BREMOND – National Signing Day isn’t until February 1, but Bremond quarterback and four-star athlete Roshauud Paul signed with Texas A&M as an early-enrollee Wednesday afternoon. Paul has set records, claimed championships and won countless accolades during his tenure as the Tigers’ signal-caller, but now he begins a new chapter in College Station.
“Being a Bremond Tiger has taught me a lot,” Paul said following his special signing day ceremony. “Coming from a small town playing in front of 900 or so people to playing in front of 100,000 is definitely going to be different.”
Local legend
As Bremond’s starting quarterback the past three seasons, Paul was a perfect 47-0 behind center, leading the Tigers to three consecutive UIL 2A state championships from 2014-2016. For his career, Paul accumulated an astonishing 12,237 total yards of offense (6,341 rushing, 5,896 passing) and 176 touchdowns (107 rushing, 69 passing).
“Everybody that’s involved here knows the type of impact Roshauud’s had for himself, for Bremond, and for our school,” Bremond head football coach Jeff Kasowski said. “Division I scholarships don’t come often to schools our size and we’re just really proud of Roshauud for what he’s done. I know everybody in Bremond, and his family especially, is just really excited when he goes to A&M where this is going to head for him.”
Paul knows his achievements have impacted the quaint town of Bremond – population 918 – more than ever, bringing home the Tigers’ first state championship since 1981, while thrusting his school into the Texas high school football spotlight.
“It’s a huge deal for me coming from a small school. It’s a huge deal for me and the community,” Paul added. “I’m just glad I could put our name on the map.”
Bremond ISD Superintendent Daryl Stuard presented Paul with his diploma during the signing ceremony, jokingly telling the crowd “he’s alright” before handing it to Paul.
“Everybody’s proud of everything Roshauud’s done and [Paul’s teammates] don’t just consider him a teammate, they consider him a brother,” Stuard said. “Everybody’s going to miss him, but everybody’s going to be keeping an eye on him, too. We’re all expecting the best out of [Roshauud].”
Switching to slot
Looking ahead to his days in Aggieland, Paul reports to campus next Tuesday Jan. 10 with the other mid-term enrollees and will shift from quarterback to wide receiver.
His transition from playing small Texas high schools to competing in one of college football’s most daunting divisions will be no cakewalk, but Paul knows having the right mindset while focusing on improving his speed and physicality will help him moving forward.
“Those two aspects [speed and physicality] will definitely make me better transitioning from small school ball to the SEC,” Paul said. “Just having confidence, knowing your ability will make that easier. You can’t go in being scared. I’m going to go in knowing my ability and know what I can do and it’ll help me a lot.”
Paul has been committed to A&M since March 2016 and since then has never swayed from ending up anywhere else but College Station, picking the Aggies over former foes Oklahoma and Texas.
“Once Johnny came, I just kind of fell in love with Texas A&M. It was close to home and just a gut feeling so I just went with my gut,” Paul recalled of his recruitment decision. “At the time I was making my decision, I kind of was like [Oklahoma], but then A&M started to really grow on me so once I committed to A&M, it was A&M and really nobody else.”
Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine named Paul the 2016 ‘Mr. Texas Football’ in mid-December and Paul was awarded his trophy prior to A&M’s game against Kansas State at the Texas Bowl. The experience was one of awe for Paul, who received a great applause and a taste of what is to come.
“It felt amazing, the roar of the crowd, kind of felt a chill down my spine,” Paul said of receiving the trophy in front of the large A&M crowd. “It shows me that the Aggies are behind me and couldn’t be more appreciative.”
Paul is a key component of the 2017 signing class that is currently ranked in the top 10 across most recruiting sites. The class has been documented to already have strong chemistry and Paul believes they can help A&M take a step forward, believing the Aggies are headed in the right direction.
“We definitely want to make a positive impact. Be able to help these guys and help us get some wins and get over that 8-5 hump,” Paul concluded. “These guys are very humble and we think that we can come in and do great things and change the outcome of how we’ve been playing. I think we’re headed in the right direction. We have a talented group of guys, so I just look for the near future, we’ve got some good things coming.”
