PSU Offers Rising JUCO OL

Penn State became the latest program to extend a scholarship offer to junior college offensive lineman TJ Bradley on Tuesday.

Listed at 6-foot-8, 288 pounds, Bradley pursued basketball while attending Tuscarora High School in his hometown of Leesburg, Va. It wasn’t until the end of his senior year - he graduated high school in 2015 - that he realized football could be an option in college. Eventually, Bradley ended up at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., enrolling in spring 2016, but since he had basically no experience on the gridiron, Falcon head coach Mark Duda decided that it would be best to redshirt Bradley, who, at the time, was planning to play along the defensive line.

However, once their staff got him into their system for a year, it became clear that Bradley’s size and quickness would suit him best at offensive tackle. That became clear for everyone to see over the past month, as it took just a few practices this spring to grab the attention of Division I programs all across the country.

“He’s an excellent athlete,” said Lackawanna offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Josh Pardini. “Basketball is a sport that translates to football. That’s what he played throughout high school and you can tell from his footwork. For someone his size, his movement and quick steps are excellent. When you pair that with his length, he’s an unbelievable pass protector.

“I’ll never forget the first few days we got him in the weight room (this spring). It took us a day to get him comfortable in his stance, but the next day we were working on his pass protection and I immediately called Coach Duda to tell him that we’re on to something here. He picked it up really quickly for someone that hasn’t really played any football. He played a little bit his freshman year in high school, but that’s it. He’s very strong, too. He can already rep 225 (pounds) 20 times on the bench. He’s squatting over 400 pounds at 6-foot-8 and he power cleans and hang cleans over 300 pounds.”

Despite the fact that he still hasn’t played a game in college, Bradley’s spring practice film caught the eye of coaches across the region earlier this month. In just a matter of weeks, he picked up offers from Cincinnati, UConn, Maryland, Minnesota, Syracuse and West Virginia. Penn State also took notice, which is why they hosted Bradley this past weekend for the Blue-White Game.

“Well, seeing that stadium and how big it is, that immediately stood out to me,” Bradley said. “Also, I thought their coaches were real cool. They made it feel like home almost immediately. I even brought my roommates with me for the trip and they were saying that this is a place I got to really look at because of how much love the coaches showed us.

“Both Coach Franklin and Coach Limegrover seem like cool guys. They love Lackawanna players, too. They know that we go there to work hard and get better. They really appreciate the work we put in there.”

Unlike some junior college prospects, Bradley is fine academically, as he currently holds a 3.0 grade-point average. Since he redshirted last year, he’ll also have three years of eligibility when he enrolls at the school of his choice in December. However, which school he ultimately picks won’t be clear any time soon, as the list of schools that are showing interest is growing everyday.

“We talked to Oregon and N.C. State about him (Tuesday) and we’re expecting LSU, Rutgers and Bowling Green to be at our school (Wednesday),” Pardini said. “We’ve talked to Florida and Virginia Tech about him. Also, Auburn and Oklahoma have been up to see him, so schools are really starting to take notice now.

“I would expect him to be one of the top guys, when it comes to offers, in all of junior college here in the near future. He deserves it, too. He has something that you just can’t coach, but he also has the will to get out and attack each day and get better. We’ve been so impressed with him so far. He’s always asking us for feedback on how he can get better. That’s really stood out to us.”

So, what does Bradley think about Penn State now that the Nittany Lions have offered?

“It’s a huge offer for me,” he said. “When I was there Saturday, I didn’t have the offer yet, but I kept thinking that this is a place I want to learn more about. After that visit, I was saying to myself that I really wanted to get to know Penn State more, but the only way I can really do that is if I get an offer.

“So, now that I have it, that’s big. I’m looking forward to getting to know their coaches more. I’ll definitely get back there for another visit.”

Aside from Penn State, Bradley has taken unofficial visits to Maryland and West Virginia. He’s planning to see both of those schools, as well as a few others, once his semester ends at Lackawanna.

“Maryland was the only real visit I’ve taken so far,” Bradley said. “I got to see everything when I was there. That was a full day visit. I went to West Virginia, too, but it was just for their spring game, so I have to get back to West Virginia and Penn State so I can really see everything else that those schools have to offer. I’ll get back to Maryland and I’ll probably get in touch with Minnesota. I want to see as many schools as I can when I get the chance this summer.”