Bryson Graves goes from football newcomer to Delaware difference maker
· Yahoo Sports
Bryson Graves did not play football until he was a senior at West Florence High in South Carolina.
Perhaps he’s making up for lost time, with all-around play-making skills that have greatly benefited Delaware this season.
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“I’m really happy with the way it turned out,” he said of his belated try at football after already starring in basketball and baseball.
The transfer from Coastal Carolina’s value to the Blue Hens was clear in their 61-38 win over Missouri State Oct. 20 at Delaware Stadium.
The 5-foot-10, 177-pound wide receiver caught his first UD touchdown pass, a 6-yard second-quarter strike from Nick Minicucci that allowed Delaware to tie the score. His 42- and 63-yard kickoff returns positioned the Blue Hens for two go-ahead touchdowns in the third quarter.
But those are just a fraction of his contributions this year.
Graves blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown to help Delaware take the lead into halftime at Vanderbilt.
He also threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Bell in Delaware’s 33-30 loss at Middle Tennessee Oct. 13.
“I just feel like, with the ball in my hand, I can do anything,” Graves said.
As Delaware hits the halfway mark of the Conference USA season Oct. 27 at Western Kentucky, Graves leads the league with a 23.6-yard average on kickoff returns. He is also seventh with 80.66 all-purpose yards per game.
“We certainly need that,” Delaware coach Ryan Carty said. “To us, it’s an extension of an explosive play on offense. Any way we can steal yards one way or another.”
The Blue Hens (3-4, 1-2) and Hilltoppers (3-4, 2-1) kick off at 7 p.m. (CBS Sports Network) in Bowling Green.
“I love kick returns,” Graves said. “I just see the hole and I just go . . . I’m free.”
Delaware appreciates the variety and consistency of Graves’ contributions, especially coming from someone relatively new to the sport.
“I didn’t play high school football mainly because my mama [Sonya] didn’t want me to,” he said.
Seeing his athletic ability, football coaches at West Florence frequently tried to woo him their way. As a senior, Graves made the move in rather stealth fashion.
“I just told my mom I was going to summer workouts,” Graves said, “and I didn’t tell her I was putting on pads and a helmet. The rest is history.”
The secret got out, Graves added, when video of him catching a football appeared on social media.
“She was OK with it after that,” he said of his mother. “ . . . She was like ‘Just be the best at it.’ [Now] she comes to every game, the loudest one out there."
His talent did surface quickly and Graves caught 64 passes for 672 yards and four touchdowns over the last three seasons at Coastal Carolina. He’d gone there hoping to also pitch for the baseball team but learned that wasn’t possible with his football demands.
He led the Chanticleers in catches (30) and yards receiving (330) in 2025. He also has 24 punt returns for 133 yards and completed 4 of 5 passes with a touchdown.
But Graves decided to look elsewhere after a coaching change. Wide receiver Kyre Duplessis’ success at Delaware in 2025 after also transferring from Coastal Carolina and the presence of Xavier Dye, in his second season as Delaware running backs coach after moving from Coastal Carolina, played a role.
“After my first snap of actual high school football I just realized I fell in love with it,” Graves said of football.
That’s been apparent and quite advantageous for the Blue Hens this season.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Bryson Graves goes from football newcomer to Delaware difference maker