On John Brantley press conference some asked him why Texas?
John Brantley IV visited the University if Texas two weeks ago and both he and his father, John Brantley III, and mother, Karen, felt very comfortable with the coaching staff and environment on the Austin campus. Both father and son said they felt like Texas was a better all-around fit for the young quarterback. The fact that Texas offered the chance to redshirt as a freshman was another reason the junior decided to verbally commit to the defending national champions.
Brantley IV: "We had dinner (with the UT coaching staff) and toured the stadium and they didn't make me feel uncomfortable at all. They made me feel at home. It felt great to be out there."
"I know what they've got and what they're doing. Coach (Kerwin) Bell said when I found the right place I'd know it in my heart, and it was Texas. It feels so great to be a Longhorn. ... Hook 'em."
Brantley III: "At Texas, we're defintely gonna be offered a redshirt situation - that was critical. As you can tell, John is 6-3, 193, 194 pounds, he's got room to grow. The redshirt year is gonna allow him to go in there, get bigger and learn their system."
On John Brantley press conference they asked "why now?"
His father said all along he wanted his son to commit early to avoid distractions during his senior season. The Celtics hope to repeat as Class 2B state champs, and Brantley IV wanted to make a decision as soon as he felt comfortable with a school. After touring several programs on unofficial visits over the last few months, he decided on Texas.
Brantley IV: "If it wasn't the right time, I wouldn't be here right now. It feels good to put this behind me and now worry about another state championship."
Brantley III: "It's been a two-year process for us . . . cutting tapes and sending them out to friends of ours in the coaching fraternity. This is not a process that just happened over night, we've been working on this for two years, at least.
"The good thing about an early decision is we get it behind us now; we get to move on and concentrate on his school work, get ready for spring football; enjoy his last summer at home and try to win another state championship."
On John Brantley press conference some asked him why not UF?
Surrounded by former Gators that include his dad, uncle Scot, head coach Kerwin Bell and wide receivers coach Rickey Nattiel, Florida seemed to have the inside track. Brantley spent his youth at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium cheering on the Gators, but ultimately didn't feel it was the right place for him.
Brantley IV: "It was tough - I like what Urban (Meyer) is doing there - I just didn't think it was for me. I know a lot of people there, I grew up there and (UF) would be a great school to go to. Texas was just a better fit for me.
"But I made the decision three years ago to come to Trinity and my whole family went to Forest, so, I mean, I've already made that decision (and passing on Florida) wasn't much harder. I'm just following my heart."
Brantley III: "It's not about us. You get to the point where you've got to give your son the abilities to go out and make decisions on his own - he does it every day in life now and on the football field. ... I'm a Gator. Been a Gator for a long time and I'm gonna be a Gator for years. You can't change that. Johnny's just decided he wants to be a Longhorn and that's the beauty of being an American."
On John Brantley press conference they asked him if he had any other choices?
Brantley had offers from nearly every major Division I school in the country, listing such traditional powers as Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State and Miami, among others, as potential suitors. However, it was the final two trips - to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Austin - that represented the last two schools standing.
Brantley IV: "It came down to Texas and Alabama. Alabama was right there. I had a great time on my visit up there."
Brantley III: "This (early decision) gives the other schools a chance to move on and find their guy. Now they can move forward, eliminate him from their list . . . I think that's only fair. We don't want to string out this process. Coach (Mike) Shula and Coach (Dave) Rader at Alabama were great."
