regularly with Staley or they would not be on his list. But he acknowledged that Tennessee, more than the others, has really been working him extra hard.
“A lot of contact,” Staley said. “Most coaches don’t want to bug you. I’m really getting contacted by most of the coaches maybe two times a week. Tennessee, I’m in contact with all of the coaching staff. Head coach. Athletic directors. Player personnel. Receiver coach. Assistant receiver coach. OC. Even some defensive guys. I just feel like they are showing strong attention in the recruiting process.”
Despite that, Staley maintains he does not have a favorite going into the official visits.
“I’m going in with an open mind,” Staley said. “This recruitment process is 100% open right now as far as which school takes on that role. I want to see the academic standpoint of the school. I really want to go around campus one more time and see how it is, how campus life is, what the community is. And really just see what their offense is going to bring to the table. Sit down and speak with OCs to see what my role would be in their offense.”
Staley said his family will travel with him on the visits. He does not have a definite timeframe for a commitment, though a decision could come in the second week of July.
