Senior Spotlight: Garrett Bradbury

RALEIGH, N.C. - Every down that NC State's offense plays begins at the hands of senior center Garrett Bradbury. Tasked with the often-overlooked job of starting the action with each snap of the football, Bradbury has played an invaluable role in the Wolfpack's successes during his past two seasons as a starter on the offensive line.

"As a position group, we know that this team is going to be successful or not successful based on us," said Bradbury. "We all take it upon ourselves to make sure that we're facilitating success as a group."

Being the starting center is an opportunity that Bradbury did not really envision having.

Coming out of high school as a tight end, his options for playing college football were limited to offers from only a few FBS programs. After deciding to stay in his home state of North Carolina and play for the Wolfpack, Bradbury redshirted the 2014 season before being moved to the offensive line for his first season of competition in the fall of 2015.

The position change sparked something for Bradbury. As he continued to play as an offensive guard, he learned what it meant to take ownership as part of the unit that is responsible for paving the way for the Wolfpack offense.

"I started to change my thinking in terms of how I approach college football as a whole," said Bradbury. "I began to take it more seriously and worked my butt off to treat it more like a job."

Before the start of the 2017 season, Bradbury was approached about taking even more ownership of his role as a member of the Pack and becoming the team's starting center.

The transition came with some growing pains. It involved learning techniques that he had been previously unfamiliar with. But it also involved taking an increased role in the leadership of the offensive unit, being vocal with his teammates, and taking charge.

"You can throw a good athlete in there that could do a decent job at center, but there's a lot more responsibility that comes with the position," said Bradbury. "You're always learning, but it was good to have the guys before me like Joe Thuney and Joe Scelfo who helped me along the way.

"Not to be cliché, but the best part of this experience as center has been the comradery within the room. We all share a pretty common thing in terms of playing the position in that we don't always get a lot of glory."

The Pack's offense has undoubtedly benefitted from Bradbury's presence under center, and the Band of Brothers continues to build its reputation as one of the most formidable lines in the conference. The unanticipated opportunity to play center has not only given Bradbury a brotherhood to be a part of but also a platform to remind people just how important his role is.

"It's always said, but you want to leave the place better than you found it," said Bradbury. "I want to leave the offensive line room and the perception of the position at NC State better than when I found it."

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