No. 1: Brendan Gant.
School: Kathleen.
Position: Defensive back.
Grade: Senior.
HT/WT: 6-2, 175.
Colleges: Committed to Florida State, but claimed more than 30 Division I offers.
Deep-down inside Brendan Gant knew where he wanted to play football, it just took a rap on the heart to bring it out.
The Kathleen 6-foot-2, 175-pound defensive back, ranked as the 41st best-overall player in the country and the 11th best in the state by Rivals.com, finally settled on Florida State on July 29 a day after attending the “Saturday Night Live” recruiting event in Doak Campbell Stadium.
“I went to the spring game and I felt the vibes back in April,” Gant said. “I kind of wanted to make the decision for a while, but I waited. Plies the rapper said, ‘You will know where you want to be when that opportunity comes to you.’”
Plies, born as Algernod Lanier Washington in Fort Myers, is a rap artist who played wide receiver at Miami of Ohio in the mid-1990s.
“And then I felt like it was time for me to go ahead and commit because I know who I want to be and who I want to be around,” said Gant, who had been recruited heavily by FSU assistant coach Odell Haggins, a former Bartow standout.
Gant, a four-star recruit, was previously committed to Alabama, but de-committed in late-April to explore his options. He claimed 32 Division I offers, which also included Clemson, Ohio State, Florida, Miami, Louisiana State and Georgia.
“Knowing that I am set and blessed with offers, it just helps you get better because people look to expose me and make me look bad. So that just makes me want to work harder,” he said.
Kathleen first-year head coach Anthony Troutman, who was a Red Devils assistant for several years before taking over the program in mid-July, said Gant has a lot of intangibles and is a quick study.
“He has a lot of things you look for in a good football player. He is coachable and he has the toughness part that you want in a good football player. He is excited to be out there and he has instincts. He does things that are not always coached, but are instinct to him because he studies the game and his knowledge increases,” Troutman said.
Gant also competed at The Opening — the highest-profile high school football talent showcase in the country — this summer. The Opening, sponsored by Nike, spotlights every position and is an invitation-only event with a 7on7 tournament as its crescendo.
“I really had just about every offer I wanted, so it was really a matter of going to see places. I went to some camps and then The Opening. It is always good to just go and compete against some of the top names in the country that are as well-known as you," Gant said.
“My mentality is the same going against anybody. It really doesn’t change, whether I am going against the most-unknown person to the best, I am still going to lineup the same way.”
Gant’s uncle, Kenny Gant, who also played at Kathleen, was an NFL safety and won two Super Bowl rings playing for the Dallas Cowboys from 1990-94 before moving over to the Tampa Bay Bucs from 1995-97.
His father, Eric Gant, was recently inducted in the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame. He rushed for 3,745 yards and scored 34 touchdowns while achieving All-SWAC running backs honors twice.
Gant said coming from a family with a renowned football name doesn’t necessarily inspire him to achieve great things on the grid iron — that passion already exists.
“It just adds fuel to the fire,” Gant said. “Football is my passion and it has been in my family, so it has been a big part of my life since I was young.”
Gant was ushered in to playing quarterback for Kathleen last season, and though it is not his natural position, he rushed for 886 yards — a 9.8 average — with seven touchdowns. He also threw for 417 yards with four touchdowns. And in the midst of it all, he still found enough air in his lungs to jump back in on defense, where he recorded 25 tackles and four interceptions.
“The energy of running the ball and scoring a touchdown and stiff-arming a couple of guys from across town, it was just all fun. I feel like I am good everywhere but there is always room for improvement. The biggest thing with me is that I am vocal,” Gant said.
“Being back there in the secondary, I see everything. I feel like that makes me a good teammate. I am constantly reading from the D-line to the linebackers to other side of the field with the receivers and back the quarterback. I feel like I know what is coming next and I just relay the message.”
Gant also has other athletic interests, namely basketball.
“I like to dunk. The crowd, it is just fun. It’s crazy,” said Gant, who admits returning a pick-6 is still more fun. “I have to say the interception because after the dunk, you have to get back on defense. But when I get an interception, I am going to celebrate. I am going to have fun with it and entertain the crowd or something,” he said.
Gant, who will probably see action in the wildcat offense and as receiver in certain situations this season, said he is really a humble person, doesn’t like to brag and he even finds it difficult to talk about himself.
“I will talk about it with some people, but more times than naught, I am going to give you the same answer like, ‘I don’t know,’ or ‘It is hard,’’ he said. “I go to church and I believe in Jesus Christ.”
