West Virginia excited about talented transfer WR Bray
West Virginia made the decision to look inside the Big 12 to help add to the wide receiver room by adding former Oklahoma State wide receiver Jaden Bray.
Bray, 6-foot-2, 200-pounds, brings a combination of size and speed to the wide receiver room along with some valuable experience under his belt in the conference.
The Oklahoma native spent three seasons with the Cowboys where he hauled in 48 passes for 686 yards and 4 touchdowns across 25 games.
The Mountaineers got a first-hand look at Bray who snagged four passes for 53 yards and a score so once he entered the transfer portal at the mid-term it made the decision to pursue him an easy one.
“Once he went into the portal we couldn’t beat him so we felt like we needed to get him on our team,” head coach Neal Brown said.
And so far that decision has certainly paid off both on and off the field for the Mountaineers.
In the locker room, Brown has been impressed with his character as well as his upbringing which has been a big positive when it comes to the makeup in the wide receiver room.
On the field, Bray is a talented pass catcher who was slowed by injuries last season but has shown the ability to put together strong games given his overall skill set.
Bray possesses the ability to make things happen after he reels in the football with 114 of his total yardage coming after the catch. He forced a total of 13 missed tackles in his career which is an area where the wide receiver group was lacking in the past.
Given his frame and explosion, Bray was impressive in contested catch situations hauling in 7 of the 11 times he was targeted this past season with only a 9-percent drop rate.
Bray put those abilities on display in the spring by catching a screen pass and cutting it toward the middle of the field while flashing his speed for a big chunk of yards. Those are the types of plays that Bray has the ability to make happen regularly for the Mountaineers.
“He’s long. He can jump and he can run,” Brown said.
Also a strong blocker with his size and strength, Bray could be used outside or inside in the offense.
But the focus now is to turn those natural traits into consistent production at the position from a week-in and week-out perspective in a wide receiver room that features a lot of young talent. And if that occurs, the Mountaineers have landed quite the pull out of the portal.
“I think he’s sitting on not just one but two quality high-production years,” Brown said.
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