Oct. 21, 2004

Charleston, SC - It was a Thanksgiving tradition at the Bryant house in Edmond, Okla.

Before the ingestion of mass quantities of food could begin, there was a brotherly football game. And this game of two-on-two featured about 1,000 pounds of brother.

"I took a few hits from them," admitted Citadel freshman Jacob Bryant, who at 6-1 and 273 pounds is the "little" brother in the Bryant family.

Oldest brother Zac was a lineman at Southwestern Oklahoma State and now coaches the offensive line at Texas A&M-Commerce. Next is Greg, a 6-1, 290-pound senior who is the backup nose guard at Western Michigan. Third in line is the biggest Bryant brother, 6-3, 322-pound Jeff. He's a junior guard at Tulsa and is known in Edmond as "Beef."

And then there's Jacob, a thick-necked, broad-shouldered knob who's been starting at defensive tackle almost since the day he arrived on campus last August. Bryant has started all five games for the Bulldogs this season, and he and quarterback Duran Lawson are the only true freshmen to crack the starting lineup thus far. Citadel coach John Zernhelt describes Bryant as a "tough guy," and maybe playing backyard football with a brother named "Beef" has something to do with that.

"He is tough, and you've got to be tough to play that position inside," said defensive line coach Roberto Pinilla. "In our scheme, he's going to take double-team blocks from the other team's center and guard, and you've got to be tough to handle that. If the two guys across from you are 300 pounds apiece, that's 600 pounds coming at you."

Like his brothers before him, Bryant played at Santa Fe High School in Edmond; he and Jeff started on the same offensive line in 2001, and Jacob was a three-year starter and first-team all-state as a senior.

Bryant got some recruiting looks from Western schools such as New Mexico, Wyoming and Tulsa. But Santa Fe coach Dan Cocannouer is an old friend of Zernhelt's, and pointed Bryant toward The Citadel.

After Bryant committed to The Citadel, Wyoming came through with a scholarship offer, but Bryant stuck to his commitment.

"I definitely wanted to come to The Citadel," he said. "I really liked the atmosphere here."

Bryant made a quick impression on Citadel coaches when two-a-days started, moving past some upperclassmen on the depth chart.

"It was his hat speed," Pinilla said. "He really had tremendous hat speed, really got off the ball very quickly. And he's a fast learner, and that's a huge advantage for him, especially since he is just an 18-year-old freshman."

Bryant ranks second among the Bulldogs' defensive tackles with seven tackles (behind junior Fred Townsend's 13), and has forced and recovered a fumble. He said he's not surprised by his quick rise up the depth chart.

"I knew I could do it," he said. "I knew my ability, and I expected to play a lot. To end up starting, that's even better."

Said Pinilla, "I don't view him as a freshman anymore. I see him as a first-year player, and he can only get better from this point."