This article appears in the April Recruiting and Spring Football Issue of Horns Illustrated Magazine, available on newsstands now.
By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer
Five minutes of watching tape on Brayden Liebrock, Texas’s four-star signee from Chandler, Ariz., is plenty of time to see how he can be the next great tight end for the Longhorns.
Yes, it’s granted that the plays we all see on tape are highlights and not always the bread-and-butter production from a player’s everyday work ethic.
Yet, there’s undoubtedly something special about Liebrock.
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It’s his size, speed, route-running and great hands (especially in traffic and on the dead run) that shows why 23 colleges offered him a scholarship.
“What you see in the highlights is what we saw every day and in every practice,” said Rick Garretson, Liebrock’s offensive coordinator and now the head coach at Chandler High School, which has won the past three Arizona 6A championships. “He’s truly a standout player who’s been helped by playing with a team of great players.
“But, it’s Brayden desire to build on his talents and improve that, I believe, will set him apart at the next level.”
Garretson is talking about Liebrock’s commitment to better blocking and to bulking up and adding muscle to his 6’5” frame. Liebrock carried 220 pounds last year as a senior and, according to his coach, is already “significantly bigger” than he was in December.
“I’ve been more of a flex tight end, and I know I need to gain some more muscle and strength and be more of a blocking threat if I want the opportunity to prove myself at Texas,” Liebrock said. “I’m working on that.”
Head to Liebrock’s Twitter page (@LiebrockBrayden) and you’ll see him building his body, and doing his work with the iron.
Liebrock also spent the majority of his time at the Under Armour All-American Game in January focusing on his blocking against some of the top high-school defensive players in the nation, and learning how and where he needs to improve. He knows that getting bigger and better in the trenches will produce early playing time for him with the Longhorns.
Liebrock is already an elite-level catcher of the football, something that could be a key factor in expanding the already-diverse Texas offense even further.
“One of the things that I liked the most about Texas and their offense is how they use the tight end in a wide receiver role at times, and how they get varied and give everyone a chance to find an advantage against the defense,” Liebrock said.
Liebrock’s success on the gridiron was no surprise. His father played college football, as did his uncle and older brother, who was also a three-time state champion in high school, though at a rival school in the Valley of the Sun.
When Texas came calling during the recruiting cycle, coach Tom Herman, offensive coordinator Tim Beck and tight ends coach Derek Warehime sold Liebrock on their plan to utilize the tight end more in the Longhorns’ attack.
The Texas contingent didn’t have to do a lot of convincing. Unlike many prep standouts, Liebrock wanted to get the business of recruiting behind him as quickly as possible. He committed to the Longhorns in May 2018 and made it official on Dec. 19 on Early Signing Day.
“You come across kids that love the show of recruiting,” Herman said. “Liebrock is the complete opposite. He was one of the most highly recruited, highly decorated tight ends in the country, and wanted no part of recruiting. He wanted to go very meticulous, take some visits, decide what was best for him — decide and it was over.”
Could Liebrock be the next Bo Scaife or David Thomas or Jermichael Finley, the three tight ends that Texas most recently used as true, all-down, weapons? That’s asking a lot but Liebrock certainly has the tools to make that jump.
Of those three standouts, Liebrock most favorably compared with Thomas when he came to the 40 Acres. Thomas had 98 receptions for 1,367 yards in his four-year college career, including 50 catches for 613 yards in his senior season, which coincided with the Longhorns’ national championship in 2005.
“Brayden’s got a lot of length, and great ball skills,” Herman said. “We’re excited about his development.”
To be a player like Thomas, he will have to be a great blocker, a trait that Andrew Beck, the Longhorns’ All-Big 12 tight end in 2018, possessed in spades.
What Liebrock now offers the Longhorns is a player who can line up in the slot and be a mismatch either across the middle or down the field against the defense. Lined up against nickel backs, he would have an edge in size, and on linebackers, he would have more speed — hink the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, but with more emphasis in the trenches when needed.
Liebrock is one of the top players in an excellent class of Longhorns’ signees. With Beck out of eligibility (and likely on to the NFL) he’ll have a chance to shine immediately as he battles Cade Brewer and Reese Leitao for playing time.
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