KLEIN FOREST QB JAYLEN BRAGG HAS ALREADY BEGUN TO MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE’S ENTERING HIS SECOND SEASON WITH THE PROGRAM.
The incoming senior has adapted nicely to Forest, after transferring in following his sophomore year. But that doesn’t mean it was easy for the Golden Eagles signal-caller.
“Transferring schools is already difficult as it is,” said Bragg. “But, transferring as a quarterback is even harder in my opinion, because you have to undertake that leadership role in a new place. So, I came in and I just wanted to establish myself as a leader on the team, and my teammates accepted me.
“I feel like the whole transferring process has helped me to persevere – look through the bad times and push on.”
If his junior season was any indication, Bragg has shown that he can sling it just as well as anybody. Additionally, his explosive acceleration is enough to give any defensive coordinator a headache. But, according to the dual- threat Bragg, those aren’t even his greatest assets.
“As a player, I feel like my pocket movement and awareness helps me to stand out,” he said. “I can thank my trainer, J.P. Tillman, for that. I’ve learned how to evade the blitz and progress as a runner and passer.”
However, what’s most interesting about Bragg are the lengths he has gone to in order to improve throughout his football journey.
“My brother started playing football when I was about six, and I wanted to follow his footsteps,” Bragg said. “But, I ended up getting sick. I was diagnosed with HSP (an autoimmune disease), and I was out of the game for about four years.
“That’s really what kept me going whenever I came back. I really missed the sport and it was that drive to get back on the field that fueled me.”
That drive of his might very well lead to his aspirations becoming a reality, someday.
“Obviously, I want to go to college and play football, and hopefully get a shot to play pro,” he said. “If that doesn’t work out, I’m thinking about going into the radiology field – doing something in the medical field because of my history with it. My main goal right now is getting that shot to go to the next level.”
Before he can look to the future, Bragg will steer the ship for the Klein Forest offense one last time. After finishing 5-5 and narrowly missing the playoffs in 2022, it goes without saying that he’ll be dead-set on changing the narrative.
“This year I feel like it’s KF versus everybody,” he said. “I don’t think 5-and-5 really showed how good we were last year. If you look at the box score of all those games, we were up in the fourth quarter. We just need to finish games. It’s kind of like a ‘revenge tour’ this season.”