Record-Setting Signal Caller Set For First Spring
March 21, 2022 | Football
STARKVILLE – High school football is certainly a huge deal in the state of Texas.
The Lone Star State has produced plenty of players that have gone on to reach the pinnacle of the sport. But none of them have thrown more touchdowns at the Class 6A level than Mississippi State's newest quarterback, Braedyn Locke.
In three seasons at Rockwall High School, Locke set a state record with 128 career touchdown passes and his 11,182 career passing yards rank as the second-most in the history of the 6A classification in Texas.
"Looking back on it now, I just think about all the great people that were involved in it from my teammates," Locke said. "I had so many different receivers that caught passes from me and different coaches. My family had a big impact on that. It was a cool moment and it's great to look back and see that stuff. It was a really fun ride and I remember the memories more so than the record book. It's something to be proud of for sure."
The touchdown record Locke broke was previously held by current Arizona Cardinals' quarterback Kyler Murray, a former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
But even before Locke was shattering state records, he had already caught the eye of MSU head coach Mike Leach. The four-star prospect committed to the Bulldogs last May before leading Rockwall to the second round of the playoffs as a senior while completing 215 of 341 passes for 3,657 yards and 36 TDs.
"He had a great career, and the ball explodes off his hand," Leach said. "It comes off his hand really quickly, and he puts it on his receivers right now, and they get yards after the catch."
Locke received more than a dozen scholarship offers during the recruiting process but was searching for a similar style of offense that he was so successful in at the high school level. He believes he found the perfect fit in Leach's Air Raid system.
"Coach Leach's resume speaks for itself with what he's done with quarterbacks," Locke said. "When you start looking at this staff and the scheme, that stuff really matters in recruiting. You need to know what you're going to be doing on offense when you get to school and how different it is from your high school offense. This place stuck out to me the most when it came to that, let alone how great the city of Starkville has been. It really became an easy decision after I came down here and visited."
Once Locke's record-setting prep career was complete, he turned his focus towards the future. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder graduated high school early and enrolled at Mississippi State in January in an effort to jump start his development in college.
"When you play the position of quarterback, it's really important to maximize as much time as you can before the season gets here," Locke said. "Luckily now that I'm here, I'll be able to go through spring ball and have some skins in the game before the season gets here and really have a leg up going forward."
Another aspect that could very well give Locke an advantage is his experience running an offense akin to the Air Raid at Rockwall, where he only threw 26 interceptions in 1,098 career passing attempts.
"My high school offense was very similar," Locke said. "We actually ran most of the schemes that we run here so it hasn't been a whole lot of new stuff. It's a different style and a little different philosophy but I felt super prepared when I got here. Our staff has been great and have taught me a lot since I've been here. I feel really good about the offense and where I'm at. I'm just looking forward to the spring and getting out there and slinging it."
Aiding in Locke's adjustment to the college level is a pair of quarterbacks he will be competing with for playing time. He credits two-year starter Will Rogers as well as the 2020 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in the state of Texas Sawyer Robertson with helping him get acclimated and ready for spring practice to start later this week.
"It's been great learning from those guys and developing relationships with them," Locke said. "Sawyer and Will, specifically, have been huge in helping me learning this stuff and getting my foot in the door a little bit. I really appreciate those guys. It'll be fun to get out there and compete with them in the spring like we have been in the offseason. It's a tight band of guys in that quarterback room and I'm just thankful to be a part of it."
The Lone Star State has produced plenty of players that have gone on to reach the pinnacle of the sport. But none of them have thrown more touchdowns at the Class 6A level than Mississippi State's newest quarterback, Braedyn Locke.
In three seasons at Rockwall High School, Locke set a state record with 128 career touchdown passes and his 11,182 career passing yards rank as the second-most in the history of the 6A classification in Texas.
"Looking back on it now, I just think about all the great people that were involved in it from my teammates," Locke said. "I had so many different receivers that caught passes from me and different coaches. My family had a big impact on that. It was a cool moment and it's great to look back and see that stuff. It was a really fun ride and I remember the memories more so than the record book. It's something to be proud of for sure."
The touchdown record Locke broke was previously held by current Arizona Cardinals' quarterback Kyler Murray, a former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
But even before Locke was shattering state records, he had already caught the eye of MSU head coach Mike Leach. The four-star prospect committed to the Bulldogs last May before leading Rockwall to the second round of the playoffs as a senior while completing 215 of 341 passes for 3,657 yards and 36 TDs.
"He had a great career, and the ball explodes off his hand," Leach said. "It comes off his hand really quickly, and he puts it on his receivers right now, and they get yards after the catch."
Locke received more than a dozen scholarship offers during the recruiting process but was searching for a similar style of offense that he was so successful in at the high school level. He believes he found the perfect fit in Leach's Air Raid system.
"Coach Leach's resume speaks for itself with what he's done with quarterbacks," Locke said. "When you start looking at this staff and the scheme, that stuff really matters in recruiting. You need to know what you're going to be doing on offense when you get to school and how different it is from your high school offense. This place stuck out to me the most when it came to that, let alone how great the city of Starkville has been. It really became an easy decision after I came down here and visited."
Once Locke's record-setting prep career was complete, he turned his focus towards the future. The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder graduated high school early and enrolled at Mississippi State in January in an effort to jump start his development in college.
"When you play the position of quarterback, it's really important to maximize as much time as you can before the season gets here," Locke said. "Luckily now that I'm here, I'll be able to go through spring ball and have some skins in the game before the season gets here and really have a leg up going forward."
Another aspect that could very well give Locke an advantage is his experience running an offense akin to the Air Raid at Rockwall, where he only threw 26 interceptions in 1,098 career passing attempts.
"My high school offense was very similar," Locke said. "We actually ran most of the schemes that we run here so it hasn't been a whole lot of new stuff. It's a different style and a little different philosophy but I felt super prepared when I got here. Our staff has been great and have taught me a lot since I've been here. I feel really good about the offense and where I'm at. I'm just looking forward to the spring and getting out there and slinging it."
Aiding in Locke's adjustment to the college level is a pair of quarterbacks he will be competing with for playing time. He credits two-year starter Will Rogers as well as the 2020 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in the state of Texas Sawyer Robertson with helping him get acclimated and ready for spring practice to start later this week.
"It's been great learning from those guys and developing relationships with them," Locke said. "Sawyer and Will, specifically, have been huge in helping me learning this stuff and getting my foot in the door a little bit. I really appreciate those guys. It'll be fun to get out there and compete with them in the spring like we have been in the offseason. It's a tight band of guys in that quarterback room and I'm just thankful to be a part of it."
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