Post by rkozak201 on Apr 9, 2009 9:05:39 GMT -5
James Bryant
Brian Rippey
Reading Eagle
James Bryant clings to hope he will play professional football.
Until the former Reading High standout explores all his options later this spring, he could join his brother and play for the Reading Express.
Bryant, the younger brother of Express defensive back Sam Bryant, has been placed on Reading’s 30-man roster and may be on the field in the Sovereign Center Saturday when Reading (3-1) hosts the Erie River Rats (0-3) at 7 p.m. in an American Indoor Football Association game.
James Bryant’s practice debut was pushed back to tonight because of a flight delay into the Philadelphia International Airport coupled with rush-hour and Phillies game traffic Wednesday.
“He wants to be at home and live a little cheaper, and while he’s here stay in shape,” said Express coach/general manager Bernie Nowotarski. “While he’s here, he said, ‘I can jump on a football field with my brother.’”
James Bryant, 6-3, 245 pounds, was one of the nation’s most heavily recruited linebackers during his senior year at Reading High. He was voted to the All-State first team and named a high school All-American.
After weighing offers from nearly every major school in the country, Bryant chose to attend Miami. He spent a rocky three seasons with the Hurricanes, moving from linebacker to fullback and getting suspended on three separate occasions during the 2006 season.
When the Hurricanes made a coaching change, Bryant decided to transfer to Louisville. He had to sit out a year and finished his college career with the Cardinals last fall.
Nowotarski said Bryant has small hopes he will be selected in the NFL draft April 25-26. If not, Nowotarski said Bryant will try to sign as free agent with an NFL or Canadian Football League team.
“In the meantime we’re going to throw some Express stuff on him and let him do his thing,” Nowotarski said. “We’re excited to have him. It could be a very short visit or it could turn into a long stint.”
In addition to playing linebacker, Bryant also could see some time at fullback for the Express. He was a two-way starter at Reading High and was voted the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s Outstanding Back as well as Linebacker of the Year in 2003.
“If you remember back in high school he ran the ball a little bit, too,” Nowotarski said. “In our different types of packages, there’s no reason why we also won’t experiment with letting him see some offense too. He’s just an athlete.”
Contact Brian Rippey: 610-371-5070 or brippey@readingeagle.com.