Texas Tech University Athletics
New Face on the Field: Briley Weatherford
August 03, 2020 | Women's Soccer
One of the best center backs in the nation has been waiting four long years to step foot on this campus. Now, she's here. And she's ready to go.
This feature was originally published on Texas Tech Athletics' Exposure page. To read the complete story on Exposure, click here.
LUBBOCK, Texas — The Texas Tech coaching staff has a lot of pride in its defense, and for good reason: the Red Raiders have allowed the fewest goals in the Big 12 each of the last two years. There are a lot of critical components to a strong defense, and one of them is having smart, athletic, tough players at the center back position.
Enter: Briley Weatherford.
Weatherford is special. From the way she directs traffic with her voice to the way she shuts down attacking players with her speed and toughness. She is considered one of the top center back recruits not just in Texas but the entire country.
Tom Stone saw those abilities in Weatherford when she was just 14 years old playing in the U-16 Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) National Playoffs in San Diego.
Weatherford was excelling for the Dallas Sting's U-14 team as an eighth grader. Come nationals time the U-16s needed defenders, and she was called upon to play up two years above her age. Stone was in the bleachers watching. He was quick to reach out to her and, after a year of conversations with him, Weatherford committed to Tech as a freshman in high school.
"Texas Tech felt like home," Weatherford said. "Coach Stone made me feel like I was the best player he'd ever seen. I felt so important."
At the core of Stone's pitch was the fanbase she would have the opportunity to play in front of week in and week out.
"Texas Tech is the main event in Lubbock," Weatherford said. "Coach Stone told me that everyone here loves Tech and roots for their teams so passionately. I want that community. People are important to me and when he told me that it got me so excited."
Some would say committing as a freshman is too early, but Weatherford was quick to point out the benefits of receiving four years worth of advice and pointers from her future college coach before she even stepped foot on campus. Those benefits hardly need pointing out.
Weatherford dominated at Hebron High School, picking up recognition as a First Team All-American all four years. Though she's a center back by trade, her ability with the ball resulted in her playing forward in high school, where she scored 18 goals her senior year alone.
Her play at the club level, where she returned to her normal position, resulted in even more recognition. In 2017, Weatherford was named the ECNL's U-17 Player of the Year while helping the Sting to three straight nationals appearances. The following year, Weatherford was informed she would be rostered for the ECNL's Integrated National Camp in Portland. She, along with 39 others considered some of the best youth players in the nation, would play in exhibition matches and receive training from world renowned clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
"The competition was beyond anything I've ever played in my life," Weatherford said. "It was the best of the best, and I was very proud to be playing with and around those girls.
"It's easy to be intimidated by the competition there," she continued. "But being invited and playing well helped my confidence a ton."
Nearing the end of her four-year wait to get to Lubbock, Weatherford gained yet another resource to help prepare her for life as a Red Raider: her sister.
Six years prior, Briley watched her older sister, Brittany, win a Class 6A state title with Hebron as a freshman. While Briley began picking up All-America status wearing her sister's old jersey, Brittany began playing at Tulsa. After her freshman year with the Golden Hurricane, the elder of the sisters transferred into Tech in 2018, where she played for one season.
Brittany was able to give her younger sister a valuable glimpse into the fitness required of a Red Raider soccer player.
"Brittany told me I've got to be ready," said Briley. "She said, 'You're going to have to come here and work hard and be confident in yourself. You have to go in with everything you have.'"
Brittany also talked up what Briley has been so excited to experience: the culture.
"She told me how welcoming the girls were," Briley said. "About how great the coaches are. She really made me even more excited to come here."
Four years later, Weatherford is ecstatic to finally make it to the campus she has been waiting to arrive at for what seems like an eternity.
"I have so much pent up excitement," said Weatherford. "I have been waiting to get here for so long. You get a lot of attention when you commit as a freshman and that's nice, but then you have to wait a year —then another year and another year. Now that I'm finally here, it feels unreal. I've been waiting for this for so many years. I'm ready to go."
LUBBOCK, Texas — The Texas Tech coaching staff has a lot of pride in its defense, and for good reason: the Red Raiders have allowed the fewest goals in the Big 12 each of the last two years. There are a lot of critical components to a strong defense, and one of them is having smart, athletic, tough players at the center back position.
Enter: Briley Weatherford.
Weatherford is special. From the way she directs traffic with her voice to the way she shuts down attacking players with her speed and toughness. She is considered one of the top center back recruits not just in Texas but the entire country.
Tom Stone saw those abilities in Weatherford when she was just 14 years old playing in the U-16 Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) National Playoffs in San Diego.
Weatherford was excelling for the Dallas Sting's U-14 team as an eighth grader. Come nationals time the U-16s needed defenders, and she was called upon to play up two years above her age. Stone was in the bleachers watching. He was quick to reach out to her and, after a year of conversations with him, Weatherford committed to Tech as a freshman in high school.
"Texas Tech felt like home," Weatherford said. "Coach Stone made me feel like I was the best player he'd ever seen. I felt so important."
At the core of Stone's pitch was the fanbase she would have the opportunity to play in front of week in and week out.
"Texas Tech is the main event in Lubbock," Weatherford said. "Coach Stone told me that everyone here loves Tech and roots for their teams so passionately. I want that community. People are important to me and when he told me that it got me so excited."
Some would say committing as a freshman is too early, but Weatherford was quick to point out the benefits of receiving four years worth of advice and pointers from her future college coach before she even stepped foot on campus. Those benefits hardly need pointing out.
Weatherford dominated at Hebron High School, picking up recognition as a First Team All-American all four years. Though she's a center back by trade, her ability with the ball resulted in her playing forward in high school, where she scored 18 goals her senior year alone.
Her play at the club level, where she returned to her normal position, resulted in even more recognition. In 2017, Weatherford was named the ECNL's U-17 Player of the Year while helping the Sting to three straight nationals appearances. The following year, Weatherford was informed she would be rostered for the ECNL's Integrated National Camp in Portland. She, along with 39 others considered some of the best youth players in the nation, would play in exhibition matches and receive training from world renowned clubs Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
"The competition was beyond anything I've ever played in my life," Weatherford said. "It was the best of the best, and I was very proud to be playing with and around those girls.
"It's easy to be intimidated by the competition there," she continued. "But being invited and playing well helped my confidence a ton."
Nearing the end of her four-year wait to get to Lubbock, Weatherford gained yet another resource to help prepare her for life as a Red Raider: her sister.
Six years prior, Briley watched her older sister, Brittany, win a Class 6A state title with Hebron as a freshman. While Briley began picking up All-America status wearing her sister's old jersey, Brittany began playing at Tulsa. After her freshman year with the Golden Hurricane, the elder of the sisters transferred into Tech in 2018, where she played for one season.
Brittany was able to give her younger sister a valuable glimpse into the fitness required of a Red Raider soccer player.
"Brittany told me I've got to be ready," said Briley. "She said, 'You're going to have to come here and work hard and be confident in yourself. You have to go in with everything you have.'"
Brittany also talked up what Briley has been so excited to experience: the culture.
"She told me how welcoming the girls were," Briley said. "About how great the coaches are. She really made me even more excited to come here."
Four years later, Weatherford is ecstatic to finally make it to the campus she has been waiting to arrive at for what seems like an eternity.
"I have so much pent up excitement," said Weatherford. "I have been waiting to get here for so long. You get a lot of attention when you commit as a freshman and that's nice, but then you have to wait a year —then another year and another year. Now that I'm finally here, it feels unreal. I've been waiting for this for so many years. I'm ready to go."
Players Mentioned
Defender
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