Seminole- It’s pretty hard to be labeled as too big for the man’s game of football. But there aren’t too many Brandon Walton’s out there.
There was formerly a weight limit in the Largo youth football league during Walton’s childhood. While other kids got the opportunity to experience the joy of pop warner football, the mammoth Walton was forced to sit on the sidelines.
By the time he hit eighth grade, Walton had looked like a Deebo stunt double from the Friday movies at 6-feet, 270 pounds. The jolly giant had to hold his frustrations.
“Not being allowed to play growing up really upset me,” Walton said. “I had watched my family members and friends play the game and I envisioned myself out there.”
But you can’t derail destiny. Life has a funny way of working itself out. During his 8th grade year, Largo dropped the weight limit allowing the beast to be unchained.
Walton’s sheer size and background in basketball coupled with his raw athleticism made him a natural offensive lineman. He was an instant dual threat lineman with the ability to execute blocks into the second level. The game came to him, and Walton soon began easily terrorizing the opposing youth.
By the time Walton was a sophomore, he had morphed into prime form. Walton sprouted to 6-foot-5, 275 pounds and possessed quick feet and a 4.9 40-time. His chiseled chest, polished physique, bulging biceps, massive hands, solid base and unparalleled power couldn’t go unnoticed anymore. Walton inwardly knew he had a future in football.
“By the end of that year UMass and other colleges started to come around, and I started believing I could go Division 1,” Walton said. “Coach Miller began telling me I had a chance to do something big. so I invested most of my time into the game of football.”
Walton’s a testament to hard work. He jump ropes daily, grinds out sprints in the scorching sun and makes the weight room seem like child’s play. Walton bench presses 330 pounds, squats 440 and dead lifts 470.
Now the sculpted 6-foot-5, 285-pound rising senior stands on the verge of becoming the first Warhawk to ink a Div.1 sheet in over 13 years. Everything has come together for Walton as he’s piled up 20 Div. 1 offers from the likes of Miami, Kentucky, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, and UCF.
“With all the attention coming my way I’m still a team guy at heart,” Walton said. “I want to help lead us to the playoffs this year. Individually, I want to garner All-State and even All-American status.”
Off the field, Walton’s a goofy, gentle giant who’s a kid at heart. He’s the jokester of the group with a beaming smile and heart larger than his frame. Walton mentors kids at Oakhurst Elementary school enjoys family time and reunions above all else and plays basketball in the offseason just to help out his school. He also admittedly has a soft spot for buffets. It’s hard not to like this kid.
The kid with a seemingly bright future doesn’t take it for granted.
“Just in case I don’t make it in football I eventually want to study health sciences and become a physical therapist,” Walton said. “That profession would allow me to stay around sports and help people. It’s always nice to have a backup plan.”
Walton will visit Miami, Florida, and USF camps this summer along with designating a top ten list soon. He plans to make his college decision before his senior campaign begins in the fall.
Expect to hear Walton’s name in the future.
–Lynden Ostrander
Lynden Ostrander (@lynden_o) is the Pinellas County Reporter for the Tampa Tribune and a BCP Special Features Contributor