Southlake Carroll star builds legacy among football program’s all-time greats
Throughout the past five decades, plenty of talented receivers have worn Southlake Carroll’s Dragon green.
In a program known for its high-powered offense, that’s to be expected. In the past two seasons, senior Brock Boyd has added his name to that exclusive list of program greats.
When asked about Boyd’s status as one of Carroll’s best, head coach Riley Dodge promptly responded:
“Absolutely,” he said. “He is definitely on the Mount Rushmore of wide receivers to have played here, and we’ve got some really good ones. He is a complete football player. He is one of the best to have walked through our hallways.”
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Boyd said that praise from Dodge means the world. How could it not? After moving to the Southlake area in sixth grade, he has spent time daydreaming about scoring touchdowns for Dragon football.
“I was kind of always looking up to those guys that were playing on Friday nights,” Boyd said.
Now, the roles are reversed, and Boyd is the one that other students and kids in Southlake strive to be. Boyd, a coach’s kid who has been around football his entire life, said it’s a dream come true.
“My earliest memories are on the football fields, being on the sidelines,” Boyd said. “So, I’d say when I was really young, just being around Friday Night Lights, that’s really when I fell in love with the game.”
Fast-forward to his senior year, and Boyd plays for the No. 1-ranked team in Class 6A Texas high school football with staggering confidence and profound joy. On Friday, he tallied a team-high 139 yards and two touchdowns in a 72-7 area-round win over San Angelo Central.
His numbers have been eye-popping. As a sophomore, Boyd tallied 825 receiving yards. Last season, he exploded with 1,910 total yards and 20 touchdowns, leading a short-handed, young Dragons squad to the Class 6A Division II state championship game.
He was named a MaxPreps All-American, a Star-Telegram All-Area First Team selection and the District 4-6A Offensive Player of the Year.
Back then, he was still committed to TCU. Now, he is pledged to Ohio State, the defending national champion.
In 2025, Boyd returned as one of the highest-profile wide receivers in Dallas-Fort Worth, a hotbed for talent. Despite his many accolades, 247Sports has him ranked as a three-star recruit, No. 110 overall in Texas.
David “D-Rob” Robinson, a high-profile receiver coach and one of Boyd’s trainers, said that Boyd should definitely be a four-star.
Boyd doesn’t seem to care too much about stars and rankings, though.
“I try not to pay attention to that,” Boyd said. “I’m really just focused on us in the locker room, Carroll Dragon football. Rankings are rankings. There have been countless times that they’ve been wrong about players. But, you know, I think it’s just being focused on my game, and the rest of it will take care of itself.”
Boyd’s talents are elite, but Robinson emphasized that being a student of the game separates the good and the great.
“He is savvy route runner,” Robinson said. “He is very smart. A lot of people don’t know how smart he is. He can get on the board, draw up route concepts and explain why he is doing certain things. He knows how to sit in certain zones. A lot of kids don’t think like that — pre-snap read, knowing what you’re going to do if you’re going to get the ball or not, or what you’ve got to do to make another receiver open.”
His production has been steadily elite within what’s arguably the most talented, versatile receiver room in Texas. Ahead of a regional round clash with Prosper at 7 p.m. Friday at Choctaw Stadium, he has 1,145 yards and 15 TDs.
Confidence in preparation
In a Sept. 19 game against Euless Trinity, Boyd became Carroll’s all-time receiving yard leader relatively early into his senior season. Despite stuffing the stat sheet, Boyd said he just wants to be someone younger Dragons can look up to.
“I want them to strive to be like me,” Boyd said. “I think I’ve set a standard, set a legacy that people can follow.”
Boyd knows what he is capable of.
To teammate Blake Gunter, also a wide receiver, having that mentality is all about his approach — he has seen it time and time again.
Gunter said it’s confidence, but at the same time, it’s having a burning desire to work, help teammates and improve.
“Every day he comes in and just knows that he is that guy,” Gunter said. “And he is going to work.”
As a coach’s kid, putting in work that goes above and beyond is a common expectation. Kris Boyd, Brock Boyd’s father, is Carroll’s wide receivers coach. Brady Boyd, his brother, is a receiver at Utah State.
Brock Boyd said having his dad as a coach is “fun but grueling.”
“Just because he’s hard on me,” he said. “But, you know, we kind of leave football alone when we get to the house, but when we talk ball, it’s a lot of fun.”
Doing whatever it takes
Although Boyd’s main task is to catch passes from quarterback Angelo Renda, a Pitt pledge, he has proven that he’ll play whatever role necessary to bring back a win.
In a bi-district game against Crowley, he spent time guarding receiver Antayvious Ellis, a three-star Nebraska pledge, and he also returned a punt for a TD.
“I get to learn receiver from a different position,” Boyd said of the defensive back experience. “So, I kind of understand how DBs think. It helps with receiver, and then receiver helps me with DB.”
Catching passes and scoring TDs is obviously his main strength, but his speed and competitiveness can help contain top threats in situational defensive football.
Renda said he wasn’t surprised Boyd could flip to defense.
“He is obviously a phenomenal athlete,” Renda said. “He has wanted to play DB for the longest time. Coach finally let him do it. He has always been punt returning. ... We always know he is going to be an explosive player and get him on all three sides of the ball. It’s phenomenal. Ohio State got a dog for sure.”
After that performance, Dodge called him “the ultimate competitor.”
“He is a guy that wants the ball,” Dodge said. “He is a guy who wants the ball. And we’ve been working the last several weeks ... with him on defense and situational stuff. He is just one of those guys you want on the field more times. Good things are going to happen.”
Leading the Dragons
Boyd has earned the respect of his teammates during his time as a Dragon, Gunter said. They’ve seen his meticulous approach to his craft and the high bar that he sets.
“He is a hard worker,” Gunter said. “He pushes everybody. He makes everyone around him better. At practice, he is definitely bringing the energy. He is just one of those guys you want to be around. I’ve learned a lot from him over the years. He’s taught me everything.”
The respect shared allows Boyd to push the Dragons in the right direction. If he sees teammates slacking off during workouts, he’ll let them know, Gunter said.
“He is straightforward,” Gunter said. “He is not scared to tell you what you did wrong. He’s not scared to tell you what you did right, either. He is just one of those guys that is straightforward.”
“When I see that we’re not holding the standard, they’ve kind of given me the green light, but it’s all out of love,” Boyd said. “I’m never going to talk to a kid out of hatred. But, I mean, it’s just because I know the standard that they can hold.”
The expectations are always extraordinarily high in Southlake. Ahead of the season, Boyd told the Star-Telegram the loss to Austin Vandegrift in the 2024 state championship game left a bad taste in his mouth. He finished with 178 receiving yards on 13 receptions, a UIL state record, but also had a costly fumble.
To get back to the grand stage at AT&T Stadium, Boyd knows he has to focus on the moment.
“I think it’s just day by day,” Boyd said. “That’s something we talked about in our field house. Just being where your feet are at. We’re not worried about anything else. ... It’s just saying grounded and taking it one day at a time.”
Prosper, arguably the biggest roadblock remaining in the Class 6A Division II bracket, is next up.
“I think it’s going to be a good matchup,” Boyd said. “Really solid offense, and our defense has been playing lights out. So I think it’s gonna be a great game, watching them two battle, and then we got to step up for our defense. Be there for them.”
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