He’s on the fast track to being the heart-and-soul if he isn’t already for the Dreadnaughts playing at the linebacker spot. Lakeland’s Kelvin Broome has already made a big impact this spring, and looks to take the ‘Naughts to the next level come this fall. Broome checks-in at 6-foot-1, 220-pounds and can fly to the spot like a laser-guided missile. He can also bring a hit that will leave his opponents feeling dazed and confused after contact.
Broome’s downfield block versus Venice was the one that led to a touchdown on special teams on a punt return. Broome also shot the gap and caused a fumble versus Manatee that led to a fumble at Lakeland’s goal-line. The Dreadnaughts would go on to win their half against the ‘Canes. Broome’s big play ability is just the end result of his fantastic instincts of beating the ball to the spot with his quick change of direction then deploying his seek-and-destroy tackles that tend to stop ball carriers in their tracks. Broome’s garnered interest from Alcorn State, FAMU, Idaho, Louisville, North Dakota State, and Army.
“The Venice game was basically a wake-up call because we came out flat. That’s why the Manatee game seemed better than the Venice game. We don’t like to lose so when we lost that first half, we had to pick it up and take it out on Manatee. What we ran into versus Venice was they had this echo system that allowed them to look at the previous plays immediately and they were able to adjust on the fly off the defense.” said Broome recently.
When asked if last season whether or not it’s accurate that the page has been turned from their loss to Osceola in the playoffs and that first half against the Indians in Bradenton, and that Lakeland’s ready to stop the growing noise from their fan base that an appearance in Orlando must be made soon, Broome was pretty short and to the point. “That’s pretty accurate. Nobody, and I mean nobody is go to out-work or condition us this year. It’s time to play Lakeland Football.”
Broome is also the 49th-ranked player on BCP’s Fire 79 and is an Xecutive invitee.