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BYU received yet another offensive line commit during today's junior day, this one in the form of Brayden Kearsley, a 6-foot-5, 277-pound offensive lineman from Aloha High in the Portland, Ore. area.
"I knew that if they offered that I'd commit, and that happened today," Kearsley said. "I love BYU, and I've loved them for a long time. They started recruiting me about a year ago, and they've been my top school ever since."
Kearsley is a 2013 prospect who will be entering his junior season of high school. He was receiving some early attention from schools such as Oregon, Oregon State, Washington and Washington State but acted quickly on his BYU offer.
"I still want to go to the national combines and all that, but I'll be doing it as a solid BYU commit," he said. "BYU was my first choice, so it didn't matter who else offered me, I was going to BYU if they offered no matter what."
A big part of his decision to commit to BYU was his relationship with offensive line coach Mark Weber. For the better part of a year, Weber has been in constant contact.
"Every week, I get a call, letter, or something from him," Kearsley said. "He's the best. He's just someone I really want to learn from. At the camp today, I spent a lot of time with him during the drills but also before the drills started and after. I just love being around him. He's someone who really cares for me and believes in me as a player."
Today was the first opportunity Kearsley had to meet with head coach Bronco Mendenhall, and he came away impressed.
"He said that I have a lot to work on but that he loves how I'm nasty and how I go after people when I block," Kearsley said. "He talked about how BYU is a great place for me to grow as a person, not only as a football player, and I definitely know that's true. It's a big reason why I committed."
Weber told Kearsley he is their No. 1 offensive line prospect for 2013, Kearsley said. In viewing his film, Weber thinks he has a lot of similarities to Cougar offensive lineman Braden Hansen.
"I love watching Braden Hansen play, and it's an honor to be compared to him for sure," Kearsley said. "I'm just so excited to have the opportunity to play offensive line at such a great program as BYU and for such a great coach as Coach Weber."
Earlier Friday, the Cougars received a verbal commitment from Austin Hoyt, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound offensive lineman from Argonaut High in Jackson, Calif.
