Myles Brennan wants to honor grandmother with strong play at The Opening

This week was supposed to be an exciting one for Myles Brennan.

The St. Stanislaus quarterback pulled off a rally on the third day of the Elite 11 Finals last month in Los Angeles to land a highly coveted spot in The Opening Finals, which begin Friday and run through Sunday.

Brennan was originally scheduled to fly July 4 to Beaverton, Ore., for the event, which is the nation’s premier 7-on-7 competition, but his grandmother, Barbara Brennan, died Saturday at the age of 82.

Always confident, Brennan still expects to perform well. He’ll just do so with a heavy heart.

“She was not only a grandma to me, but she was the biggest, most influential role model and leader in my life,” Brennan said Tuesday evening after returning home from his grandmother’s funeral. “She was the most spiritual person I know and I am so grateful to be able to spend 17 great years with her.”

Myles considered his grandmother his best friend. Growing up, the two did everything together.

“We would play football together, we would always kick the soccer ball and throw the baseball together,” he said. “We would fish together and of course always prayed together. She was the brightest lady I knew and always had the biggest smile that lit up the whole world every time she smiled.”

Up through Myles’ sophomore season at St. Stanislaus, his grandmother never missed a game. Whether it was football, baseball, soccer or golf, Barbara was there.

If she was able, Myles said his grandmother — Barbara was married to Owen “Pip” Brennan for 60 years — would have been in Oregon this week, cheering him on. Instead, the strong-armed LSU commit will play for her.

“Obviously it’s tough,” Brennan said. “No one was expecting this but it’s something that I guess can fuel me.

“I can go out and do it for her.”

Making a statement

If you ask others, Brennan defied the odds by making it to The Opening. That’s not how Brennan sees it.

“Definitely going into (the three-day Elite 11 Finals), I was one of the most underrated,” Brennan said. “I’m not into ratings, but considering everyone there was a 4-star or above, I don't think many people knew or were concerned about me.

“I feel like anywhere I go I'm going to have to prove myself because I'm just a kid from Mississippi — especially out West and places like that. I just do my best and let that other stuff play out.”

Each day, rankings were released by the Elite 11 coaches, who include former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. Following the first day of competition, the list hit the internet — sans Brennan’s name.

“It motivated me not being on it the first day, Friday,” Brennan said. “I went out there and felt like I performed pretty well. Then Saturday morning going to the beach about 5:30 (a.m.), the list came out and I wasn’t on it.”

Big chip

That chip on Brennan’s shoulder protruded like shoulder pads popping through a jersey after a sack. During his next interview with the coaches, Brennan showed character that, looking back, he thinks helped get him on the final list.

“I made them a promise that even through I didn’t make the list that day, I was going to make it on the final list to Oregon,” Brennan said. “I knew deep down I was going to make it. It was a special moment.”

Brennan really shined during the “Pro Day” portion of the competition and called the whole experience “amazing.”

“The work they put us through mentally, physically is non-stop,” he said. “Waking up at 6 a.m. and going until midnight, doing Navy SEAL training on the beach, doing interviews. Literally anything you could go through, they put you through it.”

No politics involved

As he pointed out, Brennan was one of the lowest ranked quarterbacks of the 22 heading into the Elite 11 Finals despite throwing for 11,045 yards and 117 touchdowns the past two seasons at SSC. Having now advanced to The Opening Finals 2016, which is a three-day “dynamic competition” at Nike’s world headquarters, Brennan can vouch for the process.

“There’s no politics or picking the kids with the most stars because if that was the case I wouldn't be here,” he said. “Being the kid on the bottom of the totem pole, I know they don't play that game. It's a serious competition.”

So what’s left to prove for the rising senior?

“It’s been a dream of mine to not only make it to the Elite 11 Finals, but to make it to Oregon. It’s time to do what I do best. “The end goal is to win the MVP of The Opening, but I just want to go out there and show everybody I'm not the No. 18 pro style QB in the country.”

The Opening Finals include 166 of the top high school football players in the country. In the competition, the athletes are assigned to teams: Fly Rush, Mach Speed, Hypercool, Lunarbeast, Vaporspeed and Alpha Pro. Brennan is on Hyper Cool along with quarterback Dylan McCaffrey, a Michigan commit and younger brother of Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey.

This story was originally published July 6, 2016 at 12:14 PM with the headline "Myles Brennan wants to honor grandmother with strong play at The Opening."