For the majority of his time at Carroll Academy, Bo Milton has found an athlete and put him at quarterback.
This past year, Milton put a “true quarterback” under center and the veteran coach couldn’t have been happier with the results from Brennan Blaylock.
Blaylock had a breakout season for the Rebels, leading the team to the Class AAA state championship game, where they lost to Greenville Christian.
For Milton, having Blaylock under center gave him more options on offense.
“He came in and started as a sophomore behind some really good guys,” Milton said. “But this is the first time that I’ve had a true quarterback. I’ve had athletic guys back there but they were more running backs than quarterbacks. He was a quarterback first but has that ability to make plays with his legs and that’s what we are excited about. We hit some big plays down the field and threw a lot of short passes. He didn’t have to be that leader last year but will have to step up and be that guy for us this season.”
Blaylock, who stands at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds and runs a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash, finished the season with more than 500 yards rushing and 800 yards passing while accounting for 19 touchdowns.
While the Rebels have been a run-heavy team the last few years, Milton says he expects to see more footballs in the air this season.
“We want to run the ball, that’s for certain,” Milton said. “But we are going to throw the ball more this year. We have worked and tweaked all summer and want to be more balanced. Now, if you can’t stop the run, we are going to run it but we want to have the ability to throw and we have some great guys in those skill positions to throw it to. We have some good receivers and a trigger guy who can get it to them. We really like what we have with Brennan this year.”
Despite playing both ways, there’s no doubt where Blaylock’s loyalties lie.
“I love offense,” Blaylock said. “I like having control being the quarterback, being able to point things out and I like to see stuff that other people see and tell them all of that. I was really impressed with the passing at the LSU camp because my receivers really had to step up. We had a lot of people step up. I think we will throw the ball more than we did last year and now we have an effective run and pass game. We are going to have to show a lot of these kids the right stuff and trying to get some of these receivers a connection.”
The Rebels just came from a 7-on-7 camp at Louisiana State where Blaylock was able to show off his prowess at quarterback.
“I thought he had a tremendous camp,” Milton said. “If a team played zone against us, he absolutely picked them apart. There was one time that we ran the same play nine or 10 straight times and he kept on making the right read. When the defense adjusted, he made the right read. I thought he was very effective at what we were asking him to do there. I thought he had a great day.”
Unlike most quarterbacks, Blaylock will also be counted on to play defense as well.
“He is going to play safety for us and will probably roll down and play some strong safety at times,” Milton said. “He’s a kid that can run and he is strong. He benches 300 pounds and he is just a strong, physical kid. I think he will make a tremendous difference for us this year.”
After seeing what he could do last year and this summer, Milton said he hopes to let Blaylock do more.
“Basically, I’m giving him the keys to the Corvette and saying let’s get it done,” Milton said. “I think we have guys who can make plays and we are going to use those guys. We aren’t going to live and die by the run this year. I think this will be one of the most balanced teams I have had in a long time.”
And Milton said he sees Blaylock continuing to mature and be more of a leader.
“He is a good kid and doesn’t give you any kind of problems,” Milton said. “He is going to do what you ask him to do and makes good grades. He is never a problems, that’s for sure. As far as leadership, he’s becoming that guy. But that class is a leadership guy. There are different guys stepping out and being more vocal. They just go well and work well together.”
Blaylock said he has taken it on himself to make sure everyone is working hard during the summer.
“I think being a leader is getting everyone motivated to be here at 7 in the morning to lift weights every day and not wanting to miss days,” Blaylock said. “There are consequences to missing days but I want them to be here every day anyway.
Blaylock is a true three-sport athlete for the Rebels, playing football, basketball and baseball. In baseball, Blaylock came out for the team after not playing since seventh grade and found his way on the field before the end of the season.
Aside from sports, Blaylock said he likes to hunt and fish but really likes to “make money” in the summer.
