Kathleen's Brendan Gant plays in Cheez-It Bowl, reflects back on Polk County, Florida State coaches

ORLANDO — A historical powerhouse in Oklahoma football was putting up a good fight Thursday against the No. 13 Florida State Seminoles at Campus World Stadium. Florida State had gotten down early by two scores before refocusing with the help of redshirt junior Brendan Gant making the plays he could on the field.

Gant, a Lakeland native and a Kathleen High School defensive football standout, was inserted in the Cheez-It Bowl on the third drive. And the Polk County road warriors observed Gant as a linebacker read the Oklahoma Sooners’ offense before being vocal with his defensive unit, ultimately making routine moves on the field, including executing one tackle early in the game.

A flare of raucous cheers erupted when Gant made the play, which ended up assisting the Seminoles in winning 35-32 over Oklahoma in a spirited clash. Playing in the Cheez-It Bowl in front of family and friends who have been there since day one was a huge moment for Gant.

“Being from Polk County ― the city is starting to blow up a little bit more — but around that time it was some guys here and there but being one of those guys who got the look early, and just being an example for the younger kids and the older kids above me, it’s a blessing to do that," Gant said. "Even from my first year here to now, it’s been a heck of a journey … and I’m just blessed to be in this position with my teammates, my team, and we got our 10th win. … It’s just all been blessings.”

It’s been a ride for Gant since he was a top Polk County football player in 2018. Gant signed to Florida State to play defensive back in February 2019 thanks to developing into a standout prep two-way player for the Kathleen Red Devils: He became The Ledger’s No. 1 player in the Super 16 countdown, as well as a first-team all-county selection on the strength of 54 tackles, four pass breakups, three forced fumbles and four blocked punts in only six games. His production put him on the national scale, including being ranked as the 41st-best overall player in the country and the 11th-best in the state, according to Rivals.com.

Some of those people who helped Gant excel at Kathleen were at the Cheez-It Bowl cheering on the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Seminole. Among the thousands in attendance were current athletic director of Tenoroc High School Irving Strickland, and his father, Eric Gant ― a Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame inductee — and Kathleen head football coach Anthony Troutman., among many others. His uncle, Kenny Gant, a former Kathleen product who went on to win two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys as a safety in the '90s, wasn’t in attendance.

“I talk with coach T a lot; he’s kind of young (and) and he can relate to me a little more. But he always tells me you know what you are capable of ― you know what you go to do,” Gant said.

That’s the advice he regularly receives now. But when he was in high school, Gant recalls when Strickland was keeping him grounded, teaching him how to be a leader and overcoming adversity when big-time colleges were already giving him looks.

Those colleges ― 32 in all — were still recruiting Gant late in his high school career. Big-time programs such as Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Clemson, Florida and Miami were all chasing after the then four-star recruit.

He signed with FSU as a defensive back. In his first year (2019), he appeared in all 13 games, recording a total of 35 tackles, 1.5 for loss and three quarterback hurries before starting in the Sun Bowl vs. Arizona State and producing a season-high seven tackles. In year two (2020), he played in nine games with three starts and put up 32 tackles, including 2.0 for loss and one interception and one forced fumble, and the Seminole Scholar recorded a season-high seven tackles and one for loss at No. 12 Miami. And just last year (2021), Gant competed in nine games with two starts, tallying 13 tackles, 0.5 for loss and one pass breakup, and against No. 9 Notre Dame, he made four tackles, 0.5 for loss and managed two solo stops.

This year, he bulked up and made the transition to linebacker. And Gant said he cleaves to the principles of defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Randy Shannon.

“Just having somebody that I could go talk with and be straight up and helping me figure it out (is huge) because being a linebacker right now, I’m not the biggest dude. A lot of the stuff I had to do, I had to use technique," Gant said.

That technique equated to Gant racking up 19 solo tackles and one sack in 2022.

With Gant’s season over — Florida State as the No. 13 team went 10-3 and won the Cheez-It Bowl — he is taking a prudent approach, expecting to prove himself among the four other linebackers who will return to FSU next year. But he said he is prepared for the challenge.

“For me, it’s all about getting back to work and taking things so I can fix early so I can just go in (and play well),” Gant said. “I want to keep learning and take everything day by day. I feel like it’s a lot I can work on.”

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Kathleen's Brendan Gant reflects on Polk County times, plays in Cheez-It Bowl