Aiken High School Class of 2024 wide receiver Braylon Staley is a trending, underrated Rivals three-star WR that committed to Tennessee over Clemson, Miami, and North Carolina on July 1.
Tennessee's rich culture and the unwavering dedication of the entire staff under the Josh Heupel regime entire in Knoxville a driving factor for winning over Staley on signing day, along with the strong relationship that he built with wide receivers' coach Kelsey Pope.
"Man, I think it's the coaches, and I'm not just saying one or two of the coaches. It's the entire staff, all the way to the recruiting liaison," he said.
"(Pope) is a great guy. He's down to earth, very relatable," Staley said.
The race for the prized recruit from the “City of Trees” was our top 2023 recruiting story in the Palmetto State.
Developments were already plenty interesting in his recruitment before, but when Staley trimmed his list of 21 offers to a final list of Top 10 schools on March 18, things kicked into full swing.
A high-level list of Power Five programs cleared the cut for the No. 2 wide receiver and No. 6 overall Rivals.com athlete in the Palmetto State on that Spring Day, among of those which included Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Miami, Tennessee, and Penn State, and the perceived favorite in the race, the instate Clemson Tigers.
After that, the race between Clemson and a list of several potential other suitors for Staley's services shot into hyper-gear.
Staley isn't the only player to watch in the region. The pass-catcher is part of a Lowcountry region that has “more than a few” diamonds in the rough, especially at the running back position.
One name that comes to mind is rock-strong 5-foot-10, 190-pound Traveon Dunbar (Midland Valley), who has whittled his top six to the following: Arkansas, Boston College, Maryland, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia.
There's plenty of others, some which we have covered, including Tyler Smith (South Carolina State) of Barnwell High School (2,903 yards, 46 touchdowns, and No. 17 overall rusher in the United States in 2022, a 2A state triple jump champion featuring a windmill dunk that squats 241% of his body weight that ran all over Palmetto State defenses during his time with the Warhorses.
There's also Jevon Edwards of South Aiken High School, a trending running back with an old-school running style that especially likes to run the ball when receiving a pitch from the option. Underrated Edwards recently picked up summer camp offers from Coastal Carolina and Old Dominion of the Sun Belt.
But Braylon could very well become the next star wide receiver from the modest-sized town of 31,895 residents to join the 1.6% club that move on from Saturdays to Sundays.
Enter the opinion of an anonymous NFL agent with ties to the state of South Carolina, who spoke with Palmetto Preps regarding what the future could potentially hold for Aiken's star pass-catcher:
“Braylon is an explosive athlete combining fluidity, speed and superior technique to excel at wide receiver. He’s an athletic mover with phenomenal leaping ability. He has that second gear to chase the deep ball allowing him to make explosive plays with his speed. He is very coachable and will continue to develop in college. I look forward to seeing this young man play for years to come on Saturdays and Sundays,” the source said.
Palmetto Preps fans will really have to turn back the clock a few years to find a wide receiver that reached the ranks of NFL from Aiken, but those from the older generation should be able to remember.
Enter Class of 2002 legend Troy Williamson, a speedy, rangy, physical, and nasty product hailing from Silver Bluff High School that chose to "stay home" by signing with the South Carolina Gamecocks over Tennessee and Clemson over 20 years ago to pursue a seven-year football career that would end following three years spent in Columbia and four split between Minneapolis and Jacksonville (Vikings, Jaguars) from 2005-2009.
To put things in perspective on how long ago this was, when our recruiting editor, Lee Wardlaw, scouted Williamson at age seven for a Saturday afternoon "Border War" bout at Williams-Brice Stadium between the Gamecocks and Georgia Bulldogs on Sept. 11, 2004, his ticket for a 50-yard line lower deck seat was only $25.
Recruiters still went the extra mile in Williamson's heyday, but universities in hot pursuit of Aiken's next potential big star pulled out all of the stops this offseason.
To see how far some Power Five programs are willing to go to build a winning program, check out what head coach Brent Key and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets did in an effort to entice Staley’s services to Atlanta back in January.
“I was at track practice and me and my teammates were stretching and getting ready for our daily routine, and the next thing you know, we hear this loud noise. We didn’t know where it was coming from. The next thing you know, a helicopter is landing on the 50-yard line,” Staley recalled.
Out popped the heads of Key, Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner, and Yellow Jackets' wide receivers’ coach Josh Crawford.
To ring in the New Year, the second-year head coach went all the way, making the 168-mile trip from Atlanta to Aiken in style by landing the black and yellow, Yellow Jackets-themed helicopter on the 50-yard line at the friendly confines of the Hornets’ Hagood Stadium.
I didn’t know who it was at the moment. I was just thinking, “Man, they’ve got to be crazy. So (the Yellow Jackets are making a big push,” he said.
Crawford stays in contact with Braylon almost every day.
“I definitely valued that,” Staley said.
The Jackets played the role of the underdog in the "Staley sweepstakes," and had a good chance for a while too. The helicopter stunt certainly didn't help as Georgia Tech attempted to fight off superpower programs like Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide and back-to-back defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs, just to name a few.
Although the Yellow Jackets didn’t land him, it sure wasn't due to a lack of effort.
Clemson was believed to be out of the race a few weeks before Staley's final signing date, as the Tigers found their guys in the form of 6-foot-2,170-pound Bryant Wesco (Midlothian, TX) and 6-foot-4, 190-pound Terrance Moore (Tampa, FL).
However, Miami (FL) and North Carolina were it to win it for Staley, as Chapel Hill and South Beach were two of the busy 16-year old’s final three pit stops (June 9-11, June 23-25) in between a trip to Knoxville.
During Staley's last recruiting visit, he met with Tar Heels' offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway, and head coach Mack Brown.
He may have not ended up signing with North Carolina, but boys will be boys, and Staley and other recruits were able to take a break from the grind of the recruiting trail and play pick-up at their practice facility.
Staley and other wide receiver prospects played a game of pitch and catch led by Tar Heels' 2024 quarterback signee Micheal Merdinger of Fort Lauderdale, FL. He and his friends left with smiles on their faces.
The weekend before, Staley and his father, Brian, hopped on a plane to see the Hurricanes. It is believed that the Hurricanes were his No. 2 and the Tar Heels were his No. 3, and that Clemson was already off the board.
A source close to his circle expressed high excitement about the Hurricanes after the visit, triggering our recruiting editor to lock in his FutureCast to Miami. Braylon played Tennessee closer to the vest, but the cat is now out of the bag, and Staley is wearing Orange and White.
Soon, he will have a chance to become the next great Volunteers wide receiver from the Palmetto State, following in the footsteps of Class of 2020 Jaylin Hyatt of state superpower Dutch Fork.
Here is Staley’s tape review via Palmetto Preps’ recruiting editor, Lee Wardlaw.
"Braylon is an impressive athlete with exceptional size, length, speed, and physicality. When he tiptoes the sideline or goes up to the highest point of attack to bring down a catch, he has the feel of an SEC athlete. With remarkable agility and quick change of direction, he makes sharp cuts that leave defenders trailing behind. His great hands enable him to make difficult catches with ease. He showcases athleticism, determination, and pure will when breaking tackles and making defenders miss for yards after the catch.
He reads defenses and adjusts routes accordingly, maintaining a high Football IQ. But best of all is his mental toughness. Braylon can bounce back from mistakes. Better yet he can block. That's not flashy, but it's certainly important."
