Braylon Ellison tore his labrum in his shoulder his freshman season.
He missed most of the year, and when he returned during the fall, he was just getting used to the tempo of high school football. But by the time his junior campaign at Boonville (Mo.) High came to a close, Ellison saw more colleges notice it all clicking.
As the recruiting process picked up, with 10 offers on the table, an opportunity to stray off the family path opened.
His father, Atiyyah Ellison, received All-Big 12 honors at Missouri in the early 2000s before being drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft, and his brother, Tyson Ellison, served as walk-on the past two seasons.
"They're still considered as an option for me," Braylon said. "I'm not going to put them over any school, especially since they haven't offered me yet. ... It's a good thing to have connections there and everything, but that doesn't push it over any other school."
An offer from Missouri, where his father now works as the director of player and alumni relations, would change that, but at this stage in his recruitment, the likelihood isn't high. Yet Braylon still carries a level of confidence to play at a high level.
"It might sound cocky, but I never didn't think that," Braylon said about not playing college football. "My dad has a history with football and everything he's taught me, pretty much all I know about it, and he taught me to be confident in my game.
"For me to doubt what I could do with the game is just disrespect to him. I just played hard with the intent that I'm doing it for a reason, and so eventually, that's how I got where I'm at."
In a wide-zone offense, similar to that of Missouri, Ellison showed athleticism off the line, getting to the second level as a left tackle during his junior season. At 6-foot-4, 285-pounds, he's adapted to defenders and passed along blocks when needed.
With that garnering more attention from Power Four and FCS programs, he's leaned on his older brother, Tyson, for guidance in the recruiting process. Albeit Tyson took a different path to college football, one that ended this offseason, he's taught Braylon how to approach the next few months
"He's not like an advisor, but I just ask him questions, especially since he works for the news," Braylon laughed. "He literally does stories on sports, so he's seen the whole other side of it. He's just got experience everywhere, and it just would be a waste not to ask him questions."
Ahead of roster changes, Missouri cut Tyson following the 2024 season. While still enrolled at the university, Tyson put his full focus into sports broadcasting for KOMU 8, picking up steam on social media for his comedic posts about the news.
"For me at least being his brother, it's awesome that he has a personality like that," Braylon said. "I wish I had one like that, because he's just such a happy-go-lucky type of guy."
Visiting more schools on his list, Braylon will look to carve out his own path. He'll hit the road in the next few weeks to see Coastal Carolina, Columbia and Navy.
"I can't just let that be how I have a name for myself through them," Braylon said about following the family path to Missouri. "I'm not saying that they did anything wrong, but I don't think that that should be my main priority is to like follow in their footsteps."
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He missed most of the year, and when he returned during the fall, he was just getting used to the tempo of high school football. But by the time his junior campaign at Boonville (Mo.) High came to a close, Ellison saw more colleges notice it all clicking.
As the recruiting process picked up, with 10 offers on the table, an opportunity to stray off the family path opened.
His father, Atiyyah Ellison, received All-Big 12 honors at Missouri in the early 2000s before being drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft, and his brother, Tyson Ellison, served as walk-on the past two seasons.
"They're still considered as an option for me," Braylon said. "I'm not going to put them over any school, especially since they haven't offered me yet. ... It's a good thing to have connections there and everything, but that doesn't push it over any other school."
An offer from Missouri, where his father now works as the director of player and alumni relations, would change that, but at this stage in his recruitment, the likelihood isn't high. Yet Braylon still carries a level of confidence to play at a high level.
"It might sound cocky, but I never didn't think that," Braylon said about not playing college football. "My dad has a history with football and everything he's taught me, pretty much all I know about it, and he taught me to be confident in my game.
"For me to doubt what I could do with the game is just disrespect to him. I just played hard with the intent that I'm doing it for a reason, and so eventually, that's how I got where I'm at."
In a wide-zone offense, similar to that of Missouri, Ellison showed athleticism off the line, getting to the second level as a left tackle during his junior season. At 6-foot-4, 285-pounds, he's adapted to defenders and passed along blocks when needed.
With that garnering more attention from Power Four and FCS programs, he's leaned on his older brother, Tyson, for guidance in the recruiting process. Albeit Tyson took a different path to college football, one that ended this offseason, he's taught Braylon how to approach the next few months
"He's not like an advisor, but I just ask him questions, especially since he works for the news," Braylon laughed. "He literally does stories on sports, so he's seen the whole other side of it. He's just got experience everywhere, and it just would be a waste not to ask him questions."
Ahead of roster changes, Missouri cut Tyson following the 2024 season. While still enrolled at the university, Tyson put his full focus into sports broadcasting for KOMU 8, picking up steam on social media for his comedic posts about the news.
"For me at least being his brother, it's awesome that he has a personality like that," Braylon said. "I wish I had one like that, because he's just such a happy-go-lucky type of guy."
Visiting more schools on his list, Braylon will look to carve out his own path. He'll hit the road in the next few weeks to see Coastal Carolina, Columbia and Navy.
"I can't just let that be how I have a name for myself through them," Braylon said about following the family path to Missouri. "I'm not saying that they did anything wrong, but I don't think that that should be my main priority is to like follow in their footsteps."
Mizzou legacy, Boonville OL Braylon Ellison embarks on own football path
The son of a former All-Big 12 defensive tackle, Braylon Ellison has set course on carving out his own football journey.
