2026 ATH Brayden Rouse Talks Recent Georgia Tech Offer & Upcoming Season With Kell Longhorns

Rouse was offered recently by Georgia Tech

Photo Via Brayden Rouse Twitter

Brayden Rouse could be poised for a breakout year for the Kell Longhorns. He has been waiting for his opportunity and looks ready to capitalize. After playing receiver for a lot of his career, Rouse will transition to linebacker this season. He will still take snaps at wide receiver and tight end this year but will be mainly on defense. The junior LB already has seven offers from Arkansas State, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Marshall, UMASS, and Temple. His first offer came from Eastern Kentucky. 

“It was EKU back in December. We went this summer on this bus tour that we had. We took a couple of players. We went to a couple of schools. We did some visits and some camps. We went down to EKU and I saw Coach Caleb Cox and we chatted it up a little bit,” said Rouse. “We toured the facility and it was extremely nice. I feel like EKU has changed my whole recruiting. It really opened everything up. I love it over there.” 

Rouse put on a show back at the Corky Kell X Georgia Tech 7 on 7 in June and raised some interest. He was at the cookout that was held on the Flats a few weeks ago. He talked about his most recent offer from the Yellow Jackets and what it meant to him. 
“I really enjoyed the Georgia Tech 7 on 7 that was very fun. I got a lot of exposure from that also. That was probably my favorite one we did. 

“It means a lot honestly. I really like how they run things over there. It’s very similar to how we run our practices and how we move at Kell. Going there and seeing how they handle themselves in meetings, how the practice was run, and meeting some of the players at the cookout I felt like it would be a great fit for me honestly,” said Rouse. “Talking to all the coaches was an eye-opener for sure. My former teammate Cedric Franklin was telling me how they were interested. Then inviting me to the cookout and offering me was definitely a surprise. I feel like coming into the season and getting the Georgia Tech offer will definitely open up my recruiting a little more. I definitely loved it and it was fun for sure.”

Georgia Tech is no stranger to recruiting the Kell Longhorns program. You may remember dynamic running back and Tech great Jonathan Dwyer started his career at Kell High School and played for the Yellow Jackets from 2007-2009. The Yellow Jackets recently landed Franklin from the 2024 class who also went to Kell High School. Franklin created quite a buzz for himself by making plays in the spring game and got great praise from his teammate Leo Blackburn. 
“One person I point out is Ced the freshman. He really came along towards the end. He learned how to play to his strengths. He’s going to be a good player,” said Blackburn. 

For the Yellow Jackets, he is being recruited as a linebacker with defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci extending the offer a few weeks ago. 

“It’s definitely defense because coach Santucci offered me. I think it will be outside linebacker for sure. I was with the linebackers the whole day. I knew him but we didn’t really talk at Georgia Tech 7 on 7. I just followed him and got his information,” said Rouse. “ We talked and he was like you should come to this cookout. I went there and Jaden George (Kell WR) and I were playing cornhole and he walked up and I met his whole family. He is a really good coach and a really good guy. I definitely can see myself playing for a person like him. It was a good experience.” 

Rouse also loves the campus and all the training facilities and amenities that the Yellow Jackets have.
“The campus is very nice. I feel like the buildings and the structure of everything is super high-tech. They have a lot of new things. The training room is insane. You have these bikes and scooters you can take everywhere, so you don’t have to worry about mobility. The cafeteria is nice. You can see the skyline from within the stadium. The whole campus is honestly beautiful,” said Rouse. 

As for this season, Rouse wants to showcase his physicality and make opponents feel him on the defensive side of the ball. Expect a lot of tackles, tackles for loss, and sacks. Offensively, Rouse is an underrated receiver that is adept at high-pointing the football and using his speed to make one cut and completely lose the defense. This was on display in his scrimmage game against New Manchester when he scored a long touchdown. He touched on his goals for 2024. 

“For the defensive side, I definitely want to show my physicality. Coming downhill at full speed and just laying someone out. I feel like when people look at me they see me more as a DB type of linebacker. I want to show them that I can also hit and get downfield,” said Rouse. “Make a couple of fumbles and get some sacks off the edge. Offensively showing my versatility by scoring touchdowns and getting yards after the catch, blocking on the line of scrimmage and off.“Offensively, I am going for 8-9 touchdowns and around 130 tackles defensively is my goal. I am going to try and do whatever I can to get the team to win.” 

It feels like Rouse is just getting started and could become a popular name in the state depending on how his junior season goes. Kell is loaded once again with talent and will take center stage to open the season on Peachtree Sports Network against North Atlanta in the Corky Kell Dave Hunter Classic. What better way to make an opening statement for your junior season?

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