Click HERE to sign up for a subscription to TheWolfpacker.com and get your FREE gift code for $99 in NC State apparel and gear!
NC State center Garrett Bradbury will be putting on his No. 65 Wolfpack jersey for the last time in the Gator Bowl tonight.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pound fifth-year senior will exit his college career with a litany of accolades and awards. Perhaps none are bigger than winning the Dave Rimington Trophy, which is given to the nation’s top center. Rimington was a standout at Nebraska and first-round NFL Draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1983.
Bradbury was also named a consensus All-American after earning first-team recognition from The Associated Press, Walter Camp, AFCA and the FWAA. He earned second-team honors from Pro Football Focus and The Sporting News.
The first-team All-ACC performer from Charlotte, N.C., didn’t allow a sack all season and recorded 32 knock down blocks in 901 snaps. The former tight end and defensive tackle was also the only center among the semifinalists for the Outland Trophy.
“It has been awesome,” Bradbury said. “Just from finishing your senior season out and obtaining some of the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year, kind of seeing all the work you put in as a group come to fruition was special.”
Bradbury could have pondered the idea of skipping the Gator Bowl and get a head-start on training for the NFL Draft, but it never was an option for him.
“Everyone has that thought [skipping a bowl game], but I”m going to play,” Bradbury said. “I have one more game to wear an NC State jersey and play next to T [left guard Terronne Prescod] and [left tackle] Tyler [Jones] and those guys.
"I want to try and get a 10th win and leave a legacy. I give this team a better chance to get 10 wins if I'm out there. I'd rather be out there than sitting on the sideline, but that is just me personally."
Bradbury was definitely a little nervous when the Rimington Award was announced.
“I was surprised but I was a finalist, so fingers crossed,” Bradbury said. “It was an awesome time and a testament to my journey as an offensive lineman here.”
Bradbury quipped that one of the rallying cries during bowl preparation was that the fifth-year seniors had been at NC State over 1,600 days and were down to just a few left.
“It’s crazy to think about that,” Bradbury said. “I’m just enjoying these last few days, everything about being an NC State football player with these teammates and this city.”
Bradbury has watched the various coaching staff changes in December, but he’s not overly concerned it will affect the team against Texas A&M. NC State elevated wide receivers coach George McDonald and running backs coach Des Kitchings as co-offensive coordinators in replacing the departed Eli Drinkwitz, who was hired as head coach at Appalachian State.
“The comfort is just trusting the coaches and not worrying about all that,” said Bradbury, who is motivated by NC State reaching the 10-win plateau. “It’s just about worrying about the offensive line and worrying about yourself moving forward.”
Losing offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, who accepted the offensive coordinator position at Louisville, did affect some of the younger offensive lineman.
“It is kind of interesting because I’m out and leaving in a few weeks anyway,” Bradbury said. “I love that guy and I want the best for him. I think that is the best for him and a phenomenal opportunity for him and his family.”
——
• Talk about it inside The Wolves' Den
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolfpacker
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolfpacker
• Like us on Facebook
