Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications
Bray Grateful to Have Another Opportunity to Get Back on the Field
April 14, 2026 12:01 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – These last few years at West Virginia University have really tested Jaden Bray's love of football.
The former Oklahoma State transfer came to WVU back in 2024 with the goal of becoming the Mountaineers' top pass-catching option in Neal Brown's offense.
But just five games into what was supposed to have been a breakout junior season here, he suffered a lower leg injury and was lost for the remainder of the year. His five-game totals comprised of only two catches for 88 yards.
Bray returned to the field last spring and impressed his new coach, Rich Rodriguez, enough for him to be among the list of players taken to Big 12 Media Day last summer at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.
The expectation was for the Norman, Oklahoma, resident to become West Virginia's go-to option at receiver last year, and it appeared to be heading in that direction during the first half of WVU's game at Ohio University when his four catches accounted for 69 yards. But another season was put on the shelf when he suffered a broken left foot in the second half.
It was his second season-ending injury at West Virginia, and the third time in five college campaigns his year finished prematurely.
A thumb injury during his sophomore season at Oklahoma State limited him to just three games and five catches for 54 yards.
His five-season college totals include 57 catches for 869 yards and four touchdowns, with just nine of those receptions coming in seven total games at West Virginia.
Therefore, Bray figures he's finally due for some good fortune.
"Yeah, for sure," he says.
"No special charms or nothing like that, I'm just staying in the weight room and staying in the training room and honing in on things like injury prevention," he added.
Bray said once he found out his year was done after week two, he immediately turned his thoughts toward looking ahead for a sixth college football season. Instead of "why me?" his focus has been on "what's next?"
"I was frustrated about what had happened, but once I realized it was broken, my mindset went into, 'Alright, what can I do to get back and get ready for next season?' Of course, it is annoying going through injuries like that, but it was just keeping the main thing the main thing.
"When you are not playing, you just turn into trying to help out your teammates and give them the knowledge as if you were out on the field," he admitted. "It's not like leading by example. It's like if they need help, 'Hey, I saw what you did there, and I would have done it this way.'"
Bray says a strong family support system and his football family here at WVU have really helped him through some difficult times, keeping him positive throughout.
"I've got great support from my family, the coaching staff and my friends," he explained. "You just really can't compare yourself to other people at other positions; you've just got to stay focused on yourself. I know what I can do when I'm on the field and healthy, and everybody knows what I am capable of doing, so just having a (positive) mindset and really loving football … you've really got to love football to keep coming back and playing after injuries and stuff like that."
Now considered one of the old dudes on the team, Bray really doesn't feel that old compared to his teammates, and despite the injuries, his body has absorbed just 32 game's worth of college football wear and tear over the last five years.
"I'm a vet in this offense, and I feel like I've come a long way, not just learning the outside position, but learning the inside and really all four of those wideout spots," he pointed out. "Being able to play all over the field, I feel I'm able to do that. I felt confident going into last year. I feel like this offense isn't hard to learn at all, so this year I'm even more confident."
"Jaden Bray is a great young man," Rodriguez offered yesterday. "He's a really good football player who has had a little bit of tough luck with injuries, but he's the alpha in that room. He's not a rah-rah guy and all of that, but everybody respects him."
Bray will be part of a remodeled Mountaineer receiver corps that includes 6-foot-5, 216-pound USC transfer Prince Strachan, 6-foot-2, 200-pound Connecticut transfer John Neider and 6-foot, 180-pound junior college speedster Keon Hutchins, all players Bray singled out yesterday evening.
There are 12 new players among the 15 wide receivers listed on the spring roster, including six high school and two junior college performers.
The focus was on getting speed, size and athleticism, and Bray believes that task was accomplished.
"It's good having a guy like (Strachan) with his height next to me. He's going up and catching everything," Bray offered. "(John Neider) is another guy who has proved himself in his league and (Hutchins) is a speed guy.
"I feel like we're deep and we all have something in our game that separates each other and we can all pick up on, so it's been great having those guys," Bray added. "We're really close and we push each other every day and are competing at a high level."
As Bray concludes his final spring practice at West Virginia, he remains hopeful of recreating the promising true freshman season he had at Oklahoma State in 2021, or the 30-catch, 382-yard, two-touchdown campaign he had there in 2023 that made him such an appealing target in the transfer portal.
"I'm still trying to chase that season I had when I was a freshman and my junior year season," he mentioned. "Those seasons I had, I was my happiest because I was on the field and playing. When you are on the field it's like a different type of feeling you have when you are hearing the crowd."
Rodriguez believes that is in the cards for Bray this year.
"I think he's poised to have a big, big year and I think he would have last year," he said. "He's a lot of fun to coach because (football) is important to him; he works hard and you never have to worry about his effort or his toughness."
"I feel like this is the time when everything should all go through. I've been working harder than ever and I'm really excited. I'm more than grateful to be back here to get one more opportunity," Bray concluded.
