Bryan Addison’s only too happy to tell you he’s Serra’s next big thing in football

Wearing a red Gardena Serra sweat shirt and tan khaki shorts, Bryan Addison is walking around campus with a backpack. At 6 feet 5, 180 pounds, with curly black hair, he draws stares and smiles with each step. It’s easy to imagine the path he’s on.

Every Saturday and Sunday this fall, if you turn on the television to watch a football game, you’ll probably see a Serra grad scoring a touchdown or making a catch.

Quarterback Khalil Tate of Arizona has rushed for 230 yards and 327 yards in games the last two weeks. Deontay Burnett of USC has been the Trojans’ go-to receiver. Until a season-ending injury, tight end Caleb Wilson was Josh Rosen’s favorite target at UCLA.

In the NFL, Serra players have been on opposing teams for three consecutive weeks, including cornerback Adoree’ Jackson (Tennessee Titans) and receivers Robert Woods (Rams), Marqise Lee (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Paul Richardson (Seattle Seahawks).

“Serra has a great legacy of great players,” said Addison, a 17-year-old senior. “I can’t be the one who stops it. It makes me want to play harder to be like them one day.”

When Addison showed up as a 5-10 freshman, he didn’t look like a pro prospect, or even a college one.

“Being a small kid, I felt pretty regular,” he said.

He played freshman football, then for the junior varsity. But his body was changing.

“I used to sleep a lot and I guess the growth spurt happened,” he said.

Said assistant coach Jason Sands: “It was like he went to sleep one night and was 6-2 the next day.”

Described by Coach Scott Altenberg as having “ridiculous talent,” Addison now looks the part of a future star. Free safety was supposed to be his best position. The Cavaliers played him full time on defense to start this season and occasionally gave him a chance to play receiver. But his skills as a pass catcher have become so impressive that he has been playing more offense than defense.

Few teams have a player with his size and athleticism at receiver. He’s made one-handed catches, diving catches, leaping catches. He’s up to 34 receptions, with seven touchdowns. He’s part of an elite group of Serra receivers that includes John Jackson and Kobe Smith, who all have scholarship offers. Addison is looking at Nebraska, UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona and Michigan.

His father, Bryan Sr., was a quarterback at Chatsworth High and Hawaii in the 1980s. He has tried to instill an unyielding confidence and aggressiveness in Bryan Jr., though Altenberg has been working on Addison’s inclination to run his mouth a little too much during games.

“He definitely wears his emotions on his sleeves,” Altenberg said. “We got him a mouthpiece. He’s not allowed to take it out because he’ll talk and talk and talk.”

Said Addison: “I like to talk because I feel comfortable in myself. I feel I am the best player on the field and no one can stop me.”

Serra has a record of 4-3 overall, 3-1 in the Mission League going into a showdown with La Puente Bishop Amat on Friday at Serra. The Cavaliers will need Addison to come through on both sides of the ball.

There’s an expectation of success embraced by those who play for Serra. There’s a reason they portray themselves as the “home of champions.” Addison appears all in on living up to the Serra legacy.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com

Twitter: @latsondheimer