Pitt FB Recruiting
Rapidly Rising 2025 3-Star Georgia TE Already Has Pitt Connection
The Buford High School-to-Pitt pipeline may be opening up once again.
New offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau made the trip down to Buford earlier this week, and while he was there, he checked in with Hayden Bradley — a 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end from Buford High in Buford, Ga. — and extended an official offer.
Pitt joined the likes of Coastal Carolina, Colorado, Duke, ECU, Florida, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Liberty, Marshall, Maryland, Memphis, Miami, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina, Texas A&M, USF, Utah and Virginia in extending an offer.
And he’s received a lot of those offers over the last week — signifying his rise as one of the most sought-after tight ends in the class of 2025.
AGTG‼️🙏🏼 Blessed to receive an offer from THE University of Pittsburgh‼️‼️ @coachjbronowski @CoachDuzzPittFB @Pitt_FB @Coach_Davis22 @CoachDash @CoachCondon16 @SWiltfong247 @adamgorney @RivalsFriedman @ChadSimmons_ @MattDeBary @JeremyO_Johnson @MohrRecruiting @247recruiting pic.twitter.com/fBVvGDq9F0
— Hayden Bradley (@Hayden_bradleyy) January 30, 2024
Pitt has a secret weapon when it comes to recruiting Bradley though — a former mentor on the field, even if he isn’t playing that position anymore.
“It’s awesome,” Bradley told Pittsburgh Sports Now about the offer. “I love Pitt. We got Ryland Gandy up there, he’s a big contributor to the Pitt defense, so there’s definitely some chemistry between Buford and Pitt.
“My freshman year, (Gandy) kinda took me under his wing. I was playing safety when I was a freshman, and he kinda took me under his wing and we won a state title together, so that’s always cool. So, that whole team, that chemistry and bond with everybody was amazing.”
Bradley has heard a lot from Gandy over the last two years. Gandy loves Pitt, loves the competition in Pittsburgh and loves playing ACC football. That’s not lost upon Bradley. But of course, it’s his own journey.
His Pitt journey really began when Darveau made it down to Buford, but it wasn’t Darveau who extended the offer. That didn’t come until Jacob Bronowski called Bradley later that night. It was a team effort from the Pitt coaching staff.
Pitt coaches have been coming through Buford for years, and Bradley had a few Pitt coaches follow him on Twitter, and when he picked up the offer, he was told that Pitt had been watching him for a while. It was finally the right time. He wasn’t able to spend any time with Darveau, but he was told that Darveau was a big fan of his blocking ability — of course.
“(Bronowski) loved how I can get out in the slot and make plays, be a mismatch for safeties and linebackers and loves how I can explode my hips off the line and the way I work on my film,” Bradley said.
“It’s always cool catching a first down pass or a touchdown pass, but at tight end, you gotta love the hard work and the blocking, nobody wants do the dirty work but once you learn to love it, it’s awesome.”
And he was certainly a presence for Buford last season. Bradley was a multi-dimensional weapon on a very good Buford squad as a junior, hauling in five receptions for 47 yards (9.6 yards per reception) and two touchdowns (in the seven games recorded on MaxPreps) while serving as a key blocker on the end of the line.
Bradley hasn’t been rated by the major recruiting services (247Sports, Rivals or On3), but he does hold a 5.7 Rivals Rating. The eventual recruiting rankings will be generous considering his offer sheet and natural ability.
He’s picked up quite a few offers recently, increasing his total count near 30, and he’s hearing from the likes of Colorado, Georgia Tech, Miami, Penn State and South Carolina frequently. There have been visits to Georgia Tech and Penn State recently, and he plans to make a spring visit to Pittsburgh.
A school that is able to produce NFL tight ends, offer an elite education and build an unshakeable bond (when it comes to the coaching staff) will stand out in Bradley’s recruiting process. And Pitt
“I got a buddy from Pittsburgh, and I just how Pitt is able to share their facilities with the Pittsburgh Steelers, that’s awesome, that means they’ve got all the technology and the high-class stuff that you need to become a pro at the pro level,” Bradley said. “I think that’s awesome. They’ve got the Pittsburgh Pirates out, I think it’s just a beautiful city.
“I definitely love it. They’ve turned Ryland into a total different player. He’s a lot more physical, he’s gotten a lot bigger and he’s one of their best playmakers in my opinion. So being able to know they can develop you into a better football player, better IQ, that proves a lot for sure.”
Pitt, Bradley said, is definitely a top school in his recruiting process.
Pitt has not yet landed a commitment in the class of 2025, but the recruits in the class are beginning to come to the forefront.
The Panthers are in the mix for four-star linebacker Dayshaun Burnett (Pittsburgh, Pa.), three-star athlete Emmanuel Taylor (Virginia Beach, Va.), three-star offensive lineman Raphael Greene (Cincinnati, Ohio), four-star wide receiver Jadyn Robinson (San Juan Capistrano, Cal.), three-star running back Jeffrey Overton Jr. (Woodbridge, Va.), three-star athlete Jaiden Brown-Demery (Mest Mifflin, Pa.) and three-star edge rusher Sharlandiin Strange (Wyncote, Pa).
