ANALYSIS: Ole Miss Lands Another Talented Texas Prospect in Braxton Myers
Since Lane Kiffin came to Oxford, the Ole Miss Rebels have made a concerted effort to mine the state of Texas for prep football talent. The last three recruiting campaigns have the Rebels with two prospects in 2020, three in 2021 and two in 2022.
This recruiting cycle, safety Daniel Demery made a pledge to Kiffin and Ole Miss on May 27. Demery hails from Dallas (Texas) Parish Episcopal and he now has another player from his home area that just announced he will also make Ole Miss his college home.
Braxton Myers is a 6-foot-1 and 190-pound cornerback at Coppell (Texas) High School and competes against talented programs across the Dallas area week in and week out.
In addition to Ole Miss, he earned numerous offers from the likes of Southern California, Oklahoma, Texas, LSU, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, Michigan, Clemson, and Florida State among others.
Myers picked off three passes during the 2021 season. Part of that statistic is owed to how Myers reads opposing signal callers.
Coppell played a lot of zone coverage, and it provided leeway for its defensive backs to decide when they made a move on the football. Myers should not be considered a high-risk cornerback that simply jumps on every move a receiver makes, but he did do a good job of eyeing the quarterback and biding his time before springing out of his backpedal and creating pass breakups and interceptions. His frame is also unique.
He’s not only tall for a cornerback, but he also possesses the arm length to successfully play cornerback in the SEC. Combined with Myers' sudden change of direction, his long arms provide the ability to get his hands on more footballs than many other defensive backs of similar height and weight.
Myers has a knack for when and how to go up for 50-50 balls. Those downfield shots that opposing quarterbacks make can change a game. Myers has shown on multiple occasions that he can make a play on the football that takes away a completion.
Finally, he is a sound defender in terms of technique. Most high school defensive backs are recruited based on their athleticism. While Myers is certainly athletic, he’s also one that breaks down to make a tackle unlike many other defensive backs his age. He also does not gain needless pass interference calls with poor technique, and has good balance during his coverage so that he can quickly change direction.
All of his skills combined lead to Myers to possibly play any number of cornerback, nickelback, and safety during his time as a Rebel.
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