Amongst the incoming linebackers from of the Class of 2024 is Brayden Youree, a standout playmaker from Franklin High School, and a key contributor to the Lions’ state championship-level success over the last four years. Over the course of his high school career, Youree started 62 games, played in four consecutive state title games, and helped bring two championships back to Franklin in 2021 and 2022. An All-State honoree by the Texas Sportswriters Association as a senior, Youree announced his commitment to UMHB on Feb. 14. He now comes to Belton, ready to make an impact for The Cru on defense.
We recently had the chance to talk with Youree, highlighting his decision to come to UMHB, high school career, and what he took away from playing at Franklin, where excellence is the standard.
When it comes to your decision to join The Cru, what made this the right fit for you?
“UMHB, when I visited there, it really felt like I was in Franklin again. The coaching staff was great, the school was great, and I loved how organized everything was on the visit and at student orientation. Every time I hear anything about UMHB, everyone loves being there. It just felt like home.”
Franklin is only about 75 miles from Belton. How much did being able to stay close to home factor into your commitment?
“That was another thing that factored into it. My mom went to UMHB and my great aunt went to UMHB, and I’d always been to UMHB football games growing up. I’ve known Kyle King—the starting quarterback when they won the national title a few years ago—since I was little. I’ve known so many people who have gone there and had a great time. So being close to home was definitely a factor in it.”
You were part of so much success at Franklin over your four years there. Not many high school players can say they played in a state title game in all four years of their career. What was that experience like?
“I moved to Franklin going into my freshman year and started all 62 games of my high school career. Coming into an environment where the kids were hungry [to win], the coaches were hungry, the community was hungry, was an amazing feeling. Being part of that is something I can look back on, and think, ‘We made history. We really did that.’”
That first season, you all lost your first two games before winning 12 straight to reach the 3A-D1 state final against Canadian, where you had 7.5 tackles. Ultimately, it ended up with Canadian winning 15-14 on a 52-yard touchdown pass with under 30 seconds left. How much motivation did that provide for you and your teammates heading into 2021, when you claimed that state title over Gunter?
“Before 2021, Franklin had been known as a program that couldn’t get the job done. In 2020, we were one point away and 30 seconds away from a state title. That was tough. But it drove us. We were hungry. It was heartbreaking that we had to wait a whole year to try to avenge that. But when we did that, and beat Gunter, it was an amazing feeling…one of the best feelings I’ve ever had.”
One of the cool things about the state championship experience in Texas is the opportunity to play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys). What was that aspect of it like?
“My freshman year, we were dealing with Covid, so they put us in the indoor to stay away from everybody going into the week of the Waskom game (state semifinal). Us winning [that one] by one point, and in dramatic fashion [was incredible]. I’d been inside [AT&T Stadium] before because my mom was a teacher at Cameron Yoe and my stepdad was a coach there—but to walk in there as a player was a different feeling with the bright lights and all of that. To be there and play on that field against Canadian as a freshman was awesome. Then in 2021, there were 10,000 fans in the stadium, it was loud, the air horns were blowing. It was two different atmospheres, but an amazing thing to be a part of both times.”
To be part of a program with those high standards is obviously a major positive. How do you think that has prepared you for the college level?
“It’s really a mindset. You have to be in the mindset to want to be better, to want to come in and compete. That’s really hard. We experienced that our senior year, just for the fact of being almost 40-0 (since 2021) coming into that year. You can’t be complacent. You have to want it and be a competitor. That’s the biggest thing that I feel like has made us really successful in Franklin.”
You made so many plays from your spot at linebacker over the course of your high school career. Has linebacker always been where you’ve felt most comfortable on the field? How do you feel like your skill set at linebacker has evolved over the course of the last few years?
“I’ve always been a linebacker. Growing up, I was always a tough kid, so that was a natural-born position for me. Once I got into high school, I had coaches that gave me the proper skills to be successful [at linebacker], and I watched a lot of film. I’m not the biggest guy, so I wanted to make sure I knew as much as possible to be in the right spot when a play came my way. Using your mind on the field, and being tough as well, have been what I think has made me successful.”
You mentioned watching film. How key is that aspect of improvement as you progress through a season, staying prepared and constantly finding ways to elevate your skill set?
“I feel like the weight room and the film room both build champions. At the end of the day, football is a mind game. You’re not always going to be the most talented and talent catches up to you. You have to be smart and figure it out on the football field.”
As you head into your first collegiate season, has there been anything in particular you’ve been focusing on from an improvement standpoint?
“I’ve been really focusing on time management skills and my speed work. Doing the workouts the UMHB coaches have sent me, I’ve seen a lot of improvement, and every single day, I’m trying to put myself in a position to be successful. That’s really been my key this summer coming into UMHB.”
Last question for you, but you were selected to Franklin Football’s leadership team along with six others for this past season. What does it mean to you to be recognized in that way and have that added sense of responsibility within the program?
“It was a privilege and an honor to be nominated for that. I know that I’m somebody that the younger kids, not just those in high school, but in junior high as well, look up to as they’re trying to come into the program. I try to be the best example I can be and show them the right way, so hopefully they can carry on the tradition and bring a couple more state titles back to this town. I want the younger generation to make Franklin proud.”
