Brady Ours ready for Robert Morris
Former three-sport star headed to Pittsburgh as outside linebacker for Colonials
Keyser quarterback Brady Ours takes the shotgun snap during a game against Fort Hill last season at Greenway Avenue Stadium. Ours will play collegiately at Robert Morris University this season.
KEYSER, W.Va. — It’s been a long, action-packed road the last four years for Brady Ours as a Keyser Golden Tornado.
A two-time West Virginia all-state and three-time first-team Cumberland Times-News selection at both quarterback and safety, there’s not much that Ours didn’t do while lining up at linebacker, running back, returning kicks, punting, and kicking extra points during his four years as a varsity player for Keyser.
In the offseason, Ours was also a key member of the Golden Tornado basketball and track teams. Last month, he lined up at wide receiver for the North team in the annual West Virginia North-South Football Classic, catching two passes for 83 yards, one that went for a 64-yard touchdown.
Fans in Keyser are going to miss Brady Ours, because all he did for four years was make plays and score touchdowns. He figures to continue that success for the next four or five years as an outside linebacker for Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. The Colonials are members of the Northeast Conference (NEC) along with teams such as St. Francis (Loretto), cross-town rival Duquesne University, and others in the Pennsylvania, New York and Connecticut areas.
Ours feels very well prepared for his future at the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) Division I level and has spent his summer adding muscle in the weight room to get himself ready for his next gig in the Steel City. His experience playing every position except offensive or defensive line during his high school run has given him a great perspective on the game overall. When he reflected on his time at Keyser High School, Ours had nothing but praise for head coach Sean Biser, his staff, and how they run their program.
“My experience at Keyser as a whole was more fun than anything else, really,” he said. “We had a lot of success, obviously, and we made the playoffs all four years I played there. Coach Biser and his staff always trained us hard, but treated everyone the same. They care about every kid individually, and there’s no special treatment.”
After a long run of success in Keyser, Ours had his sights set on playing in college at some level, he just didn’t always know where that would be. One choice was certainly at West Virginia University where his dad, former Mountaineer fullback Wes Ours, was a four-year player before playing professionally in the NFL and AFL (Arena Football League).
“The beginning of my junior year was when I started getting calls and texts from college coaches trying to get a hold of me, and the first school was West Virginia because I obviously have a connection there,” he said. “They weren’t going to offer me a scholarship up front, though, and honestly I know that I’m a better player than that.”
In the end, another Keyser High School graduate, Gabe Luvara, who was a four-year offensive lineman at Indiana (Pennsylvania) and has been a college coach since 2002, reached out to Brady and brought him on board. Luvara, son of former Potomac State head coach and current Frostburg State assistant Angelo Luvara, had spent the last three seasons as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Albany, and has joined new Robert Morris head coach Bernard Clark Jr. to run the Colonial offense.
“Coach Luvara called me about a week after he and most of the staff at Albany got the job at Robert Morris, and told me that they were going to offer me (a full scholarship). I kind of fell in love with Robert Morris right away. They’re really improving the entire athletic department, facilities and the football program, and they really made me feel at home there.”
Ours will study electrical engineering at Robert Morris, and says that he’s not too concerned about where he ends up after his collegiate days are over. He’s really looking forward to playing football and earning his college degree at Robert Morris, despite some pressure from a lot of outsiders for the past few years to sing “Country Roads” in Morgantown.
“So many people pushed me to go to West Virginia,” he said, “and every time I thought about committing, I couldn’t help but think about how I didn’t want to play there just because my dad played there or just because I’m a West Virginia kid. I wanted to go and do what was best for me, and that opportunity for me is best at Robert Morris.”
As the next chapter for Brady Ours begins here in just a few weeks with fall camp, he’s taken account of how thankful he is for everyone who’s helped him along the way. His coaches, teammates, community and family have all played an enormous role in his success, and he’ll always remember that.
“I want the kids who read this and play football to know that you shouldn’t be influenced into making a big decision,” Ours said. “I think the biggest thing is to make your own decision, and do what’s right for you. That was the biggest thing for me. I had my dad there with me the whole time in the background telling me what he saw, and it was great to have someone who knows the process to help out, but who didn’t push me into a decision either way. He never pushed me to choose West Virginia, Robert Morris or whomever. He’s just as excited as I am, and has been very supportive of me.”
Ours and the Colonials will open up the 2018 season on Saturday, Sept. 1, against the University of Dayton Flyers in Dayton, Ohio.
Billy Orndorff, former placekicker at Allegany High School and LaSalle University, is also a former Cumberland Times-News sports writer. He currently manages business development and partnerships for
Beyond.com, based in Philadelphia, and travels the country following college football.
