West Virginia University wide receiver and graduate student Jaden Bray has added another line to an already decorated college career, earning Mountaineer of Distinction honors during Mountaineer Week.
The recognition was announced as part of the award presentations at halftime of the WVU-Kansas game at Milan Puskar Stadium. Bray was chosen from 11 candidates across campus, and he became the first WVU football student-athlete to receive the honor.
Mountaineer Week annually spotlights outstanding students with at least senior status for academic achievement and service to West Virginia University and its Mountaineer Values. Bray’s selection fits that mold, but it also carries a little history with it.
Earlier, when asked what the honor would mean to him, Bray said, "Being named a Mountaineer of Distinction would mean that the way I represented WVU matters beyond what I accomplished on the football field.
"This recognition would be an honor and a reminder to continue growing, serving others and representing the Mountaineer community with pride."
A native of Moore, Oklahoma, Bray is working toward a master’s degree in executive sport management. On the field, he has appeared in 42 career games with 24 starts across his time at WVU and Oklahoma State from 2021-23. He has 69 career catches, more than 1,000 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Bray’s impact has gone well beyond the stat sheet. At WVU, he has put in volunteer hours at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s Hospital and with the WVU Youth Football Camps.
His resume also includes the Arthur Ashe Jr. Award, plus nominations for the National Football Foundation William V.
Campbell Award and the NFF All-Scholar Team.
Before arriving in Morgantown, Bray was already building a reputation for leadership. During his freshman and sophomore years at Oklahoma State, he served as a student-athlete advisory council representative and as an NCAA representative for African-American Student Athletes.
He has also been a game captain multiple times and has earned Academic All-Big 12 Conference First Team honors twice. In addition, he has landed on the Big 12 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll numerous times and the WVU Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll several times.
In Other News...
Mike Hawkins Jr. Is Rewriting WVU Expectations At The Worst Time
Mike Hawkins Jr. has spent this season giving West Virginia a different kind of quarterback conversation, one built on production both through the air and on the ground. He is on the doorstep of becoming the first WVU quarterback to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season, and he recently added another line to the record book by breaking the programs single-season rushing touchdown mark.
For a program trying to build around him, the timing makes the whole situation feel even more delicate. West Virginia is working to re-sign Hawkins, but no deal is imminent, even as former Mountaineers continue to praise what he has done and what he could still become. The longer this stretches out, the more his breakout season starts to look like both a breakthrough and a decision point for the program. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Fans Saw One Offensive Problem Get Exposed Against Kansas
Kansas controlled the first half at Milan Puskar Stadium, and the biggest concern for West Virginia was easy to spot. The Mountaineers defense had a few moments, including an interception from freshman ChaMarryus Bomar, but the offense never found a rhythm and kept putting the unit back in tough spots as the Jayhawks kept stacking touchdowns.
For West Virginia, the problem was less about one bad series than a sustained inability to stay on the field and answer Kansas surge. The Mountaineers managed only one touchdown before halftime, and by the break the game had already tilted hard enough to leave the home crowd watching a lopsided scoreboard and wondering where the offense goes from here. [Read more 🡒]