Brunswick sophomore Nigel Gardner has been an explosive element to their offensive attack in 2024. With the longest touchdown of Week 4, Gardner’s 10.77 100m time was tested by running almost the full length of the field in a 90-yard touchdown run.
As a freshman, Gardner showcased a lot of potential as he slowly garnered reps on the varsity. With a little experience under his belt, the sophomore’s expectations were still unknown; at least from his perspective.
“My sophomore season is going a lot better than what I expected, but I still have room for improvement. I currently don’t know my stats, but both of my long touchdown runs came from 2 out of the 3 games we had this year,” he said.
Gardner has legit speed, especially for a sophomore. The speedster can hit a 2nd gear once into the 2nd level of the defense and consistently catches the defense off guard. Run him off tackle, let the blocks set, and watch Gardner blow by the pursuit – it almost seems too easy.
For the remainder of the season, Gardner said he would like to achieve one goal.
“I want to rush for over 100 yards a game,” he said.
The sophomore believes his physicality and mental toughness have been a breakthrough in his development. He credited that shift in his mentality as a major contributor to the early season success.
“What I improved with myself from last year is my confidence, and not to fear the opponent in front of me,” Gardner said.
With true breakaway speed on the field, Gardner possesses the skill set that excites college evaluators. While his recruitment continues to be under the radar, we believe Gardner’s college attention will grow, especially as Brunswick finds more ways to get him the football.
The potential for a big play is seemingly imminent, so more should be on the horizon. There is no better place to find highlight plays than here, so be sure to follow @RecruitGeorgia on Twitter/X to hear the latest on the sophomore and athletes across the state.
