University of Houston Athletics
Centerpiece: Bryce Redman
10/28/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
by: Armando Reveron, Athletics Communications Intern
If there is one thing Bryce Redman wants you to know, it is that he is from Longview, Texas.
"He'll never let you forget that he is from Longview," said teammate and fellow lineman Rowdy Harper.
Growing up in Longview, a city just east of Dallas with a population that is 3.5 percent of Houston's, Bryce Redman fondly remembers his dad leaving his football gear out, putting it on himself and running around in it.
"I always looked up to my dad," Redman said, "I guess initially wanting to be like my dad is what got me started."
Redman, a fifth-year player and third-year starter on the offensive line for the Cougars, has become a leader on the offense and is someone whom his younger teammates look up to.
This season is his second as a team captain, a role that he has learned to embrace, especially on the offensive line because he is one of three returning starters.
To be a captain, the team has to vote for you. His presence is felt not only to whichever guy he snaps the ball to, but everywhere on the offensive side of the ball.
"In our system the center has to set the protections and the front side of all the run game that we call," offensive line coach Gordy Shaw said. "He has to get everybody on the same page on the front side of the run plays so that the backside knows what to do. In the pass game, he has to make sure that we are working towards the most dangerous side of the defense in case they blitz."
Listed at 6-1, Redman is the shortest guy on the offensive line but he doesn't see that as a barrier but more of an advantage.
If you asked anyone on the team, they would say Redman is a serious gym rat. He is constantly working in the weight room and uses his time to get better and to show others how committed he is to being the best player he can be.
"He works hard. He is relentless, that's the word that he likes to say," Harper said. "He is always giving 110 percent." His teammates can attest to how much he works out. He is always searching for new and natural ways to build his body up so that he plays the best football.
When asked what his favorite thing to work out was he simply responded, "legs."
As an offensive lineman it's all about legs. Footwork and technique are crucial in keeping a pocket from collapsing.
"I would definitely say that technique has been the main thing that you learn in college that is just invaluable. The more you play the more you understand the game and the better you are going to be," Redman said. "Footwork is the number one thing that coach Shaw preaches. I have definitely learned a lot about footwork and the defense. I have never had a coach help us understand so much about what the defense is trying to do."
And who knows better footwork than Bryce? He has played four different positions on offense since arriving at Houston. He had played tight end, fullback, guard before finding his niche at center.
"He brings all kinds of experience and stability," Coach Shaw said. "We have two guys that weren't even here for spring football and another guy that's never started a football game. We have five guys up here that are really leaning on (Bryce) and Rowdy (Harper) to make sure that we are operating as a nickel and not five pennies. That is what good offensive lines do; they work as one."
On the field and off the field Redman inspires his teammates to be better. Bryce not only works hard on the football field but also at hitting the books as well. He has already received his bachelor's degree in kinesiology and is one of seven on the team that entered the 2014 season with a degree in hand.
Just two months stand between Redman and his final collegiate game. And as any college football player, Redman aspires to play in the NFL.
"I would definitely love to if the opportunity is given to me, I will definitely take it," Redman said. "But, I want to do anything that makes money. Not for the materialistic things but I want my family to be taken care of. I want to find something where I can be my own boss, something entrepreneurial would be ideal for me."
