Eric Brantley Jr. is the 'perfect fit' for Colorado football with his 'chaotic' style

Valdosta (Georgia) High School football coach Shelton Felton knows talent when he sees it.

Before coaching at Chattanooga (2017), Tennessee (2018, 2020) and Akron (2019), Felton helped guide Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker, the No. 22 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, to All-American honors at Crisp County (Georgia) High School.

Despite being surrounded by game-changing defenders throughout his coaching career, Felton hasn't seen anyone quite like Eric Brantley Jr.

"He has one of the best ball get-offs that I've been a part of," Felton said of Brantley Jr.'s ability to fly out of his stance at the snap of the ball with speed and force. "I've coached a lot of guys who played at the Power 5 level and some guys who are playing in the NFL today, and being able to have coached at the Power 5 level, his ball get-off is second to none.

"He's one of the most chaotic players I've been around and he practices that way. Sometimes it's so bad in practice that I get mad and have to throw him out so I can get something done. It was a great problem to have."

A fast, explosive first step is arguably the most coveted attribute a defensive lineman or pass rusher can have. It's part of what makes NFL stars like Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns) and T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers) sack machines.

Brantley Jr.'s burst has made him a sack machine in his own right. Over the last three years, the Colorado football commit has racked up 34 sacks, totaling at least 11 in each of the previous three seasons. Perhaps even more impressive are the 108 tackles for loss and 51 quarterback hurries he's accounted for since he was a freshman.

That's production you don't often see from a three-star recruit.

"I feel like every offseason, I'm getting better and better," Brantley Jr. said. "I keep putting in more work and that's what helps me get better and be more dominant."

As talented as Brantley Jr. is as a pass rusher, at this stage of his development, he's more polished as a run stopper. That's a skill that is sorely needed on a Colorado defense that struggled to contain opponents' rushing attacks in 2023.

Not only did the Buffs allow 176.4 rushing yards per game (second worst in Pac-12) last season, they gave up at least 200 rushing yards to half of their 2023 opponents (TCU, Nebraska, Oregon, UCLA, Arizona and Utah).

Brantley Jr. has the physical and mental makeup to transform Colorado's run defense from a weakness into a strength.

"The way I play, I feel like I'd be a great fit to come in and help stop the run," Brantley Jr. said. "I feel like I can stop the run better than I can pass rush right now with my ball get-off and me being able to use my hands so well."

Felton shares that belief.

"Oh yeah, Eric is going to help stop the run because he plays with his hands, he plays physical and he generates knock-back at the line of scrimmage, which is very good for a D-lineman," Felton said. "You put his film on, he plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

"And being from the South, he was taught early, if you don't stop the run, you can't pass rush. He knows that in order to pass rush, you gotta stop run, then when it's money down (third down), you get in your track stance and go for it."

Brantley Jr. received offers from the likes of Arkansas, Houston, Ole Miss, Pitt, South Carolina and others, but committed to coach Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes on Dec. 28, 2022. Nearly a full year later, the Valdosta standout made his commitment to the Buffs official on national signing day.

During an era of college football when prospects flipping their commitments to other schools has become a standard practice, Brantley Jr. never wavered on his pledge.

"Why not stay committed?" Brantley Jr. asked. "I love 'Coach Prime,' I love Coach (Charles) Kelly and I feel like what they're doing there is great. The coaching there can help me get to the next level and get to where I want to be.

"I just feel like it's the perfect fit for me."

From Felton's perspective, Brantley Jr.'s loyalty is rare nowadays.

"He fell in love with 'Coach Prime,' his staff and what they're doing up there," Felton said. "He (Brantley Jr.) had the opportunity to jump off the ship but he said, 'Coach, I'ma stay with it,' and he stayed with it. That's very rare because kids can jump ship quick on you, especially when you start losing.

"He wanted to be one of the ones who helped get them back to a bowl game, get them back to the national level. He wanted to be one of the ones to help build it back."

Felton believes Brantley Jr. has a real chance of contributing right away as a freshman, not only because he'll get a head start from a physical standpoint as an early enrollee (January), but because the defense he played in at Valdosta "comes from the same tree" as Colorado defensive coordinator Charles Kelly's. Add that into the fact that the Buffaloes' defensive line has just one returning defensive lineman (senior Shane Cokes) who started at least six games in 2023, and Brantley Jr. could make an immediate impact.

After all, that is the goal.

"I'm ready to prove to the whole nation that height doesn't matter, me being 6-foot (and 250 pounds) playing defensive line doesn't matter," Brantley Jr. said. "Also, I want to be a Freshman All-American, first-team All-Freshman and I also want to help them get to a bowl game, possibly play for a national championship, while I'm there in Colorado."

Follow Colorado Buffaloes sports reporter Scott Procter on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: 2024 recruit Eric Brantley Jr. a 'perfect fit' for Colorado football