Eating brunch with a living legend was just another step in the recruiting process for St. Paul’s cornerback Jonathan Briley.
Jonathan Briley takes part in cornerback drills
For Briley, sitting across the table from St. Paul’s coach Willard Bailey, one of the most recognizable names in Virginia college sports, was more than just a chance to talk about his football career.
“That was the best part of the recruiting process,” said Briley on sharing a meal with the man who holds the record for the most wins in the history of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. “It seemed like we talked about everything that had to do with me and my future at Saint Paul’s College.”
On his three year quest to find the right college, Briley quickly found out that, as a D-II athlete, his decision was about more than just athletics.
As Briley’s stock rose from a fringe D-II prospect to one of the highest rated D-II cornerbacks in V.a., his outlook on life changed with it.
Briley started to get real about where he wanted to spend the next four years of his life, and where he wanted to be after those four years.
To start with, Briley knew that at 5-foot-9, 171-pounds, his physical attributes weren’t going to get him very far.
Briley’s ticket to the scholarship he wanted was going to be more about grades, work ethic, and dedication, something Briley said he lacked at the start of his high school career.
“My mom took me out [of football] my freshman year because I wasn’t dedicated enough,” he said. “So I started playing my sophomore year in high school. I played JV half of the season and then they moved me up to varsity special teams as a returner.”
From there, Briley’s dedication earned him a partial scholarship to St. Pauls and a spot behind two future professional football players on the Tigers depth chart, including Arizonia Cardinals cornerback Greg Toler.
Briley redshirted his first year, learned all he could from teammates like Toler, and in the last two years he’s amassed two interceptions, 34 tackles, and one force fumble.
Now Briley finds himself on top of the Tigers depth chart heading into his junior year. But Briley’s biggest accomplishment is maintaining a 3.0 GPA through high school and college, and his biggest dreams lie outside of football too.
“I plan on leaving here with a degree in a History and an endorsement in secondary education,” Briley said. “My dream is to teach high school history.”
Briley also looks forward to the opportunity to play in the CFL as he is being scouted by several teams. As he pushes on, the opportunities for his future success are endless.
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