Once considered a budding superstar, Jerand Bradley returns to the Big 12 to try and regain his form.
Jerand Bradley – Wide Receiver – 6’5”, 200 – RS JR.
Transfer From: Boston College Golden Eagles
As a Recruit
Like fellow 2025 transfer addition Caleb Medford, Jerand Bradley played his high school ball in Texas. Coming out of South Dallas powerhouse Desoto High School, Bradley was a composite three-star recruit (86), with ESPN considering him a four-star talent. He was rated as the composite 78th overall receiver, the 82nd-best player in Texas, and the 532nd-best player in the 2021 recruiting class. He had a laundry list of high-major offers, including Wisconsin, Nebraska, Arkansas, Baylor, SMU, and Hoston. He ultimately signed with Matt Wells and Texas Tech.
It’s easy to see why his demand outpaced his mid-three-star rating. As a senior at Desoto, he had 57 receptions for 784 yards and eight touchdowns, and at an athletic 6’5”, 200 pounds, he looked like he was built in a lab to play wide receiver. He was a constant threat to score when Desoto was in the red zone and showed surprising run-after-the-catch ability for someone of his stature. He was first-team All-District-6A (one of the most competitive districts in the country), third-team All-State, and was selected to play in the Under Armour All-America game.
Prior to playing for Desoto, Bradley starred at John Paul II High School in Plano, Texas, a private Catholic High School that tends to dominate TAAPS (Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools). As a junior in 2019, he put up video game numbers, pulling down 96 receptions for 1,522 yards and a staggering 21 touchdowns en route to helping John Paul II reach the TAPPS Division I state title game.
At Texas Tech
Bradley took a redshirt as a true freshman in 2021, appearing in 4 games and pulling down five receptions for 99 yards. Personally, I’m a little surprised someone as physically mature as Bradley sat for a year, and former Texas Tech Head Coach and current Kansas State offensive coordinator Matt Well may feel the same way. He was relieved of his duties in Lubbock before the 2022 season and was replaced by Joey McGuire before he could see what Bradley was all about on a college football field.
As a redshirt freshman in 2022, Jerand looked like one of the up-and-coming stars of college football. He led the Red Raiders in receptions (51), receiving yards (744), and touchdowns (6) and had three games where he eclipsed 100 yards. He put up a dominant performance in the Red Raider’s final regular season game, ringing up the Oklahoma Sooner defense for eight receptions, 173 yards, and a touchdown in a Texas Tech 51-48 victory in one of the most exciting college football games of the season (if you like offense). He finished the season ranked fourth in the Big 12 in receiving yards per game, sixth in receiving touchdowns, and third in catches over 30 yards. He was honorable mention All-Big `12 and was named second-team Freshman All-American by the Athletic. He was also Academic All-Big 12 first team.
Coming into the 2023 season, he was named preseason All-Big 12 Team and was on the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list (best receiver in the country), and then … nothing. Starting quarterback Tyler Shough went down to a season-ending injury after the fourth game, and Bradley couldn’t get on the same page with backup Behren Morton. Keep in mind he led Texas Tech in receptions with 51 in 2022, and Xavier White led Texas Tech in receptions with 39 in 2023. The entire passing offense took a step back after the Shough injury. Bradley finished the season with 36 receptions for 431 yards and four touchdowns and decided to seek his fortunes outside Lubbock, entering the transfer portal as a redshirt junior.
At Boston College
The 2024 season was an abject disaster for Bradley. He left Texas Tech because he wanted more touches and ended up with a six-reception season at Boston College. I’m not sure what Boston College coach Bill O’Brien sold Jerand to get him to Chestnut Hill, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the opportunity to be a little used receiver at 7-6 Boston College. He had a chance to come to Kansas State but was won over by the former Houston Texans head coach.
There isn’t much to say about his time in Boston. It wasn’t good. He couldn’t carve out a spot in the rotation and dealt with a rotating quarterback mess. As soon as he could leave, his name was in the portal.
What He Brings to Kansas State
Matt Wells finally gets to see what the fuss is about Jerand Bradley. The former Texas Tech headman brought his former recruit into the Kansas State fold. The 6’5”, 220-pound physical specimen drips talent and should be an immediate upgrade as either the boundary or field position for the Wildcats. I especially like him as a boundary threat in the offense. His size alone is a difference maker, but he has shown the ability to do more than jump up, make a catch, and fall in his career. He was a menace in the open field at Texas Tech, using his long legs and deceptive change of direction to pile up yards after the catch. I mentioned the same thing about fellow incoming wide receiver transfer Jaron Tibbs, but Bradley is the type of receiver who can pick up the hard yards at the first down marker. He doesn’t go down on first contact and can pick up tough first downs simply by finishing the catch moving forward. Too often last season, I saw Kansas State receivers come up a yard short because they either went down on first contact or got stuffed by a defensive back at the line to gain. That shouldn’t be a problem for the Wildcats in 2025, with Tibbs and Bradley on the field.
If the coaching staff puts Jerand on the outside most of the time, it will allow Tibbs and returning lead receiver Jayce Brown to move back and forth between the boundary position and the slot. Tibbs played all three receiver positions at Purdue and did some of his best work as an oversized slot receiver, but he is also well-suited to the boundary. Matt Wells should be able to hunt better matchups for Brown now that Bradley is on the field with him. Kansas State went from a finesse receiver group to a power receiving group this offseason, and I think Avery Johnson and the offense will be better for it.
One final note I’d like to make about Jerand is that he’s a top-notch run blocker as a wide receiver. Kansas State should have two of the most explosive backs in the Big 12, possibly the nation, with Dylan Edwards and Joe Jackson in the backfield. Long runs are usually products of good downfield blocking. Bradley is a better downfield blocker than any receiver in the Wildcat’s regular rotation last season; the same can be said about Jarron Tibbs. If nothing else, the Wildcats got better in the run game with their additions to the wide receiver group. Still, I think a bigger and more physically competitive group of receivers will fix some of Avery’s main passing issues from last season.
Previous Articles in the Series:
Wide Receiver
Kansas State Football: Transfer Profile – Caleb Medford – Bring On The Cats
Kansas State Football: Transfer Profile – Jaron Tibbs – Bring On The Cats