Transfer pass rusher Bradley finds perfect match with West Virginia

Abilene Christian pass rusher Tyrin Bradley wanted to enjoy the recruiting process the second time.

Bradley, 6-foot-4, 255-pounds, was lightly recruited during his initial go-around and that wasn’t helped by the fact that his class dealt with the visit restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. The end result was that the Lubbock native would sign with the Wildcats and spend two seasons there.

The last was very productive as Bradley piled up 49 tackles, 4 sacks and 10 tackles for loss while earning all-conference honors in the process. That prompted him to want to explore his options and see just where the transfer portal could take him.

The plan was to smell the roses this time around as offers came in from a long list of schools including Temple, North Texas, Liberty and a number of others. But then West Virginia got involved and the Big 12 Conference program expedited the process once they joined the picture.

It started with defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley reaching out to his defensive coordinator and then got on the phone with Bradley to discuss his scheme and the need for a player like him.

“He broke it down to me and told me some of the things he felt like he needed in a player and after that he wanted to get me on a visit to see how I fit and how I looked,” he said.

That visit happened this week as Bradley was accompanied by his grandmother and uncle and by the end of the trip he had received an offer from the program. It didn’t take long for that scholarship to evolve into a commitment once he was able to see what the program offered.

“After being down here, there was no way I could say no,” he said.

Bradley admitted that Lesley was hard to read over the phone but the two connected quickly once they were able to get together in person and he got a feel for how the assistant handles things.

West Virginia sees Bradley as a versatile pass rusher that could play multiple spots ranging from bandit to defensive end depending on variables. The Mountaineers sold Bradley on being a Swiss-Army-knife player that can come in and do whatever is needed on the field.

That was appealing to him on top of having the opportunity to compete at the highest level in the Big 12.

“It was just my position and the ability to make plays. They are an attacking style defense and they get off the ball. One of the things is being able to get off blocks and get to your point,” he said. “That’s what I do really well. It seemed like a perfect fit.”

Bradley had several visits lined up after his trip to Morgantown but those now won’t occur as he has his sights set on finishing out his final two years at West Virginia.

The plan is to arrive on campus in May once he finishes up at Abilene Christian so he can acclimate to his new surroundings and prepare himself to make an impact this coming season.

It wasn’t quite the month-long process that Bradley pictured when he first entered into the portal, but the end result is exactly where he wanted to be.

“They’ve treated me great. I’ve heard there are 65,000 people at games and I’m looking forward to seeing and experiencing all of that,” he said.

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