Magnolia's Brager More Than Just Football

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AJHANE BRAGER, Magnolia Football

Much More Than Just a Football Player

By Austin Staton

Standing at 6-foot-5, Magnolia’s Ajhane Brager commands an intimidating presence on the gridiron. Weighing in at 290-pounds, the senior standout is a two-way threat inside the trenches with ability to line up on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Although his Bulldogs have struggled at times on the field, college coaches have quickly taken notice of his athletic skillset and the tools that he possesses when the lights shine down on him each Friday night. Currently holding an offer from Kansas State, Brager has been gaining interest from Kevin Sumlin and the Texas A&M Aggies and traditional SEC power, Arkansas.

On the football field he constantly goes to battle with his football family throughout the week in both practice and during games.

But for Brager, there is much more to life than just football. Off the gridiron he is devoted to both his faith and his family, including his 13-year-old brother Aziah who is challenged with cerebral palsy – a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions, such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking. 

“I play for him each time I’m out on the field,” says Brager of his younger brother. “I come from an athletic family with parents that were both athletes, and I know he’d be out there playing too if it wasn’t for cerebral palsy.”

Although Magnolia hasn’t strung together a winning season since 2008, Brager says that he uses his brother as a motivating factor each time he laces up his cleats to prepare for battle with his football family. He furthers that it helps that he has a close-knit team that truly has each other’s back.

“In a school that has more than 1,100 males, we only have 44 men on the varsity squad,” he says. “We’ve had our fair share of tough times but we still stick together and take it one game at a time.”

For Brager, that makes all the difference in the world. Life is bigger than football, and Brager and his Bulldogs embrace that.