ARDEN — Christ School football's Brayden Crain is the nicest guy on campus.
At least that's how Christ School football coach Clint Alexander describes him.
The 6-foot-5, 242-pound tight end is easy to spot.
But Alexander said Crain's imposing frame doesn't tell you much about the person walking around inside it.
Away from the field, Alexander has seen the Power Four Class of 2028 recruit open doors for people, help his classmates, and even push in chairs in the dining hall — chairs that weren't his to push in.
"He's like Santa Claus in pads," Alexander said.
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No apologies necessary
Crain has never
been particularly interested in drawing attention to himself. In fact, when his mother first met Alexander, the first thing she did was apologize for her son's quietness.
Alexander quickly learned there wasn't anything to apologize for.
Crain doesn't need to say much to make an impression.
Only four weeks into his time at Christ School after transferring from Brevard this offseason, Crain had already earned a place on the football program's leadership committee.
Each player votes for three teammates to serve as leaders. The players who receive the most support become captains, while a second group of younger or newer players who receive significant votes make up the leadership committee.
Alexander uses the group as a sort of leadership development program. Committee members work alongside the captains, learning from them while taking on their own leadership responsibilities.
Crain was one of those players.
At first, Alexander was concerned about how little Crain spoke. Then he read the reasons his teammates gave for choosing him.
"His was always leads by example, always helping other people, always sitting with people that are by themselves," Alexander said.
Why Brayden Crain keeps attention on teammates, not himself
For Crain, that kind of leadership doesn't require much explanation.
"Making others feel involved is very big to me," he said.
Senior linebacker and captain Logan Woolsey has seen Crain put that philosophy into practice.
Woolsey has watched Crain take time during practice to work with younger players, helping them through drills and investing in their development.
"Just for him to take the time out of his day and out of practice to put in that intentional work with them to help make them better, to invest in the future, it means a lot," Woolsey said. "It really shows how much he cares about the team and about the development of younger guys."
Woolsey has also seen Crain sit with teammates who are by themselves at lunch.
It's a simple gesture, but one that has made an impression on his teammates.
"It's just that look," Woolsey said. "It raises the standard of a room. Any room he walks into instantly becomes better because people see what he does and feel like they need to raise themselves to that standard."
Crain's actions have carried over onto the football field, too.
Brayden Crain's impact has been immediate for Christ School footbal
He has helped the Greenies start the season 3-0 and has been an integral part of an offense that's averaging 46 points. He has caught four passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns while also playing an important role as a blocker in the running game.
This offseason, he picked up Power Four offers from Wake Forest and North Carolina, along with Division I offers from Georgia Southern and Miami (Ohio).
But even as Crain's football profile has grown, he remains humble.
Especially after he scores.
"When he scores, he's a lot like Barry Sanders," Alexander said. "There isn't any celebration. He gets a first down. He's not doing the first down thing. When he scores, he's looking to hand the ball to a ref."
Crain said that's simply who he has always been.
"I've never been much of a celebratory person," he said.
So when Crain scored one of his two touchdowns against East Rutherford and actually high-fived a teammate, Alexander and the coaching staff took notice.
"We're like, 'Oh my God, he's going crazy,'" Alexander said.
The coaching staff's reaction was only partly serious.
"When we saw the high-five, we're like, 'Oh, he's gotten corrupted,'" Alexander said. "It was one, kind of half-hearted, and then he kept walking."
That's Crain.
Even with his size, his growing list of college offers and his place as one of the Greenies' emerging leaders, he doesn't seem interested in being the center of attention.
He'd rather help a younger teammate. Sit with someone who's alone. Push in a chair that isn't his.
And when the football is in his hands, he'd rather give it back to the referee than celebrate after a touchdown.
"I'm such a big figure that I don't got to say too much," Crain said. "I just do the right thing, and people tend to follow."
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
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This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: How Brayden Crain became a leader without saying much for Christ School football
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