When he was a freshman, Hopkinsville football coach Dustin Lopez wasn’t sure if James Bradley Jr. would make it as a varsity player due to his size.
What a difference four years makes.
Bradley signed his letter of intent to continue playing football at Georgetown College on Wednesday, following a senior season in which he was named the Class 6A, District 1 Player of the Year.
Lopez joked that Bradley’s chalk outline may still be somewhere on the practice field from his freshman year, but work in the weight room and a growth spurt helped the Tiger transform into a game-changer on the field.
He finished as the top scorer in the state with 226 points, or 18.8 per game. He rushed for 25 touchdowns, caught six TDs, had two returns on special teams, and added a pick-six. The senior back also ran for 11 two-point conversions.
In 2025, Bradley Jr. ran for 1,466 yards and added 19 catches for 398 yards.
“I think a lot of these schools around here, Murray State, UT-Martin, Western Kentucky, Austin Peay, their players aren’t that good to be passing up on a player like him, and he’ll make them look silly,” Lopez said. “I have no worries about when he goes off to college. “He’s going to do everything he’s supposed to do because he wants it. He wants to be good.”
With the way the college recruiting landscape has changed over the years and football programs increasingly using the transfer portal, Lopez feels that could benefit Bradley.
“I think within two years, he’ll be playing on TV somewhere at a bigger school if he goes and does what he’s supposed to do. And I have no doubt about that.”
Bradley was part of a 45-player recruiting class for Georgetown, which went 7-3 in the first season under head coach John Perin, winning games against three nationally ranked opponents in Pikeville, Cumberland, and Campbellsville.
Bradley shared his signing day with teammate Kavon Johnson, who signed with Lindsey Wilson University.
