Braxton Berrios is a Miami Hurricane. After months of speculation of whether or not Berrios would follow through and commit to his “dream school”, the North Carolina native officially announced on October 12th that he would be playing his college football at the University of Miami.
“It’s just the one last thing you need to worry about before taking the next step so I’m just excited that I don’t have to worry about it anymore before I get down there. I talk to the coaches daily and I’m ecstatic. It’s a relief off my shoulders and I can just worry about finishing the season and finishing up grades before enrolling in January,” said Berrios.
The choice to play at Miami was a dream come true for the confident slot receiver.
“It’s incredible. To be honest, it still hasn’t completely hit me. I know that I’m committed to Miami and that I’m going there in January, but it hasn’t hit me that I’ll be playing with the U on the side of my helmet. I know it’s been a pretty big jinx around the University of Miami and ‘dream offers’, so I’m glad I could change that. I just can’t wait, man.”
When did he know for sure that Miami would be his school?
“It’s always been my dream school and a lot more goes into it than just who you liked as a kid. I really can’t point out a day where I knew and it was tough deciding, but I just know I picked the right one.”
Berrios has a large family filled with ‘Canes fans dating back to when the family lived in South Florida before Braxton was born. Naturally, they were pumped to hear he would be a Hurricane.
“My immediate family was more involved than anyone else because I have a big family. They were all happy for me. My dad and uncle have been Miami fans their whole lives so they were a little bit more excited than the normal person. One of my family members has a bar in Florida and she can’t wait to start putting my jersey up and all this. The whole family was just happy it was over and trusted that I made the right decision.”
The big news surrounding the school this week was the NCAA ruling finally being made. Berrios didn’t mince his words when giving his thoughts on it.
“I can’t be mad at all. I had no respect for that little (expletive) Shapiro because he was a rat. I’m completely happy with what they got of three scholarships for three years and it’s a really big thing for recruiting and really for the team because they don’t have to worry about going to the National Championship and not being able to play in it. Al Golden and Donna Shalala did a tremendous job working with the NCAA and helped get the minimal sentencing.”
One of the main factors that put Miami over the top for Berrios was his close relationship with QB commit Brad Kaaya.
“Oh, I’m excited. He and his dad told me that he loves slot receivers so I’ll be his guy. I think we bring a new dimension to Miami, to be honest. They have great players now that work in the system, but I think it will change up a little bit when we get there just because of our styles of play. We are going to be great together and if everything pans out, we will be one of the best duos in Miami history.”
One of the first things Berrios did before making his final decision was make sure Kaaya was solid after receiving his offer from UCLA.
“He’s a ‘Cane, he’ll always be a ‘Cane. I talked to him about that specifically because we’re boys and we talk about anything. I’m not gonna beat around the bush with him and vice versa. I asked him and he said it was just an offer from them, basically like a ‘so what?’ type of thing. He’s just as excited as I am to get out there.”
Berrios is as confident as they come on-and-off the field. He feels like his personality will fit in perfectly with the city of Miami and the school.
“You’ve seen the 30-for-30 on The U, right? Well that’s why they say is he a ‘football player’ or is he a ‘Miami guy’ and I’ve always felt like I’m a Miami guy. I think I fit in perfectly with how we play. I fit in perfectly with the coaching staff and how they coach. The city of Miami runs on energy and I think I have enough of it. You don’t wanna go somewhere where you have to change your style as a person or anything so I’m excited to get out there, be myself, and play with my boys.”
One of the first things people notice about Berrios is that he is always wearing a big gold chain around his neck, no matter the scenario. He even wore it when he came down to Miami and competed at the Al Golden Football Camp.
“It’s just me. I like jewelry and I like gold, so why not wear a gold chain? The only time I really take it off is when I’m playing. If I dress up, it’s on the outside of my shirt and underneath the tie. Everyone has something about them and I have the chain.”
The comparisons to Wes Welker have become a normal thing for Berrios to hear, but he doesn’t necessarily like to box himself into that mold.
“It’s obviously an honor to be called a Wes Welker. I think he will be a Hall-of-Famer and he’s one of the of the best in the game to this day, but at the same time look at his numbers and he wasn’t as fast as me, he wasn’t as crisp as me, maybe wasn’t as strong as me and couldn’t jump as high. Like I said, he’s a great player but it’s funny because you never hear a Tavon Austin, Steve Smith, or DeSean Jackon comparison, which is probably more of who I resemble. I’m even more of a DeAnthony Thomas, maybe not with the speed, but with his style of play. Santana Moss is another example. It’s something I’ve gotten used to, but they’ll know me as Braxton Berrios when I get there and put on.”
Miami has a big matchup against FSU next Saturday. His thoughts?
“They can win if they play well. They obviously have to be better offensively than they’ve been in the past weeks if they want to win, but they also can’t look past Wake Forest. Florida State is playing great ball with a great quarterback right now, but our defense looks great. I’m excited to see us tested against a top team like that.”
Berrios had a final message for ‘Canes fans.
