A 7-year-old Braxton Berrios, clothed in a green Miami football jersey and a beaded necklace with an orange and green “U,” woke up from his nap inside a booth in Goobs Grill & Bar in Coral Springs, Florida. It was Jan. 3, 2003 and Berrios watched from inside his aunt’s bar as Miami was one play away from beating Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.

On a fourth and 3 in overtime, Buckeye quarterback Craig Krenzel lofted a pass into the end zone that fell to the grass. Berrios and his older brother Austin celebrated for about six seconds until they saw the yellow flag. After the now-infamous call, Miami went on to lose the game, 31-24, and Berrios’ father, Rico, drove his boys through the night in anger back to their mother’s house in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“I didn’t know enough then to drink,” Berrios joked when asked how he handled the loss. “but it has stuck with me to this day.”

Fifteen years later, Berrios, now a senior slot receiver at UM, is trying to bring the No. 8 Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) back to a national title game and fulfill a life-long dream in the process. After struggling through two coaching changes and a myriad of injuries, Berrios has more receiving touchdowns in five games (five) this year than he had in his first 37 contests over three years. An integral piece of a Hurricanes offense that puts up 33 points per game, Berrios will look to keep UM undefeated as it welcomes Syracuse (4-3, 2-1) into Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday.

Berrios is succeeding in head coach Mark Richt’s system by playing more in between the hashes. He is the first Hurricane to have a receiving touchdown in each of the first four games of the season since NFL-great Reggie Wayne accomplished the same feat in 2000.

“My goal was always to play football at the University of Miami,” Berrios said. “That’s what I always worked towards. When I got up on Saturday mornings, I turned on ESPN to listen to them talk about Miami.”

Berrios never chose to be a UM fan, as the decision was made for him by his father who had grown up in Miami in the 1980s. When Berrios moved to North Carolina, he had a hard time finding Hurricane gear at local stores, so, birthday and holiday gifts came in the form of Miami sweatshirts, hats and shorts.

Berrios started vocalizing his Division I dream his freshman year at Leesville Road (North Carolina) High School. There, Berrios was ridiculed for his height. It was during those years that he developed the proverbial “chip” on his shoulder. The chip still hasn’t left and it has propelled him to UM’s team leader in receiving yards (326).

“I’m 5-foot-9-inches and white,” Berrios said. “The only comparisons I ever get is Wes Welker. It’s nothing new to be told I can’t do something. You name it, I’ve heard it. “

Rico recalls Berrios developing a habit of writing down goals and attacking them. One of which was to win a Nike SPARQ competition — a high school recruiting contest where athletes are tested in a combine like event — and earn a literal golden ticket to The Opening, Nike’s all-star prospect camp located in Beaverton, Oregon. In the Chicago Opening regional, Berrios told Rico that he would best the 1100 players in attendance. Rico expected a top-50 finish, but to his surprise, Berrios finished fifth.

Then Berrios wrote down another goal: go to The Opening and gain national recognition.  The leaders in events such as the 40-yard dash would be featured on ESPN.  Berrios wanted to be featured himself. Once in Oregon, Berrios posted the fastest 20-yard shuttle time in the event’s history, Rico said.

Berrios lounged near Lake Lanier just outside of Atlanta a few days after the event and received a call from Brennan Carrol, then-recruiting coach at Miami and son of Pete Carrol, who informed him that his dream school wanted him to come for a visit. That December, the night before Berrios announced his commitment to a packed high school gym, Berrios told his dad that he would be a Hurricane. The father and son cried and embraced.

“He’s got a gift of determination,” Rico said. “He plays bigger than he is.”

Now a senior who gets to “wake up in paradise”, Berrios has stepped into a leadership role after Miami’s tumultuous start to the season. Due to Hurricane Irma, UM was stuck in Orlando to prepare to play Toledo, the Hurricanes first game since the storm. In a players-only meeting, Berrios stood and surveyed the room. He saw teammates who were worried about their families and delivered a simple, yet powerful message: Keep fighting.

“Whenever we’re down,” said Miami offensive lineman KC McDermott. “(Berrios) picks us up.”

UM squared off against rival Florida State two weeks later, looking to end a seven-game losing streak to the Seminoles. Berrios went viral after he had to be restrained at the edge of the tunnel inside Doak Campbell Stadium from running onto the field too early. During the game, Berrios hauled in eight catches for 90 yards and two scores, including two receptions that moved the chains on Miami’s game-winning drive.

Former Miami receiver Santana Moss was interviewed on national television after UM beat then-No. 1 FSU in the Orange Bowl 17 years ago and famously said, “Big-time players step up in big games.”

After defeating the Seminoles, Berrios echoed Moss, acknowledging the history he worked so hard to be a part of.

“Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.”

Published on October 20, 2017 at 1:31 am

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez