We would like to congratulate Braydon Runion on his commitment to the Texas Tech University. Here are Braydon’s recruiting story and interview after his commitment. Good luck as a Red Raider!
1. Share your recruiting story and status!
Going into my senior season, the only college offer I had was to walk-on to a local D1 school. After my senior HS season, there were 2 offers from a D1 and D2 school but by that point, I had decided that Juco was the best choice for me to continue to develop as a player. I signed with and have been attending Walters State CC in Tennessee.
Walters has been a great fit for me, and a place that I knew I would have the chance to play in, my first year against a high level of competition. I had a good freshman season and our team played in the Juco World Series. During our 2019 fall season, I received offers from 3 schools in the SEC, ACC and Big 12. All 3 are incredible programs and have great coaches, but I decided that Texas Tech was the best fit for me and I have now signed my NLI to play for Texas Tech in the 2020-2021 season.
2. What school are you going to, and why did you choose them?
The Texas Tech baseball program has been very successful, but I still understood the need to be certain that it was a good fit for me. I was able to get to know the coaches over several months and I also knew a few players in the program, which helped me to understand how they invest in and develop players on the field, in the weight room, and in the classroom.
When I took my visit, I immediately felt connected and saw how they were very hands-on with making sure their players are successful on and off the field.
3. How did SportsForcehelp in the process?
I got set up with SportsForce late in my senior season of high school, so we found that there were a lot of things we should have done differently had I started with their process earlier. In evaluating my options after Juco, SportsForce has assisted me in understanding what to look for in my conversations with coaches and helped my family understand and evaluate the offers that were presented. Early in the process, I was leaning towards one program but when we took the time to discuss everything and made all of the campus visits, it became clear that Texas Tech was the best fit for me as a player and as a student.
4. What advice would you give to other players and parents with the recruiting process?
My advice to players and families is to start with SportsForce early in the process. My family probably wasted a lot of time and money at camps and showcases, that we later understood were not a good fit for where I was as a player. SportsForce can provide great guidance in that area and help to understand how to assess target schools for players and come up with a plan.
5. How excited are you on your future in college?
I am so happy about the decision I made to attend Walters State CC and looking forward to Texas Tech. I couldn’t imagine things working out any better than they have with recently signing my NLI to play at Texas Tech.
6. How much money do you estimate your family saving in college expenses over the entirety of your college career?
My family is estimated to save about $90,000 in college expenses over my 4-year college career.
7. Would you recommend SportsForce to any other student-athletes? Why?
SportsForce brings a lot of valuable resources to the players and families they work with. They have been through the process with a lot of players and that helps them in understanding what college coaches see when they look at you as a player. The feedback they provide is not always easy to hear, but they won’t hype you up in areas where they see you need work. They give an honest evaluation and that makes a big difference in understanding why some programs are not a good fit for you. They also help in understanding what showcases, and camps are right for you as a player, saving a lot of time and money in the process.
Over the last 10 years, SportsForce has helped over 1,000 student-athletes and families successfully navigate the college recruiting and athletic scholarship process while saving families on average $80,000 in college expenses.
