That all changed when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the summer leading up to the season, causing him to miss the entire campaign.
But Braswell’s decision to come to Rutgers was more than just about the on-field element.
“The culture, the vibe that I caught, I think I was meant to be here,” he said. “I just felt it. This team worked hard, and this family worked hard. They look out for one another, and they all stayed with me when I was going through my injury. They checked up on me every single day.”
With his season over and a long road of recovery ahead of him, Braswell had to deal with the mental and physical adversity of rehabbing a serious knee injury. But with the support of his teammates and coaches, Braswell was able to persevere and eventually work his way back to full health ahead of the 2022 season.
While he was looking forward to finally playing in a college football game for the first time since November 2020, it meant just as much for Braswell to be out on the practice field with his teammates that he had yet to get a chance to play with.
“It was a rough patch for me. To be honest, it was tough at times, just not being on the field,” Braswell said of his rehab. “Just coming out here – not even in a game – but just coming out here to practice was a blessing. I was just so happy to be able to run around on my knee. At times, I didn’t think I would be able to play at the level I’m playing at now.”
Fully healthy and back on the field, Braswell has emerged as a star on a resurgent Rutgers defensive unit.
In his first game as a Scarlet Knight, Braswell picked off a pass at Boston College to help lead his team to a win in the season opener. He recorded another interception against Nebraska and helped ice the team’s win over Indiana with a pick-six in the fourth quarter.
His three interceptions and five pass breakups both lead a defense that ranks seventh in the country in total defense (283.9 yards/game).
“It’s really great, to tell you the truth,” head coach Greg Schiano said of Braswell’s success. “He has had such bad luck. My heart was going out to him because he worked so hard to recover from the knee surgery, and then some other things got him. I was just like, ‘this guy, he’s really got the short end of the stick.’ But as of late, he’s really been productive. He’s playing at a high level….
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