2026 Georgia Tech Target Brayden Rouse Dazzles In Season Opener For The Kell Longhorns

Brayden Rouse Wins Defensive Player of the Game

Brayden Rouse Postgame / Photo Via Najeh Wilkins

Brayden Rouse started the season off on the right foot after helping his team to a 29-15 victory in the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic as high school football kicked off in the peach state.

He outlined his goals with me a few days before the season started:

“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 my goal is to have around 130 tackles defensively. I am going to try and do whatever I can to get the team to win.” 

I wrote an article last week outlining how Rouse could be primed for a breakout. He definitely lived up to the billing in their season opener against North Atlanta. Rouse led his team in tackles and was all around the football. He finished with six tackles, an interception, pass breakup, and a fumble recovery. Rouse was all over the field last night. His performance won him defensive player of the game voted by the Corky Kell + Dave Hunter Classic staff.  He talked about the interception and play he made on the ball. 

“I knew they were going to test me at least once. That first time I saw the ball coming in the air, I had a little bit of space, so I baited him a little bit. So when he threw it up I knew I would come down with it. I went up and grabbed it,” said Rouse. 

Offensively, he had 3 catches for 21 yards and a big catch out of the flat, where he trucked a safety. I asked Rouse if the game lived up to his expectations. 

“Yes sir, it definitely did. I felt like I could have done a little bit more offensively, but defensively, it was pretty good. My favorite play was the slip that I caught. The catch that I had, I liked running him over a little bit and I talked a little bit. It was definitely my favorite,” said Rouse. 

Another crucial part of the game was Kell getting two critical defensive stops in the red zone, forcing turnovers. 

“The whole time, we were like, we need a stop bad. I feel like we just came together as a team and worked hard. We did a lot of film prep, so I feel like we knew what was coming most of the time, so we were there in the right place,” said Rouse. 

After that performance, he has one message for this season. 

“I’m coming," said Rouse.

Rouse will be a name to continue to monitor. He has several significant offers from South Carolina, Duke, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, and many others. Another interesting note for Georgia Tech fans is that Rouse was sporting Georgia Tech gloves during the game. He also spoke very highly of the program when I interviewed him about a week ago. If Wednesday night was a glimpse of how Rouse will perform this season, then it will be an excellent year for him and the Kell Longhorns program.

Full Interview: