Hoosiers Now

Indiana Signs JUCO Lineman Chris Bradberry to Add Depth at Tackle

Replenishing talent along the offensive line has been a top recruiting priority throughout this 2020 window for Indiana, and the signing of Chris Bradberry adds to a deep, diverse and talented class.

Tom Brew

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Looking to add depth at the offensive tackle position, Indiana signed California junior college transfer Chris Bradberry on Sunday.

Adding pieces to the offensive line, especially older guys who are mature enough to play immediately, has been a goal for the Hoosiers coaching staff during this entire recruiting cycle. There was a sense of urgency to fill a need after starting guard Simon Stepaniak and starting center Hunter Littlejohn both graduated, and left tackle Coy Cronk opted to play his final season at Iowa instead as a graduate transfer. Backup tackle DaVondre Love graduated as well.

Indiana has established starters at the two tackle positions in Caleb Jones and Matt Bedford, but there is very little experienced depth behind them. Bradberry, who has spent a year at San Jose State and two years at Riverside Community College in Riverside, Calif., could help fill the void.

“It has been a long journey and (my family) have done nothing but support and push me to help me be the best version of myself, and who I am today,” Bradberry wrote in his tweet on Sunday. “This has been a long journey, and going the JUCO route was the best option for me.”

Bradberry, a Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. native, originally enrolled at San Jose State when he was 17 years ago, but has said in the past that he wasn't ready for college football at that age. So he went the junior college route instead, and had a successful two years at Riverside, which went 13-0 last year and was the California state champion.

Bradberry will have two years of eligibility remaining at Indiana, which is looking to build on its 8-5 season from a year ago, its best win total in 26 years. The Hoosiers should be very good offensively, with a ton of talent at all the skill positions. Their biggest concern has been depth at the offensive line positions, and the Bradberry move could help with that.

Indiana now has basically recruited eight offensive linemen in this cycle. Stanford graduate transfer Dylan Powell, who's a guard and center, was brought in for the same reason, to add experience. The younger guys, though talented, need time to develop, which isn't uncommon with offensive linemen.

Bradberry's Sunday announcement made it a nice Mother's Day for his mother.  “Happy Mother’s Day momma!!! This is for you” he wrote on his Twitter post. 

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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the Indianapolis Star and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered college sports in the digital platform for the past six years, including the last five years as publisher of HoosiersNow on the FanNation/Sports Illustrated network.

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