The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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68 ■ THE WOLFPACKER FOOTBALL PREVIEW 2018 There was one problem with that vision — Bradbury was not enthusiastic about playing offensive line. However, his only other options at the time were Charlotte and Colorado State. Appalachian State told his coach Jason Estep that if Bradbury visited, he would likely get an offer. Bradbury's brother was already at the school, so he agreed to check it out. "Coach Ledford was walking me around and talking to me the whole time," Brad- bury remembered. "He told me that the offer was going to come, but it never did." Meanwhile, NC State tight ends coach Eddie Faulkner came to watch Bradbury at a baseball practice and saw enough athleti- cism to warrant giving him an offer. "I didn't want to be that guy that com- mits right after getting an offer, so I prob- ably waited a week or so and committed," Bradbury said. He enrolled as a 6-3, 250-pound tight end, but after redshirting that fall he moved to defensive line. He was receptive to the move, guessing his role as a blocking tight end was going to limit him to 10-15 snaps a game on offense. He quickly warmed to the defensive line room, and even though he knew there was some future NFL talent around him, he fig- ured he could get on the field more because of the defensive line rotation. That offseason, Bradbury and the de- fensive line also took a whitewater-rafting trip with then-defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen. "The river raft guide convinced Justin [Jones] that there were five-foot long bea- ver sharks in the water. Justin was terri- fied," Bradbury remembered. "That was fun — getting guys out of their elements." Needless to say, Bradbury was happy. When the coaches hinted he might have a better opportunity if he played offensive line, Bradbury said he was fine where he was. "I loved my time with that D-line," Bradbury said. "I learned a lot from Coach Nielsen about what it takes to make it. I wouldn't trade that time with the D-line." Yet the following fall there was no more asking. Bradbury was told by head coach Dave Doeren that he was moving to offen- sive line, and Ledford's vision was starting to unfold. And in another twist of irony, after the 2015 season NC State offensive line coach Mike Uremovich took the job as the offen- sive coordinator at Northern Illinois. His replacement: Ledford. "'That was too good to be true,'" Brad- bury remembered thinking. Ledford quickly moved him to center in the spring, but the arrival of South Alabama graduate transfer Joe Scelfo at the position allowed Bradbury to start a full year at guard first. Then Bradbury started every game at center last season, and it turns out it suits him well. "Obviously it takes all 11 guys to get the play going, but I think at center you do a lot pre-snap, setting the protections, making the Mike call," Bradbury said. "You have the ball in your hand every play. You are on the field every play. "That's how it was in high school for football and baseball. In football, I played defensive line and tight end. I never wanted to come off the field. In baseball I was a catcher. I wanted in on the action every play." Seeing two of his roommates from last season — Tony Adams and Will Richard- son, fellow linemen in the loaded 2014 recruiting class that produced all nine start- ing offensive and defensive linemen on the field in 2017 — go through the NFL Draft process made the upcoming season become a bit more real for Bradbury. "You see how everything matters in terms of your diet, your sleep, your sum- mer workouts and how strong can you get before the season, just every little thing you can do between now and then to separate yourself," he noted. Ledford already believes that Bradbury has some of that separation. "I truly believe that he's got a chance to be one of the best centers in the country this year," Ledford stated. The 250-pounder who insisted on tight end or defensive end is now a 300-pound center. And if you would have told Brad- bury that was going to be the deal when he was in high school, he would not have reacted positively. "I'd probably would have said, 'Nope, I'll go play baseball,'" he said. ■ A NATURAL FIT Fifth-Year Senior Garrett Bradbury, Somewhat Reluctantly, Found A Home At Center "He handled the ball so well and was used to catching. I thought this kid could probably be an unbelievable center when I was recruiting him." ■ Offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford on Bradbury Bradbury started his career at NC State as a 6-3, 250-pound tight end and moved to de- fensive line before settling in on the offensive line. Now a 300-pounder, he has been named to the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which is presented to college football's best center. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN BY MATT CARTER W hen Dwayne Ledford was coaching the offensive line at Appalachian State in the spring of 2013, he saw an intriguing center prospect at Charlotte Christian named Garrett Bradbury, then the star tight end and defensive end for the Knights. "He has huge hands, so he's used to touching a football," Ledford noted. "He was a catcher in baseball, and I knew he was going to be a very big kid. "He handled the ball so well and was used to catching. I thought this kid could probably be an unbelievable center when I was recruiting him."