Class of 2019’s Braxton Ratliff is some kind of Cat

On the eve of Coach Stefan LeForsBluegrass QB Challenge in Louisville, I thought it fitting to mention a signal caller he may have missed. Hey, no one is perfect. We, at KPGFootball, missed on plenty when we selected our All-State Freshman and Sophomore Teams a year ago and have been quite open about that. Well, since I will be at Georgetown College for the Future Stars Classic tomorrow between Tennessee and Kentucky, I thought I would publish Saturday’s article now.

They have these things called duel threat QBs. Coach Tony Love‘s Tomcats from Ashland, Kentucky (Ashland Blazer High School) were led to a 10-3 record last year in large part owing to one of Kentucky’s best duel-threat QBs in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Braxton Ratliff. Ratliff, the TopCat, if you will, led the Tomcats to the State Quarters (Regional Finals) before losing to State Finalist and 2016 State ChampionJohnson Central. Last year the Tomcats pounded the ground for 3130 rushing yards with Ratliff, Class of 2020 Blake Hester, and departed senior, Aroq Colburn comprising over 80% of that total with their combined 2,525 yards. Well Colburn’s 119 carries for 990 yards and 15 rushing TDs are departed but look on the bright side. Ratliff (137 carries, 762 yards rushing, 15 rushing TDs) and Hester (120 carries, 773 rushing yards, and 6 rushing TDs return. Unlike a lot of running QBs, Ratliff can throw the pigskin too as he also completed 114 of 197 attempts (.5787 completion percentage) for 1,745 passing yards and 22 aerial TDs versus only 6 interceptions. All told, this duel threat nightmare to defend personally accounted for 2,497 yards either on the ground or through the air and 37 TDs. Now, that is production.

Braxton Ratliff, who plays free safety on defense, is 6-0 and weighs 183 pounds with a registered 40 yards dash time of 4.61 which correlates perfectly with his 33 inch vertical leap. He runs the pro agility shuttle (5-10-5) in 4.21 seconds, bench presses 235 pounds and squats 335 pounds, making him one of the best pure athletes in Kentucky’s 2019 class of prospects. Braxton is one of those kids you could see playing next level on either side of the ball. He has plenty of speed and back-end height and heft to be a physical safety at either the FBS or FCS, D-1 levels and, in the right offensive system, is also a real candidate to continue playing QB. You know, you get a fair sense of what school are on a prospect by looking at which schools follow the prospect on Twitter of all places. Ratliff on Twitter is @Air_brax10 and, while he doesn’t report any present offers, he is being followed by numerous coaches from programs like Furman, West Point Military Academy, Austin Peay, Morehead, and many other at the FBS/FCS level and with good reason. Braxton would be a huge get for any of the programs which follow him, period! Whether Braxton Ratliff is the TopCat or just another Tomcat, one thing is sure…he is 100% a Cat and we mean that in the most flattering of ways.

This is Fletcher Long, reporting for KPGFootball reminding you to PLAY THROUGH THE WHISTLE!

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Braxton Ratliff’s Highlights

 

About Fletcher Long 1446 Articles
Two-time winner of Kentucky Press Association awards for excellence in writing and reporting news stories while Managing Editor of the Jackson (KY) Times-Voice

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