Brian Battie (born September 27, 2001) is an American college football running back and return specialist for the Auburn Tigers. He has previously played for the South Florida Bulls.
| Auburn Tigers – No. 21 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back, Return specialist |
| Class | Senior |
| Major | Liberal Arts |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 27, 2001 Sarasota, Florida |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 168 lb (76 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
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| High school | Sarasota (Sarasota, Florida) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Early life
editBattie grew up in Sarasota, Florida and initially attended Braden River High School. He transferred to Sarasota High School after his freshman year and rushed for 1,227 yards and 19 touchdowns on 136 attempts as a sophomore.[1] Battie transferred back to Braden River before his junior year and gained 2,133 yards on 246 carries with 28 rushing touchdowns.[2] He transferred again and returned to Sarasota High School for his senior year and rushed for 1,182 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.[3] Battie committed to play college football at South Florida over offers from Kansas State, Cincinnati, UConn, Akron, Buffalo, Middle Tennessee State, Northern Illinois, Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern.[4]
College career
editBattie rushed for 332 yards and one touchdown on 46 carries as a freshman.[5] He rushed for 102 yards on 15 carries with one touchdown in the final game of the season against rival UCF in a 58–46 loss.[6] Battie rushed 324 yards and one touchdown during his sophomore season. He was named a first team All-American as a return specialist by the Football Writers Association of America and the Walter Camp Foundation and was a second team selection by the Sporting News after returning 20 kickoffs for 650 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were on 100-yard returns.[7]
On January 9, 2023, Battie announced that he was transferring to Auburn.[8]
On January 1, 2024, Battie announced that he would be entering the transfer portal for the second time.[9] However, on January 9, he would withdraw his name from the transfer portal.[10]
Personal life
editOn May 18, 2024, Battie was involved in a shootout in his hometown of Sarasota. His older brother, Tommie Battie IV, was fatally shot in the altercation and would die from his injuries. Battie was transported to the hospital in critical condition with multiple injuries.[11]
References
edit- ^ "RETURN PERFORMANCE". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. August 23, 2018. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Kohn, Ryan (August 8, 2019). "Sarasota Athlete of the Week: Brian Battie". Sarasota Observer. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "RECRUITING: Battie, Collins and Shrader among those who sign on dotted line". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Dill, Jason (April 17, 2019). "After running for more than 2,100 yards, Braden River High star makes college commitment". The Bradenton Herald. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "Not even a broken foot can slow USF's Brian Battie". Tampa Bay Times. November 11, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ Kohn, Ryan (June 30, 2021). "Prose and Kohn: Sarasota college athletes had big 2020-2021 seasons". Sarasota Observer. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ "BATTIE EARNS FWAA FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICA HONORS". GoUSFBulls.com. December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
- ^ Green, Tom (January 9, 2023). "Former All-American, USF running back transfer commits to Auburn". al. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ Rudolph, Justin (January 1, 2024). "Auburn running back Brian Battie enters transfer portal". On3.com. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ Lee, Ainslie (January 9, 2024). "Auburn running back, return specialist Brian Battie withdraws from transfer portal". AL.com. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Low, Chris (May 20, 2024). "Auburn's Battie hurt, brother dead in shooting". ESPN. Retrieved May 21, 2024.