Brandon Ladarius Bryant[1] (born December 21, 1995) is a former gridiron football safety. He played college football at Mississippi State.
 Bryant in 2015 | |
| No. 38, 40 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Safety |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 21, 1995 Tunica, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Rosa Fort (Tunica County, Mississippi) |
| College: | Mississippi State |
| Undrafted: | 2018 |
| Career history | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
High school career
editBryant attended Rosa Fort High School in Tunica, Mississippi, where he played quarterback and safety.[1] Bryant was rated as a three-star recruit by 247sports.com,[2] Rivals.com,[3] Scout.com,[4] and ESPN.[5] He committed to Mississippi State on November 4, 2013.[6]
College career
editFreshman season (2015)
editAfter sitting out the 2014 season as a redshirt,[1] Bryant saw action in all 13 games in 2015, starting in eight of them.
Bryant was a backup safety for the first five games of the season before taking over starting duties in a 45–17 win over Troy, a game where he forced a fumble on Troy's first drive.[7] The following week against Louisiana Tech, Bryant recorded his first collegiate interception and returned it for a touchdown[8] and also recovered a blocked punt.[1]
Later that season, on an SEC Network broadcast, Tim Tebow named Bryant the "Freak of Week," citing Bryant's ability to run a 40-yard dash in 4.24 seconds and to deadlift 600 pounds.[9] Bryant caught another interception in a loss to Alabama.[10]
Sophomore season (2016)
editBryant was named by The Clarion-Ledger as the Bulldogs' second-most important player in 2016.[11] He was called the "top playmaker" on the team and the backbone of the Bulldog defense. Bryant had an interception against Samford.[1]
Junior season (2017)
editBryant again played in all 13 games in the Bulldogs' 2017 season, bringing down an interception against in a win over BYU.[1]
Professional career
editNew York Jets
editAfter failing to be drafted in the 2018 supplemental NFL draft, Bryant signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent on July 16, 2018.[12] He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[13][14] He was promoted to the active roster on December 29, 2018.[15] He was waived/injured on August 29, 2019,[16] and placed on the team's injured reserve list the next day. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on September 10.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
editBryant signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL on April 16, 2020.[17] He retired from football on June 28, 2021.[18]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Brandon Bryant". HailState.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Brandon Bryant". 247sports.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Brandon Bryant". Rivals.com. Yahoo. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Brandon Bryant". Scout.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Brandon Bryant". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Lowery, Logan (June 28, 2013). "Bryant commits to the Bulldogs". DJournal.com. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
- ^ "Mississippi State beats Troy 45-17". ESPN.com. October 10, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Prescott leads Mississippi State over Louisiana Tech 45-20". ESPN.com. October 17, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ "Tebow's Freak of the Week: Brandon Bryant". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Bonner, Michael (November 19, 2015). "MSU's Bryant showing a nose for the ball as a starter". ClarionLedger.com. The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Bonner, Michael (July 7, 2016). "No. 2: Brandon Bryant". ClarionLedger.com. The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
- ^ Allen, Eric (July 16, 2018). "Jets Sign S Brandon Bryant, Waive WR Devin Smith". NewYorkJets.com.
- ^ Lange, Randy (September 1, 2018). "Final Cutdown: Jets Reach 53-Player Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com.
- ^ Greenberg, Ethan (September 2, 2018). "Jets Sign Four Players to Their Practice Squad". NewYorkJets.com.
- ^ Allen, Eric; Greenberg, Ethan (December 29, 2018). "Jets Place CB Morris Claiborne, WR Quincy Enunwa and LB Kevin Pierre-Louis on Injured Reserve". NewYorkJets.com.
- ^ "Jets' Brandon Bryant: Waived/injured by Jets". CBSSports.com. August 29, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats sign linebacker Bryant". TiCats.ca. April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
- ^ "Tiger-Cats add three players on defence". TiCats.ca. June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.