4-star QB Jayden Bradford updates top schools

Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy four-star quarterback Jayden Bradford announced a top four of Louisville, NC State, Penn State and South Carolina on Nov. 17. That list has moved to three, according to Ryan Wright of Rivals.

The Gamecocks, Nittany Lions and Wolfpack are now Bradford’s top schools. He has visited South Carolina seven times and NC State and Penn State three times each.

Bradford is the No. 240 overall prospect and No. 16 quarterback in the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is also the No. 33 player in Florida.

According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, it is a close race between the Gamecocks (49.0%) and Nittany Lions (36.5%) for a commitment from the 6-foot-0, 185-pound signal-caller. South Carolina already has a pledge from Fiskdale (Mass.) Cheshire Academy four-star quarterback Dante Reno.

Bradford has an On3 NIL Valuation of $66K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

Bradford discusses Penn State and South Carolina

Bradford broke down his interest in the Gamecocks and Nittany Lions with On3’s Chad Simmons last fall. He also told Simmons that offensive coordinator Tim Beck — now the head coach at Coastal Carolina — was a key reason for his interest in NC State.

Penn State: “I feel like they’ve done a great job of just being consistent over the past years, always finishing in the top 25 rankings, just having a good team and a solid season every year. They told me that if I go up there, I could be that difference maker. That’s really what led me to Penn State and made me put them in my top four. I love the coaching staff up there. They’ve done a great job focusing on me hard throughout my high school career, even though it’s a far distance and everything. They’ve done a great job of keeping in contact with me and building a relationship.” 

South Carolina: “It’s my hometown school and I’ve grown up watching them and seeing them play every Saturday. I’ve always heard all the sayings about, ‘Go to Carolina. Do what you got to do to get there’ and all that. It’s always been, I wouldn’t say a dream, but maybe being cool to go play there just cause I’m from there and represent my city and playing for my hometown state. They were on me early, so they’ve done a great job of staying in touch with me and continuing to build a relationship.”