Meet the Cardinal: Brandt-Sims

STANFORD, Calif. - Isaiah Brandt-Sims had a rough start in life. He was born three months premature and weighed 2 pounds, 6 ounces.

Brandt-Sims spent nearly three months in the intensive care unit. Doctors told his mother he might be blind or suffer other complications.

“I call him my miracle baby,” said his mother, Tracy, an attorney, who was attending law school at the time. “He came home on a tank of oxygen.”

Now a freshman wide receiver at Stanford, Brandt-Sims proved to be a fighter and is making the most out of life. He doesn’t remember much about his early health struggles.

“I think when I was 10 or 11, Mom got out a couple of baby pictures and I was super, super small and I had all these tubes in me,” he said. “I’m lucky to be alive.”

Born in Spokane, Wash., Brandt-Sims grew up in Wenatchee, located in the north-central part of the state and better known as the “Apple Capital of the World” for its abundant orchards. And while the area is known for its apples, Brandt-Sims’ athletic accomplishments are legendary.

During his three-year varsity football career at Wenatchee High, he accumulated more than 5,000 all-purpose yards and set school records for rushing attempts (513), rushing yards (3,740), rushing touchdowns (41) and touchdowns (52). He produced 20 100-yard rushing games and ranks second all-time in receptions with 77 for 1,076 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Despite sitting out the second half of several games his senior year because the team was winning big, the 5-foot-11, 175-pounder ran for 1,240 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Brandt-Sims was a two-time league MVP and was named a top-10 Washington recruit by Scout, Rivals, ESPN, while 247Sports selected him the 31st-best athlete in the nation.

He also excelled in track. Brandt-Sims is a four-time 4A 100-meter and 200-meter dash state champion. His top times are 10.48 in the 100 and 21.24 in the 200.

“Isaiah is extremely humble and soft-spoken,” said Scott Devereaux, his high school football coach. “He is kind and courteous to everyone he meets. I suppose you could say he’s the best-ever athlete from our school.”

Last year, Brandt-Sims played running back in a spread offense.

“I just like having the ball. Period,” he said.

And he is elusive.

“When he was a sophomore, he was lined up as a slot receiver,” Devereaux said. “We threw him a bubble screen. Instead of catching it and heading up the sideline, he ran to the ball, caught it, and then ran across the field and formation. He must have avoided eight tacklers and went about 50 yards for a touchdown when he should have been tackled for a loss.”

Brandt-Sims started attending Stanford football camps during his freshman year in high school and knows his way around campus. He knew instantly The Farm is where is where he wanted to be “because of how well they balance education and have one of the best football teams in the country,” he said. “After talking to the coaches and seeing how the whole program was set up, I was just amazed.”

He said the best part of playing high school football was the camaraderie.

“It was a blast,” Brandt-Sims said. “I really loved the team aspect. We had a core group of seniors and were all really good friends. It was fun to play our senior year together.”

Brandt-Sims said his biggest adjustment to college football has been absorbing a more complicated offense.

“I definitely feel more comfortable,” he said. “But I still have a lot to learn.”

Brandt-Sims is leaning toward computer science as a major and enjoys managing web sites and creating apps, but is open to the possibilities. He loves being part of such a diverse and driven student body that want to change to the world.

“It’s pretty incredible,” said Brandt-Sims.

After spending several weeks with football players in a dorm during preseason camp, he was excited to move into a new dorm in mid-September with other freshmen.

“I think it’s pretty cool, and different than most colleges,” he said. “And I like that. You get to meet more people. Every year when you move, you make new friends and get to talk to people and get different perspective on life.”

His mother has her own.

“He’s a pretty amazing kid,” she said. “He is nothing short of a miracle.”