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DeSoto 3-Star LB De-commits from Stanford
As the Texas High School Football season continues, so does the recruitment of many athletes around the country-- especially those within powerhouse programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As more schools contact more athletes, plenty of fans wonder where some of their favorites are going to end up at the end of their high school careers. DeSoto 3-star linebacker, Brandon Booker, recently announced his de-commitment from Stanford. VYPE DFW caught up with Booker regarding his decision:
Booker took to social media on Sunday to announce his decision to de-commit from Stanford. "After careful consideration and thinking into this decision in my life I am decommitting from Stanford and I thank y'all for everything that was showed to me and I thank y'all for the visit and hospitality," wrote Booker in a Tweet.
"I felt like the school wasn't for me and I didn't want to be that far from home," Booker told VYPE. Booker's decision to de-commit comes just over three months after his decision to de-commit from Baylor before committing to Stanford. The state champion is rated as the 60th-best linebacker in the nation per a 247Sports composite. Helping his team to a state title victory last season, the 6-foot-2 athlete tallied 144 tackles (10.5 for a loss) and four interceptions while also recording two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
As fans across social media try to encourage Booker to be warm on their favorite schools, others speculate that he will announce a re-commitment to Baylor. Booker cleared the air with VYPE on Monday morning: "I'm not looking to re-commit to the Bears."
In back-to-back victories to start the 2023-24 season, Booker is part of a 2-0 DeSoto team that has defeated Allen (39-7) and South Oak Cliff (54-14). As he stares down his first district game of the season against Dallas Skyline on Friday, September 15, Booker laid out his goals for VYPE. "My goals are to do better than I did last season, win state again, and go to a college I'm comfortable at."
PREVIEW: DeSoto Football Searching for a Repeat
A state title to their name, DeSoto Eagles football is on the hunt for a repeat this season. After hard work, dedication, determination, and grit helped them finish strong in the 2022-23 season, the Eagles are looking toward what should be another dominant year on the field. Sitting near the top of the VYPE DFW 6A Preseason Football Rankings, we dive into what fans can expect from the Eagles this season:
REWIND
After a deep playoff run ended in a 38-20 loss to Duncanville during the 2021-22 football season, the DeSoto Eagles put the pedal to the metal and brought home a state title in 2022. Opening their season with strong victories over the likes of Louisiana's St. Augustine (35-10), and eventual back-to-back state champions South Oak Cliff (42-23) during preseason, DeSoto was ready to face-off against their district opponents with almost flawless effort.
Going 6-1 in district play, the Eagles downed Waxahachie (42-24), Mansfield Lake Ridge (86-26), Mansfield (28-16), and more en route to the playoffs. Once in playoffs, DeSoto took it all the way to the 'ship by sending home Pflugerville Weiss (37-20), Rockwall-Heath (52-7), Tomball (38-14), Harker Heights (60-24), and Denton Guyer (47-28) to keep the Wildcats from a second-straight state appearance. In the UIL Class 6A Championship game, DeSoto posted a 42-17 finish over Austin Vandegrift to seal their season with a title.
LOOKING AHEAD
As the team gears up for the 2023-24 season, fans will see the return of Kelon "KJ" Davis, Jaden Trawick, Daylon Singleton, Mario Buford, Deondrae Riden Jr., Brandon Booker, Jason Douglas, and more. These strong athletes have worked hard through the off-season and can be expected to bring a dominant defense as well as a prolific offense to the field each and every game. Looking toward what could be a repeat season, the Eagles are already focused on finishing strong.
DeSoto will begin their season on the road against Allen on August 25th. From there, the team will square off against other non-district opponents like South Oak Cliff before opening district play against Dallas Skyline in September. Looking at a line of district opponents who want to put a stop to DeSoto's aggressive style of play, fans can expect the Eagles to bring the heat this fall.