A Pair of Physical and Confident Transfer Receivers

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Kansas State offensive coordinator Matt Wells isn't hiding his adoration for the playmakers on this unit as the Wildcats continue along in spring practice. It seems that two new wide receivers, in particular, have him looking with eagerness toward their potential in the fall — Jerand Bradley and Jaron Tibbs.

"They'll be really good," Wells said. "They're going to catch a lot of balls."

They'll be hard to miss.

Bradley, a senior, measures at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, while Tibbs, a junior, is 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds. Their size appears to be the ideal complement to 6-foot, 175-pound Jayce Brown, a speed demon who led the Wildcats with 47 catches for 823 yards (17.5 yards per reception) and five touchdowns last season.

"They're confident," Wells said. "They've got a physical presence and they're confident. They're very good route runners that are getting better, and they're understanding the scheme and the timing and depth of the route, which is a timing thing with the quarterback, but more than anything, they're confident."

They seem to be reliable targets for junior quarterback Avery Johnson, who completed 58.3% of his passes for 2,712 yards and a school-record 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his first year as a full-time starter.

"They have really good hand-eye coordination, and they have really good ball skills," Wells said. "There's been very minimal drops. They're making competitive catches. They've been good blockers on the perimeter. Our perimeter blocking has improved."

Things seem to be going exactly as Bradley had hoped.

Bradley, a native of Frisco, Texas, came to K-State in January to be reunited with Wells, who coached Bradley his freshman season at Texas Tech in 2021.

"Coach Wells is a great guy," Bradley said in January. "He's a great offensive mind. He gets us into the best position possible and makes plays that fit our skillset. I'm excited to be in this K-State offense and to be around all these great guys.

"I like how the offense is so versatile. I like everybody about the offense from Avery Johnson to the weapons we have."

Here's what jumps off the page for K-State wide receivers coach Matthew Middleton: "We haven't at a receivers his size."

"It's not only his size but his maturity, his strength, and his want-to to become better," Middleton said. "He bends and moves really well for his size. He's going to win, and he's going to be a big target for Avery down the field."

After catching five passes for 99 yards as a redshirt freshman at Texas Tech, Bradley exploded with 51 catches for a team-high 744 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. He ranked third among FBS freshmen in receiving yards, and his 180 receiving yards against Oklahoma marked the most by an FBS freshman on the season and the most by a Red Raider freshman since Michael Crabtree had 195 at Texas on November 10, 2007. He was named a Second Team Freshman All-American by The Athletic.

As a sophomore, Bradley was named to the preseason All-Big 12 Football Team, and he was named to the Biletnikoff Award preseason watch list, yet he finished with 36 catches for 431 yards and four touchdowns.

Bradley opted to transfer to Boston College last season to play under first-year head coach Bill O'Brien and wide receivers coach Darrell Wyatt. He had six catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns in nine games.

"The move to Boston College, pretty much I was looking at being at a spot that would help me develop my craft more, somewhere where I could learn under that staff," Bradley said. "That was the best spot for me to learn and develop as a player. That's really why I decided to go there. Everything happens for a reason."

Wells appears delighted to have Bradley on the team.

"I've known JB since he was 16," Wells said. "Smile hasn't changed. He has a great demeanor, mom and dad, he was raised the right way. He has really soft hands and very natural ball skills. He's gotten bigger and stronger. His want to win and want to have a really, really good individual season and his edge to him has grown over the last couple years. I think you get that with a transfer. You need to have that as a transfer, an edge to yourself and a reason why you're leaving a good program. JB has that."

Now he's back with Wells. And he's excited for his opportunity.

"I bring a lot, honestly," Bradley said. "My playmaking ability, I'm a big red-zone threat, and I do anything I can to help the team wins. My favorite route? I like every route. Everybody will say the 'go ball' is their favorite, but I like the shake route, slant and curl."

The 19-year-old Tibbs arrived in January from Purdue and possesses athleticism, which coupled with deft route running in traffic and speed on the post, makes the sure-handed pass catcher a virtual threat across the field. After recording just five catches for 42 yards as a freshman, Tibbs ranked third among the Boilermakers with 25 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns his sophomore season. He had four catches for 56 yards against Northwestern and four catches for a career-high 73 yards at Michigan State.

"As a wide receiver, I learned there are a lot of parts to being a receiver that you can always perfect — top of the route, winning at the line, winning in the middle of your route when stacking a defensive back, then timing your route, and coming back downhill fast for a ball," Tibbs said in January. "In high school, I was pretty good just because of my size and God-given abilities. Then I got to college and saw to be good at all parts, your routes have to be polished.

"So, I was definitely a late bloomer. One of my upsides is I feel like I'm not fully developed, and I have a lot more polishing I can do."

As for Tibbs' favorite route?

"A deep post," he said. "That's just a touchdown route."

Middleton emphasized that Tibbs would have a role in the offense.

"He's a smart young man and he works really hard," Middleton said. "He's going to have himself a role on this team and contribute one way or another. He's a very selfless person and brings leadership and maturity and wants to be a champion. He's doing the things required to be a champion and that's his habits, taking care of his body, film prep, and wanting to be coached. More importantly, he's going out there and executing what he's coached on the field."

Although Bradley and Tibbs are taller wide receivers, Middleton indicates that it would be unwise for defenses to sleep on their speed.

"They can run for their size, and they can separate, and they can separate out of their break points, too," Middleton said. "They're going to be very good players for us in the near future."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Jerand Bradley

Jayce Brown

Avery Johnson

Jaron Tibbs

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