“Get ready. I truly think Miami is back and it’s like the old days where the ‘Canes were the thing that everybody wanted to be apart of. So get ready for it because I can’t wait.”
“It’s just the one last thing you need to worry about before taking the next step so I’m just excited that I don’t have to worry about it anymore before I get down there. I talk to the coaches daily and I’m ecstatic. It’s a relief off my shoulders and I can just worry about finishing the season and finishing up grades before enrolling in January,” said Berrios.
The choice to play at Miami was a dream come true for the confident slot receiver.
“It’s incredible. To be honest, it still hasn’t completely hit me. I know that I’m committed to Miami and that I’m going there in January, but it hasn’t hit me that I’ll be playing with the U on the side of my helmet. I know it’s been a pretty big jinx around the University of Miami and ‘dream offers’, so I’m glad I could change that. I just can’t wait, man.”
When did he know for sure that Miami would be his school?
“It’s always been my dream school and a lot more goes into it than just who you liked as a kid. I really can’t point out a day where I knew and it was tough deciding, but I just know I picked the right one.”
Berrios has a large family filled with ‘Canes fans dating back to when the family lived in South Florida before Braxton was born. Naturally, they were pumped to hear he would be a Hurricane.
“My immediate family was more involved than anyone else because I have a big family. They were all happy for me. My dad and uncle have been Miami fans their whole lives so they were a little bit more excited than the normal person. One of my family members has a bar in Florida and she can’t wait to start putting my jersey up and all this. The whole family was just happy it was over and trusted that I made the right decision.”
The big news surrounding the school this week was the NCAA ruling finally being made. Berrios didn’t mince his words when giving his thoughts on it.
“I can’t be mad at all. I had no respect for that little (expletive) Shapiro because he was a rat. I’m completely happy with what they got of three scholarships for three years and it’s a really big thing for recruiting and really for the team because they don’t have to worry about going to the National Championship and not being able to play in it. Al Golden and Donna Shalala did a tremendous job working with the NCAA and helped get the minimal sentencing.”
One of the main factors that put Miami over the top for Berrios was his close relationship with QB commit Brad Kaaya.
“Oh, I’m excited. He and his dad told me that he loves slot receivers so I’ll be his guy. I think we bring a new dimension to Miami, to be honest. They have great players now that work in the system, but I think it will change up a little bit when we get there just because of our styles of play. We are going to be great together and if everything pans out, we will be one of the best duos in Miami history.”
One of the first things Berrios did before making his final decision was make sure Kaaya was solid after receiving his offer from UCLA.
“He’s a ‘Cane, he’ll always be a ‘Cane. I talked to him about that specifically because we’re boys and we talk about anything. I’m not gonna beat around the bush with him and vice versa. I asked him and he said it was just an offer from them, basically like a ‘so what?’ type of thing. He’s just as excited as I am to get out there.”
Berrios is as confident as they come on-and-off the field. He feels like his personality will fit in perfectly with the city of Miami and the school.
“You’ve seen the 30-for-30 on The U, right? Well that’s why they say is he a ‘football player’ or is he a ‘Miami guy’ and I’ve always felt like I’m a Miami guy. I think I fit in perfectly with how we play. I fit in perfectly with the coaching staff and how they coach. The city of Miami runs on energy and I think I have enough of it. You don’t wanna go somewhere where you have to change your style as a person or anything so I’m excited to get out there, be myself, and play with my boys.”
One of the first things people notice about Berrios is that he is always wearing a big gold chain around his neck, no matter the scenario. He even wore it when he came down to Miami and competed at the Al Golden Football Camp.
“It’s just me. I like jewelry and I like gold, so why not wear a gold chain? The only time I really take it off is when I’m playing. If I dress up, it’s on the outside of my shirt and underneath the tie. Everyone has something about them and I have the chain.”
The comparisons to Wes Welker have become a normal thing for Berrios to hear, but he doesn’t necessarily like to box himself into that mold.
“It’s obviously an honor to be called a Wes Welker. I think he will be a Hall-of-Famer and he’s one of the of the best in the game to this day, but at the same time look at his numbers and he wasn’t as fast as me, he wasn’t as crisp as me, maybe wasn’t as strong as me and couldn’t jump as high. Like I said, he’s a great player but it’s funny because you never hear a Tavon Austin, Steve Smith, or DeSean Jackon comparison, which is probably more of who I resemble. I’m even more of a DeAnthony Thomas, maybe not with the speed, but with his style of play. Santana Moss is another example. It’s something I’ve gotten used to, but they’ll know me as Braxton Berrios when I get there and put on.”
Miami has a big matchup against FSU next Saturday. His thoughts?
“They can win if they play well. They obviously have to be better offensively than they’ve been in the past weeks if they want to win, but they also can’t look past Wake Forest. Florida State is playing great ball with a great quarterback right now, but our defense looks great. I’m excited to see us tested against a top team like that.”
Berrios had a final message for ‘Canes fans.
“Get ready. I truly think Miami is back and it’s like the old days where the ‘Canes were the thing that everybody wanted to be apart of. So get ready for it because I can’t wait.”
Pete is Turnin the corner
