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The decision to commit to Pitt didn’t hit Jaden Bradley in a flash of inspiration. The DeMatha receiver arrived at that decision after careful consideration and discussion with his family.
But while he was measured in his decision-making process, there was always something that drew Bradley to Pitt.
“I’ve had some top schools in my head, and after talking to my family for a couple days, I knew Pitt was the right one for me,” Bradley told Panther-Lair.com after announcing his commitment Thursday night. “I’ve been thinking about it for awhile. I talked to them a couple days before and it felt like home when I went and it feels like they genuinely want me to be there.”
Pitt was the first school to offer Bradley, extending a scholarship in November when he visited for the Panthers’ regular-season finale against Boston College at Heinz Field. A dozen other schools have joined the pursuit since then, including Wake Forest and Virginia from the ACC,
“I committed kind of early, considering I just started getting most of the offers three months ago. But I knew Pitt was a good fit for me. I didn’t know if I would be able to take any more visits, but I just knew that was the place I wanted to be.
“I have a great connection with Coach (Chris) Beatty. It’s just where I wanted to be, for real. Going there, playing good football with an opportunity to play early - it’s a good fit for me.”
Bradley’s recruitment is a little different from most three-star prospects. He played quarterback throughout his football career prior to last season, when he transferred to DeMatha and moved to receiver. As such, he only has one season of film at receiver, but Beatty and the Pitt staff saw enough to be convinced.
Since that offer was extended, Bradley and Beatty have developed a strong relationship.
“Me and Coach Beatty talk almost daily,” Bradley said. “Since corona, he can’t come up here to physically watch me at practice, but I’ve been sending him clips of me working out by myself and he gives me pointers. He makes people better, he pushes people the way they need to be pushed
“My position coach in high school is friends with Coach Beatty. He said he likes him and that he’s a good dude. I know that for myself but it’s nice to hear it from him. I know he’s the right coach to help me get better.”
At 6’4” and 190 pounds, Bradley is bigger than any scholarship receiver on Pitt’s 2020 roster, and he’s looking forward to joining the roster next year.
“They won their bowl game this year and Coach (Pat) Narduzzi is doing a good job,” Bradley said. “Their record keeps getting better. And there are two DeMatha alums at Pitt and they’re winners. They have some winners on their team.”
Bradley was the first receiver to commit to Pitt in the class of 2021. Overall, the Panthers have seven commitments in the class, as Bradley is joined by running back Rodney Hammond, offensive lineman Terrence Rankl, defensive ends Nahki Johnson and Trevion Stevenson, safety Javon McIntyre and one more recruit who has not publicly announced his commitment.
Pitt will likely take two more receivers in the class.
