Rice football recruiting snagged a gem in mid-January with the commitment of Duncanville defensive tackle De’Braylon Carroll.
Duncanville Highschool was one wild play away from winning the 2018 UIL Texas State Championship. Even in defeat, one of the state’s premier programs will send elite players to play D1 football across the country.
Three players from that defense are ranked inside the state’s Top 200 recruits, but De’Braylon Carroll earned even more effusive praise from his head coach who called him one of the best players on one of the best defenses in state history. Duncanville allowed 27 points in their first four playoff games and Carroll was there, front and center, wreaking havoc on opposing lines and quarterbacks.
Don’t Miss: Full list of Rice football 2019 signees and commits
Carroll was named to the USA Today All-Texas Team. Rice beat out offers from Air Force and Navy. The 6-foot, 280-pound tackle packs plenty of punch and has the talent to be a high-impact player for the Rice defense.
There will be a learning curve for Carroll, as with each of the incoming freshman, but he comes in with plenty of tools which will only be amplified over time. He plays like he was shot out of a cannon. Carroll is a game breaker, the type of interior presence which can win games — and he’s proven it at the highest level of high school football, securing Duncanville’s semifinal victory with a safety.
#TXHSFB: "@deeforsack is the heart and soul of the @Duncanville_Fb defense."
His sack for a safety Saturday night gave the Panthers a 9-point lead over Allen, essentially clinching Duncanville's trip to the state championship. pic.twitter.com/SoIMD8DVPJ
— Chris Mycoskie 🎙️ (@mycoskie) December 18, 2018
Carroll joins Rice signee Izeya Floyd as the Owls’ enforcers up front in the defensive trenches. Getting a pair of impact players in the middle became incredibly important after the announced transfers of Zach Abercrumbia and Roe Wilkins.
There’s a lot to like about Carroll and his game. Rice needed to hit a home run with this position group in the 2019 class. Floyd and Carroll might be a grand slam by the time it’s all said and done.
