by: Brandon Walker
WVU football wide receiver Jaden Bray transferred to West Virginia before last season from
conference foe Oklahoma State. Bray, in his first season in Morgantown, saw himself grow
through adversity on the field. He missed most of the season due to injury. He
also grew as a young man off the field. As the Norman, Oklahoma native adjusted to being away
from home, he found a second home in the Mountain State.
“I really like West Virginia, and I like the state,” Bray said after Tuesday’s practice. “Since I
moved out here, I really got to know myself better, just being so far away from home. I’ve had to
grow up a little bit, and I feel like I’m more locked in out here.”
Bray on West Virginia’s Support System
Bray revealed that the support system of the prior coaching staff, along with his teammates, kept his
spirits up when he was injured. They made it fun for the 6-foot-2, 205-pound receiver to be in his
new surroundings. When head coach Rich Rodriguez returned to the program, Bray was
more than open to seeing through the transition, before deciding on whether or not to enter the
transfer portal. “It was definitely up and down last season, but I still had fun even though I wasn’t playing. It was good to be around all my friends that were here. All the receivers and the coaching staff that
were here at the time did a great job of making sure that I was doing okay, mentally and
physically.” Bray said.
“I didn’t want to leave, and I wanted to at least give Rich Rod and his staff a chance before I
made any big decisions, because going into the portal is really cutthroat out there once you get in
there,” he admitted. “I’m really enjoying it now being here and playing for Rich Rod and his
staff.”
Bray has had his challenges with injuries during his career at Oklahoma State and West Virginia. He’s played
in only 30 games in four years. He appeared in only five games last season due to an undisclosed lower-body
injury, and recorded two catches for 88 yards. That was disappointing coming off of strong spring
and fall practices last season.
“It was challenging because no one wants to be injured, and you want to be on the field, but it
wasn’t that difficult because I’ve been injured before,” he explained. “It wasn’t something that I
hadn’t already been through.”
Bray on the New Offense
Another reason why Bray wanted to stay at West Virginia is because of his familiarity with he offense. The new offense that coach Rodriguez is implementing is similar to what he played in at Oklahoma State under Mike Gundy. “Oklahoma State, we played tempo a lot, and last year with Neal Brown’s offense, it wasn’t as
much tempo, so I wouldn’t say it’s hard getting back in it,” Bray explained. “It’s hard getting back
into the tempo shape, but as far as it being difficult, I actually enjoy playing in this offense a lot.”
Bray said. “I would say anything new can be tough, but with the coaching staff that we have, they do a great
job of making sure that we’re all ready to go before we step out on the field,” the senior admitted.
“I would say I’ve been learning this offense pretty well. I would say this offense is pretty much
receiver friendly, and they just do a great job of making sure we’re prepared and ready to go.”
Bray on Cam Vaughn
One person helping Bray get up to speed learning the new offense is wide receiver Cam Vaughn,
who transferred from Jacksonville State in January. Bray talked about how Vaughn has a high ceiling
to make a major impact on the program. Vaughn caught 48 passes for 803 yards and five
touchdowns last season for the Gamecocks.
“Cam has been great watching him play and make plays in this offense,” Bray explained. “He’s
younger than me, but I’m learning from him every day because he knows the offense like the
back of his hand. If you look at Jax State last year, he was a big contributor for them as a
freshman, and his ceiling is through the roof for what he can do for this program.”
Bray on Chemistry With His Other New Teammates
Bray continued the presser by expressing the good vibes in the locker room with both the older
and newer players. The competition in practice has helped develop a strong rapport
in the locker room.
“At first, of course, everyone is going to be quiet, but as we’ve been together, we’re always
hanging out with each other outside of football,” he said. “Everybody is jelling really well. I
really like the locker room even though we have a lot of new faces. He said. “There is a lot of
competition out there, but you don’t see a lot of stuff outside translating into the locker room.
Once stuff happens out there and you come back into the locker room, it’s dropped, and
everybody is smiling, and stuff like that.”
Finally, Bray finished the press conference by declaring his appreciation for Morgantown.
“I just like everything about West Virginia, and that’s why I ended up staying,”
West Virginia will hold its final spring practice Thursday morning before the Gold-Blue Spring
Showcase on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
