Nebraska Football: Spring practices will be crucial for Jaylin Bradley
The running back needs to show that he can contribute to the Nebraska Football program while standing out from his positional peers.
For the Nebraska Football starters that know they will be starting come the fall, spring practices are a formality. Of course they want to get better, but many have at least a general idea of who will be starting come the fall. For others, spring practices are stressful times . That is the situation that Nebraska football running back Jaylin Bradley finds himself in. After redshirting the 2018 season, he needs to use the spring practices to show that he belongs with a very deep and talented group.
He did manage to put some entries into the statistics sheet in 2018 as he rushed the ball 24 times for 93 yards. Averaging 3.9 yards per carry, that is certainly a respectable number as it undoubtedly shortens the field on second and third down. His best game of the campaign came on October 28 at Purdue. In a narrow 25-24 victory for the Cornhuskers, Bradley played a sizable part in it. He rushed the rock seven times for 42 yards, including a 20-yard scamper that was his longest of the afternoon. He proved to be effective as a receiver as well. He caught three passes for 31 yards averaging 10.3 yards per catch. The Purdue game could certainly be considered a breakthrough game for him as it fully showcased his skillsets.
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Of course, it was not his fault that he didn’t see the field too often. When you are playing behind Devine Ozigbo, you are likely not going to be the first option at the position. Prior to Scott Frost recruiting and the commitments of guys like Rahmir Johnson, Diedrich Mills, and Wandale Robinson, it seemed like Bradley may have a shot to make some noise in 2019. Now he appears to be on the bubble of sorts as the depth at the position has increased sizably. He is certainly on the outside looking in.
In that respect, this edition of spring practices will not be carefree for him. Running backs coach Ryan Held has said that this is a “make-or break time” for Bradley. He has been undoubtedly thrust into a running back competition that features guys with tremendous talents. As a coach, having a position this deep is a welcome problem. For a guy like Bradley, this is not ideal. All he can do is make sure he approaches spring practices the same way he would approach a game week. Unfortunately, with all this newfound depth, this makes Bradley easily replaceable.
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Bradley will have to pay extra attention to his work this spring. It would be unfair to write him off completely. He definitely has the talent to be successful, Nebraska Football fans have seen it firsthand. There are just so many other options at the running back position, he can easily be relegated down the depth chart. Now, he has a chance to prove that he belongs with the rest of the pack.