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Ole Miss has added 2022 walk-on QB Braden Waterman. His journey to Oxford however was not easy

GGtKuYqW4AAo-ITby: Zach Berry05/04/22Zach_Berry

Bakersfield Christian (Calif.) quarterback Braden Waterman announced on Tuesday that he would be committing to Ole Miss and walking on for the 2022 season.

Waterman received interest from Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, Nevada, Oregon State and California but ultimately chose to walk-on at Ole Miss thanks to his relationship with offensive assistant Seth Doege.

The 2022 prospect had a banner senior year in 2021, throwing for 3,027 yards and 41 touchdowns. Waterman and his teammates finished the year with a South Yosemite District title and a 10-4 overall record. But before he was battling opponents on the field, Waterman was enduring the toughest battle of all.

Stage 3B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

The California quarterback was diagnosed in January of 2020 following a game where he struggled to focus and had a fever. Later, he went to a children’s hospital in Fresno, Calif., to have some tests run and received the unfortunate news.

Waterman underwent four months of chemotherapy and miraculously, despite losing close to 30 pounds, defeated cancer. Twice.

And now after missing a year of high school football and battling back from cancer to finish his prep career, Waterman is headed to Oxford, Miss., to play for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.