Staying committed to Oregon
Southaven’s Isaiah Brevard, the top player on The Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen, looks to future.
When it came to showing that he was one of the best receivers in Mississippi, Southaven’s Isaiah Brevard took the opportunity to prove it against one of the state’s top teams on Sept. 25.
Brevard and Company hosted Oxford in Southaven’s Mississippi High School Activities Association Region 1-6A opener.
“It was just about leaving everything out on the field,” said Brevard, the No. 3 prospect in Mississippi in the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports Composite, “and doing the best I can. Doing what I was told.”
In that respect, a nifty job of routerunning and breaking a tackle led to a 98-yard touchdown reception. He also tacked on a 61-yard scoring play to finish with more than 200 yards receiving in the first half.
“He’s one of those guys,” Southaven’s Eddie Stevenson said. “When he’s on fire, you just get him the ball and he’ll make you look like you’re a smart coach.”
Southaven’s 10-point halftime advantage came close to being extended when Brevard was tackled short of the goal line following a 66-yard catch, yet he exited the game after dislocating his shoulder on the play and did not return in an eventual 31-28 loss.
“Without a doubt, we win that game if he’s in there,” said Stevenson. “It was just unfortunate that game got stopped for him in the fashion that it did. When’s he’s sitting out there one-onone like that night, there wasn’t anybody in the state that was going to cov
er him.”
Brevard is No. 1 on The Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top 12 college football prospects for the Class of 2021 from the Mid-south. He is committed to the University of Oregon.
“I felt that was best for me,” said the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Brevard. “During the recruitment, there was a lot of schools, but they came at me the hardest and showed that they really cared, not just about football, but also in the classroom. So, it was more than football with Oregon.”
Of the 22 offers listed by 247Sports, nine of them were from SEC schools, including Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tennessee. However, his allegiance remains with the Ducks.
“It’s great,” Brevard said. “It’s the first year with a new offensive coordinator (Joe Moorhead). New quarterback (Tyler Shough). It’s really going good so far up there.”
One aspect that Stevenson is eager to see in Eugene is Brevard’s leadership abilities.
“We’ve been blessed with some talented guys over the years, and Isaiah might have been the best leader that we’ve had,” he said.
Brevard is a member of the Southaven basketball team, but when there’s no practice or games, he’s right back out on the football field.
“Whatever time I have free, I just go to the field,” he said. “I do a lot of cone drills and running the track — just keeping my body in shape. I’m going to wait until after basketball season to get back on the weights.”
Otherwise, it’s all about finishing strong with his studies prior to graduation.
“One thing is I’ve got to stay on my classes,” Brevard said. “I’ve got a buddy at Notre Dame (former Southaven teammate Caleb Offord), and he’s told me how the process is: You’ve got to stay focused, stay humble and everything will work out.”