‘A rare athlete’ — Yelm’s Platt is state’s top-ranked recruit. He doesn’t act like it
For all the accolades, all the big-time recruiting offers, all the attention and praise directed toward him over the course of his high school career, Yelm football star Brayden Platt is just one of the guys.
He still has the football that teammate Tyler Blevins got him during a holiday gift exchange in middle school. He rarely talks about himself. When Yelm’s coaches wanted to know what was happening with Platt’s recruitment, they had to pry the information out of him. He spends his free time working out and playing Call of Duty and Madden with friends.
Given the way he carries himself and his soft-spoken personality, it’d be difficult to guess he’s the No. 1 rated high school football recruit in Washington, if you didn’t already know.
“I think Brayden is one of the most humble high-rated players that I’ve ever met,” Blevins said before practice on Monday this week. “I’ve met a few — I’m not gonna name names — but there’s a few that aren’t the most humble and are pretty cocky about their status. Brayden is definitely really humble about his skill. He’s a top 50 (national recruit) and he never mentions it.”
Platt can probably start by thanking three people for that humility: his brothers Austin, Derrick and Logan. Being the runt of the litter, Brayden is used to fighting for respect.
“It was fun, for sure,” Platt said of his childhood. “You’d always have someone to mess around with. You wanted to go do something outside, shoot hoops, you’d always have someone. They would always pick on you but it builds character.”
Platt was born in Kentucky, part of a military family. When he was two weeks old, the family packed up their old Kentucky home and moved across the country, settling in Yelm. They’ve been there since. All the Platt boys went through Yelm’s program, playing football, wrestling, running track and more.
“They’ve all had great character,” said Yelm football coach Jason Ronquillo. “Their parents have done a fantastic job raising those boys. They’re all like the same person. They’re all cheerful, happy, quick to pick other people up. They’ve always been leaders.”
None were as highly-touted recruits as Brayden, though. Considered a four-star recruit, Platt held 20 offers. He recently committed to Oregon, choosing the Ducks over Oklahoma, UCLA, UW, Michigan, USC and others.
“His combination of size and speed is not normal,” said Yelm offensive coordinator Bryan Irion. “His ability to turn a one-yard gain into a 60-yard touchdown run, his ability to set up blockers. … He’s diverse in what he can do and he draws a lot of attention, which opens up other players.”
Platt, who plays running back and linebacker for the Tornados, who will face Eastside Catholic in the Class 3A state tournament semifinals this week, will play linebacker at the next level. Ronquillo thinks it’s a perfect fit.
“His instincts, his ability to diagnose plays is second to none,” Ronquillo said. “When you diagnose plays as fast as he does and you play at the speed that he does, that’s why he’s such a rare athlete.”
When it’s gameday, Platt turns it on. But at school and during breaks in practice, Platt is usually cracking smiles and having a good time. He keeps things light.
“You can see the joy he plays with in practices leading up to games,” Irion said. “When the ball kicks off, he’s 100 percent at all times. I think his teammates feed off that and understand how much Brayden loves the game and loves his team and loves Yelm.”
Platt is Yelm. With everything this program has accomplished the last few years, including an undefeated season and the program’s first state championship last season, Platt has been front and center. While Kyler Ronquillo was the team’s fiery leader last year, Platt has been the Tornados’ steady heartbeat.
“He means the world to us,” Jason Ronquillo said. “When you need leadership or looking at the way you’re supposed to act, you look to Brayden. If you need to know what toughness looks like, need to know how fast you should practice or how fast you should play, you look to Brayden. All the things you look for in a championship-type player, he has those characteristics.”
Yelm faces Eastside Catholic at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Art Crate Field (Spanaway) in a rematch or last year’s 3A state championship game. The Tornados are a win away from playing in the Class 3A state title game in Husky Stadium and two wins away from consecutive titles.
“It would mean a lot to me, especially this year with it being my (senior) class,” Platt said. “It was the team we grew up playing with.”
This story was originally published November 23, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
