Why Raleigh Texada, Younger Brother of TCU CB, Committed to Baylor

When Frisco, Texas, cornerback Raleigh Texada saw his older brother, TCU cornerback Ranthony Texada II , commit on July 16, 2012, he knew that experience was something he wanted for himself when the time was right.

March 5 was Raleigh's big day, and when the announcement officially dropped, it did two things.

It made Baylor fans extremely happy, and it made fans of college football rivalries scratch their heads.

Raleigh Texada, the athlete with the big brother making his name for himself as a shutdown corner for TCU, committed to the Horned Frogs' biggest budding rival, Baylor.

Wait, what? Why? How?

How?!

"I get that a lot," Raleigh said. "but it's probably more from the fans of the schools than anything. It's not from my brother. He was the first one happy for me."

Credit: Ranthony Texada I

While the TCU-Baylor rivalry is a big deal to fans of the Horned Frogs and Bears (it'll be relived on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas), the Texada brothers see things differently in their household. Both schools were big in recruiting Ranthony, and TCU ultimately won the recruiting efforts. Raleigh was recruited by TCU but was never offered.

Baylor, on the other hand, put an offer on the table. Consider Raleigh's commitment an opportunity to show what he's made of at the next level.

And consider everybody in the family happy for Raleigh. Even those who have become TCU fans because of his older brother.

"The thing about Raleigh is, he was a kid who was always compared to his big brother," said Ranthony Texada I, the father of the brothers. "A lot of people said he was just trying to follow in his big brother's path, but he had big shoes to fill with his brother being [high school] all-state and [a second-team freshman] All-American.

"I told Raleigh to just be who you are to where you can achieve some of the same goals, but not come across it the same way. He went out and put in the work. He got his speed up, lived in the weight room and became something no one thought he could be."

The younger Texada shined as a defensive back and special teams returner and made it routine to play on an island for Centennial High School. He finished the season with 40 tackles, two interceptions and six pass deflections, according to MaxPreps.com. He also scored five touchdowns during the season—three as a punt returner, one off an interception and one on offense as a rusher.

"I'm a playmaker," Raleigh said. "I go out and take care of my assignment. All year, I've locked down my side of the field [at cornerback] and played special teams as a punt returner. On kick returns, nobody kicked to me. On the field, I feel like I can make big-time plays at the next level."

His ability to be an electric athlete reminds a lot of people of Ranthony II, who had nearly 20 offers out of high school. Ranthony II currently is recovering from a season-ending knee injury in September against SMU. Before that, he was a reliable member of the secondary who started all 13 games as a redshirt freshman for the Horned Frogs' Peach Bowl-winning squad last season.

Raleigh played well enough in high school to earn offers from Baylor, Washington, Purdue, Duke and Cal. TCU liked Raleigh but not enough to offer him. He never took it personally; if anything, he used it as motivation.

"I went to a camp there going into my junior year," Raleigh said of TCU. "They really never showed any interest. They never really recruited me, but Baylor did. My brother likes Baylor for how they recruited me."

Ranthony I added: "Baylor jumped on Raleigh early. TCU saw Ranthony at a camp and spent a lot of time on him. I told Baylor if they really like Raleigh, spend a lot of time with him. They didn't leave any stones unturned. Now, Raleigh's grown into someone they're very excited about."

Recruited by both linebackers coach Jim Gush and cornerbacks coach Carlton Buckels, Raleigh finished his high school as a three-year varsity football player. The 5'11", 165-pound athlete also is a standout sprinter for the Centennial track and field team. He's advanced to regional competition as a sprinter and has a personal-best time in the 100-meter dash of 10.54 seconds.

Raleigh said having the opportunity to run track also played in his decision to choose. But when asked about the primary reason for his choice, he pointed to the coaching staff, led by head coach Art Briles.

"I feel like he's a real player's coach," he said. "He's really cool; I like him a lot. My family loves him and the whole coaching staff. I've built good relationships with all the coaches."

Raleigh is excited about the future and putting on a Baylor uniform. But just because he looks up to his big brother doesn't mean he's ready to give the rival team as many losses as possible.

"It is a rivalry, and they do take shots at each other," Ranthony I said. "They love each other, but they've criticized each other based on the Baylor-TCU thing. I hate it as a dad, but it's in their blood. Plus, with a lot of my family, TCU is their first love because of Ranthony. They're slowly transitioning into liking Baylor, too, because of Raleigh."

Credit: 247Sports.com

As the Horned Frogs prepare to host the Bears on Friday, expect the brothers to root for their respective teams. But for 364 out of 365 days a year, look for them to be each other's biggest fans.

Look, also, for Raleigh to become the best he can be. To him, it's all about making a name for himself, rather than being known as the little brother of the TCU standout.

"I'll be rooting for Baylor, and he'll be rooting for TCU," Raleigh said of his brother. "I know he wants TCU to win bad, too. But at the end of the day, I know that he's excited for me and has nothing but love for me."

Ranthony I added: "The love they've shown for each other, I can't ask for anything more. My dream as their father is to have TCU and Baylor line up with both of my boys on the field at the same time."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles