“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” The famous quote by millionaire Jack Welch is the perfect fit for Southern Miss defensive tackle, Dylan Bradley.
Bradley was somewhat heavily recruited out of high school, holding offers from Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Arkansas State and Mississippi State. After deciding to sign with Southern Miss, the 6-foot-1, 250-pound knew he had something to prove.
Bradley made an immediate impact for the Golden Eagles. His freshman year, Bradley saw playing time in 11 of the 12 possible games that year and earned his starting position in the final game against UAB in 2013. Bradley’s freshman year was anything but unproductive. He finished the season with 52 tackles, 24 of them being solo and 4.5 being tackles for losses.
Success would not stop there for Bradley. His sophomore and junior years would prove as productive. In his sophomore year, he would face a minor injury that would leave him sidelined for a period of time, but he would still be able to play in eight games and recorded 29 tackles. His junior year, he would yet again record over 40 tackles with 47 tackles, 30 of them being solo and 12.5 of them being tackles for loss.
While on paper, it may look like Bradley’s play declined but that is far from the truth. Bradley’s strength combined with his speed proved to be a lot to handle for any team, which forced double-teams majority of the time.
With so much of the focus on Bradley, other Golden Eagles such as Xavier Thigpen and Jerry McCorvey were able to shine.
“Being a leader is self-explanatory.” Bradley said. “You take the word ship away and its [leader] and that’s what you have to do out here.”
The senior may not be the most vocal to the media, but on the field, you can count on him to lead his defense and help them to do better at their individual job. Silence is one thing you will not get from Bradley on the game day or practice.
“When someone needs your help on or off the field and you talk to them and help them; that is what a leader is to me.” Bradley said.
Whether it is him telling the offense how “sorry” they are (all in the good spirit) or how dominate the defense is being that day, Bradley will let you know. Being vocal is only one aspect of Bradley’s leadership on the field. Bradley being vocal and very energetic is something all coaches want from a potential NFL player.
