“We’re gonna have 16 returning starters this year, so I’m very happy with the progress we’re making this offseason,” said Bradley, who also plays basketball and runs track for the Wildcats. “There’ll be a lot of upperclassmen playing so I feel like we should be able to win state this year.”
The Wildcats have come one win short of playing for the state championship in Division I the past two seasons, but with Bradley leading the defense and quarterback Te’Sean Smoot among the key returnees on offense, they hope to break through this year.
“Coach (Maurice Douglass) always talks about like it’s a process,” Bradley said. “So we’ve been just proceeding every year making progress and we feel like this year, we should be able to do it.”
In the meantime, Bradley will be figuring out where he wants to play college football.
The 6-foot, 185-pound safety is a three-star prospect at this point in the recruiting cycle but could move up with a big summer.
He could also add to a scholarship offer list that already includes 22 teams, including Cincinnati, Kentucky, Arizona State, Iowa State, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Princeton, Harvard and Dartmouth as well as Miami (Ohio) and multiple other MAC school.
Improving his profile should be easier this summer than it was last year when the NCAA shutdown in-person recruiting at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That forced coaches and prospects to get to know each other via phone calls, texts and video calls.
“It’s been very difficult dealing with the like the Zoom-based recruiting because of the pandemic because like growing up I’ve always played with teammates that are older than me and they always talk about how good the recruiting is, like visiting and talking to the coaches and stuff like that,” Bradley said.
While a full return to normal recruiting is not set to come until June 1, Bradley got a head start last weekend with a trip to Columbus for the Ohio State spring game.
“It felt great going on campus and seeing the fans and just the players’ energy,” he said.
Ohio State has not offered him a scholarship yet, but the Buckeyes are actively recruiting the player who led the GWOC in interceptions (six) and was fourth in tackles (66) last season.
“They tell me that they’re very interested in me and they love my film and they love who I am,” said Bradley, who has maintained contact with area recruiter Kevin Wilson, defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and secondary coach Matt Barnes. “We’ve been building a relationship since last year when the pandemic first started.”
As is frequently the case with in-state recruits, Ohio State has expressed an interest in getting to see Bradley in person at camp before they might extend an official offer.
Bradley, who is interested in studying law in college, will have plenty of great options both athletically and academically whether or not the Buckeyes do eventually offer.
At this point, he said his recruitment is wide open, and he is planning to hit multiple camps this summer looking for the right fit.
“I feel like I’ve been blessed with a lot of opportunities, and I feel like with camps and stuff opening up that I should be able to get some more opportunities” he said.
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