Braylon Staley Signs With Tennessee
Early national signing day is upon us, and the Tennessee Volunteers are hoping to finish strong. They've recruited at a high rate under head coach Josh Heupel and brought in some major difference-makers in their 2023 signing class. Volunteer Country will provide readers with an in-depth breakdown of each signee.
Wide receiver Braylon Staley is the sixteenth commit to turn in their national letter of intent. He is the No. 141 player in the cycle, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. Take a look at what the Vols are getting.
Prospect: Braylon Staley
Projected Position: Z-receiver
Vitals: 6-0 and 180 pounds
School: Strom Thurmond High School (Johnston, S.C.)
Frame: Staley fits the prototype of a Tennessee wide receiver. The Vols don't often recruit oversized pass catchers, and they don't want slender wideouts unless they have blazing speed. Staley blends the two sides, creating a nice middle ground. He could put on around ten pounds in college if he desires, but his current size projects enough to step on an SEC field relatively soon.
Athleticism: Elite athletic background that shows downfield. Staley is a South Carolina 4A state champion in the 200-meter dash and the triple jump. He's clocked an 11.12-second 100-yard dash and has the ankle flexion to make sharp cuts on in-breaking routes. What separates Staley is his leaping ability; no one will get to a ball in the air faster than him, which serves him well in the red zone.
Instincts: Excels at tracking the football. Staley rarely mislocates a ball's flight path and generally extends for the catch at the correct time. While it's difficult to create separation in the red zone, Staley does a nice job of positioning his body to force his man into inside leverage before abruptly cutting to the corner. From there, he does the rest.
Polish: Creating separation will be a major focus when Staley gets on campus. While he makes difficult catches routine, quarterbacks won't consistently target covered receivers in the SEC in hopes of them making a play - the defensive back play is too good. However, Staley is a strong pickup from a physical, athletic, and willingness perspective.
Bottom Line: Tennessee lands its first wide receiver in the 2024 class, and he's exactly what they recruit. Pope will spend the next few years helping Staley develop a nuanced route-running pattern specific to Tennessee's system, and Staley should get a crack at making the rotation after he accomplishes that.
2024 4-star WR Braylon Staley during his official visit to Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Braylon Staley)
Tennessee's 2024 Recruiting Class - * denotes NLI turned in
- Jake Merklinger, QB *
- Peyton Lewis, RB *
- Mike Matthews, WR
- Braylon Harmon, WR
- Braylon Staley, WR *
- Bennett Warren, OT *
- Jesse Perry, OT *
- Gage Ginther, OT
- William Satterwhite, OG *
- Max Anderson, OG *
- Kellen Lindstrom, DE *
- Carson Gentle, DE *
- Jeremias Heard, DL *
- Jordan Ross, EDGE *
- Edwin Spillman, ILB *
- Jordan Burns, ILB *
- Marcus Goree, CB *
- Kaleb Beasley, CB *
- Boo Carter, S *
- Edrees Farooq, S
You Might Also Like:
- Joe Milton III Stars On Senior Night As Vols Crush Vanderbilt
- Cooper Mays Not Participating In Senior Day Activities
- Creating Atmospheres - Why Saturday Is Reflective of Josh Heupel's Work
Join the community:
- Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell
- Follow Caleb Sisk on Twitter: @CalebSisk_
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @VolunteerCountry & follow us on Twitter at @VCountryFN.