Braddek Darnell never thought he’d be a college football player, but the Wildorado quarterback recalibrated his expectations after being presented with an opportunity to play at the next level.
On May 9, Darnell signed with Nelson University in Waxahachie to continue his career on the gridiron following a four-year stint with the Mustangs. After helping Wildorado build its program, the senior signal caller is prepared to make the leap from 6-man football to NAIA athletics with the Lions.
Despite dealing with a few setbacks during his high school career, Darnell found success in multiple sports at Wildorado, and will now look to make his mark at a new school. The Mustangs’ quarterback may not have expected to be playing at the next level when his senior season began, but a strong showing in his final year of high school opened the door for Darnell’s next chapter.
The Mustang experience
Darnell wasn’t always set to play for Wildorado.
The Mustangs’ quarterback attended Crockett Middle School, and said he was originally planning to enroll at Tascosa. A change of plans resulted in Darnell beginning his high school career at Wildorado, where he quickly found success in multiple sports.
In addition to his talents on the football field, Darnell exceeded in basketball, track and golf, helping the Mustangs basketball team reach the Region I-1A Division I title game this year. On the gridiron, Darnell quarterbacked Wildorado to a 6-4 record and a berth in the postseason.
Darnell’s impressive senior season came after the gunslinger missed his junior campaign on the football field.
The standout signal caller broke his tibia in an AAU basketball game ahead of his junior year and was sidelined the entire season. Darnell worked hard to get back on the field for his senior season, though, and after some convincing from head coach Diamon Hughes, decided to try football again.
“Honestly, I’ve never liked football,” Darnell said. “I’ve played it since fourth grade and I was always one of the bigger kids. I played linemen, I hated it. Playing quarterback kind of let me be myself, but I didn’t play junior year because I got hurt. … This year, we had Coach Hughes come, and he told me that he wanted me to play quarterback, and he saw potential in me. So I was like, ‘Why not just give it a shot?’ And I’m very, very thankful I did.”
Darnell’s performance as a senior garnered attention from college programs, and earned the talented multi-sport athlete a spot on Nelson’s football team.
A surprising twist
Darnell admitted, his family and friends were surprised when he picked football.
Growing up a star on the basketball court, the Lions’ quarterback signee said even he didn’t anticipate ever playing football at the next level, but when the opportunity presented itself, Darnell noted that it felt like the right decision.
The former Mustangs’ quarterback also credited his family for helping him make the ultimate decision to play football at the next level.
“My family was just as surprised as I was that it was football, not basketball,” Darnell said. “Even my friends were really confused about it. I think my family also helped me pick football, because It’s something that I think I had a lot more fun playing this year, and felt more freedom. It didn’t really feel like a burden some days, it kind of felt like I was just more free. And I think that’s when they pointed that way and said they wanted me to go that way.”
After playing in Hughes’ air raid offense as a senior, Darnell has familiarity with schemes run in 11-man football that are common in the college game. The 6-foot-3 signal caller is hoping to use the experience gained from his time at Wildorado to get on the field as a freshman.
To go along with his understanding of a typical college system, Darnell is putting in the work on his own time to help achieve the aforementioned goal. Darnell said that he has already started waking up at 5 a.m. to workout and is lifting multiple times every day to prepare for the next chapter of his athletic career.