The former Oklahoma State transfer came to WVU back in 2024 with the goal of becoming the Mountaineers' top pass-catching option in Neal Brown's offense.
But just five games into what was supposed to have been a breakout junior season here, he suffered a lower leg injury and was lost for the remainder of the year. His five-game totals comprised of only two catches for 88 yards.
Bray returned to the field last spring and impressed his new coach, Rich Rodriguez, enough for him to be among the list of players taken to Big 12 Media Day last summer at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.
The expectation was for the Norman, Oklahoma, resident to become West Virginia's go-to option at receiver last year, and it appeared to be heading in that direction during the first half of WVU's game at Ohio University when his four catches accounted for 69 yards. But another season was put on the shelf when he suffered a broken left foot in the second half.
It was his second season-ending injury at West Virginia, and the third time in five college campaigns his year finished prematurely.
A thumb injury during his sophomore season at Oklahoma State limited him to just three games and five catches for 54 yards.
His five-season college totals include 57 catches for 869 yards and four touchdowns, with just nine of those receptions coming in seven total games at West Virginia.
Therefore, Bray figures he's finally due for some good fortune.
"Yeah, for sure," he says.
"No special charms or nothing like that, I'm just staying in the weight room and staying in the training room and honing in on things like injury prevention," he added.
Bray said once he found out his year was done after week two, he immediately turned his thoughts toward looking ahead for a sixth college football season. Instead of "why me?" his focus has been on "what's next?"
"I was frustrated about what had happened, but once I realized it was broken, my mindset went into, 'Alright, what can I do to get back and get ready for next season?' Of course, it is annoying going through injuries like that, but it was just keeping the main thing the main thing.
"When you are not playing, you just turn into trying to help out your teammates and give them the knowledge as if you were out on the field," he admitted. "It's not like leading by example. It's like if they need help, 'Hey, I saw what you did there, and I would have done it this way.'"
Bray says a strong family support system and his football family here at WVU have really helped him through some difficult times, keeping him positive throughout.
"I've got great support from my family, the coaching staff and my friends," he explained. "You just really can't compare yourself to other people at other positions; you've just got to stay focused on yourself. I know what I can do when I'm on the field and healthy, and everybody knows what I am capable of doing, so just having a (positive) mindset and really loving football … you've really got to love football to keep coming back and playing after injuries and stuff like that."
Now considered one of the old dudes on the team, Bray really doesn't feel that old compared to his teammates, and despite the injuries, his body has absorbed just 32 game's worth of college football wear and tear over the last five years.
"I'm a vet in this offense, and I feel like I've come a long way, not just learning the outside position, but learning the inside and really all four of those wideout spots," he pointed out. "Being able to play all over the field, I feel I'm able to do that. I felt confident going into last year. I feel like this offense isn't hard to learn at all, so this year I'm even more confident."
"Jaden Bray is a great young man," Rodriguez offered yesterday. "He's a really good football player who has had a little bit of tough luck with injuries, but he's the alpha in that room. He's not a rah-rah guy and all of that, but everybody respects him."
Bray will be part of a remodeled Mountaineer receiver corps that includes 6-foot-5, 216-pound USC transfer Prince Strachan, 6-foot-2, 200-pound Connecticut transfer John Neider and 6-foot, 180-pound junior college speedster Keon Hutchins, all players Bray singled out yesterday evening.
There are 12 new players among the 15 wide receivers listed on the spring roster, including six high school and two junior college performers.
The focus was on getting speed, size and athleticism, and Bray believes that task was accomplished.
"It's good having a guy like (Strachan) with his height next to me. He's going up and catching everything," Bray offered. "(John Neider) is another guy who has proved himself in his league and (Hutchins) is a speed guy.
"I feel like we're deep and we all have something in our game that separates each other and we can all pick up on, so it's been great having those guys," Bray added. "We're really close and we push each other every day and are competing at a high level."
As Bray concludes his final spring practice at West Virginia, he remains hopeful of recreating the promising true freshman season he had at Oklahoma State in 2021, or the 30-catch, 382-yard, two-touchdown campaign he had there in 2023 that made him such an appealing target in the transfer portal.
"I'm still trying to chase that season I had when I was a freshman and my junior year season," he mentioned. "Those seasons I had, I was my happiest because I was on the field and playing. When you are on the field it's like a different type of feeling you have when you are hearing the crowd."
Rodriguez believes that is in the cards for Bray this year.
"I think he's poised to have a big, big year and I think he would have last year," he said. "He's a lot of fun to coach because (football) is important to him; he works hard and you never have to worry about his effort or his toughness."
"I feel like this is the time when everything should all go through. I've been working harder than ever and I'm really excited. I'm more than grateful to be back here to get one more opportunity," Bray concluded.
Players Mentioned
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/ FootballJaden Bray | April 13
Monday, April 13
Coach Travis Trickett | April 13
Monday, April 13
Coach Rich Rodriguez | April 13
Monday, April 13
Nate Gabriel | April 8
Wednesday, April 08
