Saturdays on Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium, number 94 will be the center of attention when the Ohio defense is on the field. Bradley Weaver is the man in the jersey, and this season, he will be the guy to watch in Ohio’s defense.
The redshirt junior had an outstanding 2023 season, leading Ohio in sacks with six and tackles for loss with 13. He had a breakout year and was a lead contributor on one of the nation's top defenses.
Following the conclusion of the 2023 season, Ohio saw almost everyone on defense leave the team. Some players went to play professionally, and others, like Rayyan Buell and Keye Thompson, left through the transfer portal.
Weaver was one of many Bobcats who announced that he had entered the portal, making for some devastating news for a defense that had already seen its fair share of players decide to look elsewhere.
Many things fueled his decision, but the departure of defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky was a big reason for his entry into the portal.
“My decision to enter the portal was based off of the old defensive coordinator,” Weaver said. “He had left, and I had thought about going to his school.”
Thankfully for Ohio, Weaver ultimately decided to stay home and withdraw from the portal without transferring to Nowinsky’s new school, Memphis.
Much like his recruitment out of high school, family and love from coaches at Ohio played a big part in his recruitment out of the portal.
“At the end of the day, I had to look back at the main roots, and I had to look at my family; that's why I came here to OU,” Weaver said. “I have Coach Albin, Coach Hauser, who I've had past relationships with. And you know, being able to talk to them and have them invite me to come back, you know, (it) was very, very awesome to have that.”
It was the same love and support from coaches that brought him to Ohio when Weaver was a player in highschool.
Weaver wasn’t a standout player or recruit coming out of high school. Ohio was his only Division I FBS offer out of Hilliard Darby High School.
“That was one of my first offers and one of my very few, only offers out of high school,” Weaver said. “(Ohio) showed me a lot of attention and a lot of love. I came down on my visit, and I just absolutely loved it here.”
Family was another big part of Weaver’s commitment, choosing to stay near his hometown by choosing Ohio. Athens is only a 90-minute drive from Hillard, where Weaver was raised.
“Another big standout for OU is that it's really close to home,” Weaver said. “I'm very family-oriented; that's very important to me. Knowing that it’s very close to home, my family can still come support me, it's still in state. I think that was a very big part of my decision.”
The unheralded recruit would play four games his freshman year before redshirting, ending his freshman year. In his redshirt freshman year, he received more playing time, appearing in six games and recording 14 tackles.
The 2023 season was the real breakout year for Weaver. In his redshirt sophomore season, Weaver became a key contributor off the edge for Ohio. He led the team in sacks and tackles for loss during the regular season and showed up big in Ohio’s bowl game against Georgia Southern, going for two sacks and a forced fumble en route to a Myrtle Beach Bowl victory.
Weaver’s work to improve every year caught the eye of not only the crowds at Peden but also the Ohio coaching staff. New defensive ends coach Kurt Mattix noticed Weaver as a star on the defense as soon as he came into his new role.
“He’s a professional in everything he does,” Mattix said. “He works extremely hard, he’s very dedicated. There’s not many people that work harder than him.”
Weaver’s return to Ohio was massive for the team, and his teammates have recognized that. He was voted to be one of Ohio’s six captains for the 2024 season, an honor that means a lot for the veteran defensive end.
“Being named captain is an honor … I give that all to my teammates,” Weaver said. “I really try to embrace the brotherhood that we have here and make sure that we're all one, but I really have to give that honor to my teammates because they're the ones who chose me.”
Although individual success will undoubtedly come to Weaver, the main mission for him and the team comes in the win column, particularly a win in Detroit for the Mid-American Conference title.
“The ultimate team goal is to go back to Detroit, and we're not coming back in second place this time,” Weaver said.
A MAC title win would be the crown jewel for Weaver’s career at Ohio. The star edge rusher has already tasted the MAC Championship game in Detroit, but Ohio fell to Toledo in the 2022 MAC Title Game.
Being a captain on the team that brings Ohio its first MAC championship since 1968 would be a fitting high point for the Ohio native who chose to come back to Ohio and help the team chase the title.
