Bradley Jr.’s Unique Background Perfect For WVU Defense With Chip On Their Shoulder
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va -- In our dreams, we all are quarterbacks, aren't we?
If you've ever squeezed a helmet onto your head; if you've ever peeked out from behind a facemask, you saw yourself as standing behind the center, barking out signals, reading the defense and then dropping back and arching a long pass into the arms of a streaking receiver for the game-winning touchdown.
But there are so few of us who experience the feeling that comes with it. It requires certain specific skills that so few have -- athleticism, speed, strength, mental acuity, leadership and thick enough skin to enjoy the highs and accept the lows that come with the position.
It is hard to imagine today, but Tyrin Bradley Jr. once was in such a position.
You have to look deeply to find that quarterback today, as he is a 6-2, nearly 260-pound Bandit linebacker/defensive end in his first year at West Virginia after transferring from Abilene Christian near his home in Lubbock, Texas, a key part of the defensive renaissance the Mountaineers are undergoing this year.
In high school, he was a two-way player: quarterback and defensive end.
"Until the point where I switched to defense, I thought I was going to be a college quarterback," he admitted on Monday as preparations began for the Mountaineers 8 p.m. game Saturday at Texas Tech.
"Going into my junior year I was behind a guy that was a little bit better than me at the time. I was so athletic my coaches just wanted to get me on the field, so they had the idea to put me out there on defense."
Little did he know that the move would get him a Power 5 scholarship and that what he learned at quarterback would be critical in giving him an edge at his new position.
There was a lot working against him along the way.
"After my junior year I built up a little bit of height for myself, so my senior year that was my primary position but I dealt with some injuries going into my senior year," he said.
That was also the height of the Covid pandemic, "so that played a big role in my recruiting," he said.
He wound up at Abilene Christian, not playing much his first year other than as a third-down pass rusher, then bursting onto the scene with a big sophomore year under former WVU defensive coordinator Keith Patterson, leading the team in sacks and tackles for a loss.
Now Power 5 schools were aware of him.
"I always knew I was a big-time football player and I could play big-time ball, so I decided to enter the portal to see where I would get the best opportunity. the best feel.," he explained.
And it was WVU that won him over.
"West Virginia let me know what position I would be in right away," he said. "I'm a pretty decisive person. I came here to visit with my grandmother and she felt at peace and I did, too."
Defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley saw him filling a need they had and didn't put any frills on the recruitment.
"Coach Lesley, he broke everything down for me and I had a great understanding of the defense. I felt I could help these guys do something big," Bradley said.
"There's only so far flash and flair carry you in the recruiting process," Lesley said. "It has to be a fit for everyone involved. At the end of the day, they are going to find out the truth. With me, it's the first day [that the cards are laid open on the table].
"They are going to find the truth, you're better off if they understand exactly what they are going to have to do."
He was seen as someone who could help make a difference, joining Jared Bartlett to improve the strong side pass rush, help in coverage and fight off tight ends in the run game.
"We are bringing you here for a reason. We're bringing you here to play. The faster that happens, the better that is for you and better for us. Then everybody's happy," Lesley said of his approach with transfers.
It happened as fast as anyone could have imagined, his debut in front of nearly 110,000 fans at Penn State.
"I'm not going to lie. After I saw all those people, I felt like 'Yeah, this is it,'" he said.
Two Saturdays later he was out there on Mountaineer Field before a sold-out crowd of crazies for the Backyard Brawl, making a key play near the end of the game to help clinch the victory.
"It was kind of surreal, my first collegiate sack at this level. I was pretty excited for it, but I expect to make those kinds of plays. That puts pressure on me, just like all the guys. We want pressure on us because we want to be the guy who makes the play.
"It was definitely an exciting moment for my teammates and myself to finish the game like that."
And, he says, his days as a quarterback helped pull it off.
"I feel like in some situations I read what's going on before it happens," he began. "When the ball is being snapped, as a quarterback you never want the ball unless you are comfortable with what you see, so when I'm rushing off the edge I'm looking to see if the quarterback gets comfortable. It says he likes what he sees and is ready to hike the ball. That gives me an edge, lets me get off the ball a little quicker.
"Just watching his eyes. He can be really nervous … they go to the line reading the safety's pre-snap, making their snap adjustments. I can kind of see when he's done reading where he wants to go and the play he has. You can see the relaxation in his shoulders or his hands; little tendencies I can pick up on because I was a quarterback."
With that quarterbacking in his background did, ever think maybe he could help when Garrett Greene went down?
"Ah, no," he said, flashing a big grin at the thought, before adding, "but I definitely was ready if they needed me."