Choosing a university to continue playing football after being a high school star might sound like a difficult thing, but two childhood friends made it much easier for St. Bede's Brady Booker: They had already signed letters of intent to play at Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois.
Booker's friends and former St. Bede teammates Josh Sapp and Braidy Shipp gave Booker a rare opportunity to continue playing the game he loves with the people that really matter to him, so he chose to join them at Quincy.
"Those guys are ... one of them I've known for 15 years," Booker told the Illinois Valley Times. "He lives right up the street from me. We've been best friends since they day we could walk and talk. It's amazing for me. The fact that I get to share this opportunity, this life experience, with him, and then add on another great friend. We were known in our high school as the 'Three Amigos,' and now we get to go play together. It is a blessing that I get to share this experience with the two greatest guys I've ever met."
The 6-2, 230-pound Booker played linebacker at St. Bede. At Quincy, he'll take on a similar position, hawk linebacker, where he'll be asked to do a little bit of everything. He'll rush the quarterback, drop back into coverage and even play some read-and-react outside linebacker roles.
Even as a freshman, Booker will get the chance to compete for playing time, possibly as the starter, and the coaches might also want him to play some offense at tight end or H-back. These opportunities and the sincere interest of the Quincy coaches were really icing on the cake, Booker said.
"For starters, I knew the coaches for a long time," Booker said. "They were great guys. I really enjoyed talking to them and built a relationship ... Quincy's about three-and-a-half hours away from my home. We left their university at probably 4 and then came to my house. We had a great conversation, and they left at about 10. They were taking that drive for me, and I really appreciated that. It's good to feel wanted ... Quincy offered me absolutely everything paid for, full scholarship. And that's very rare at the Division II level. I don't say that as boastful; I say that as very appreciative. I understand the want that they have for me."
Booker plans to carry over the work ethic and desire he was known for at St. Bede -- the coaches used to tell him he was addicted to football -- to the Quincy program. He'll combine that with an enjoyment of the physical aspects of the game for what could be a winning formula.
That's not to say he doesn't plan on improving certain aspects of his craft, though. Booker is striving to get better at studying game film, which will be a key component of his development at the next level.
"I like to be a student of the game, but as I sat there and listened to coach talk, listen to film, their scheme, their word choice, their vocabulary, I'm intrigued by it, but I have some ground to pick up there," he said. "So wanting to play freshman year and having that opportunity, I'm going to have to go in and do a lot of studying, learn the defense, learn some offense and really put in the time there."
Booker plans on majoring in business administration, possibly with an eye on law school later. But for someone who hits the gym every day at 4 a.m. so he has enough time to finish homework at night, the added workload of the college curriculum should be just another day at the office. Booker credits this positive approach to his coaching staff, parents and two old friends.
"It's a grind, but I look forward to it, especially because I get to share it with the two greatest guys in the world," he said. "It's a blessing. I couldn't ask for anything better, and I am very excited for the opportunities that Quincy holds."
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