Bio

Bam Bryant enters his sixth season as wide receivers coach at Gulf Coast with a national championship and an array of school and NJCAA accolades to his position group’s credit. The Bulldogs have won outright or shared the last four MACCC South championships.

In 2022, the Bulldogs tied with Jones for the South championship and earned the top seed because they won the regular-season matchup. Bulldog receivers helped Pat McQuaide lead the country in passing yards (2,730), yards per game (273.0) and touchdowns (24). He also had the second-highest marks in school history in passing yards (2,730), total offense (2,839), completion percentage (64.5) and TD passes (24). His four touchdowns against East Mississippi tied for the fourth-most in a game in MGCCC history. Keymari Odum’s 61 catchers were the third most in school history. Odum led the NCAA with 61 catches and 93.9 receiving yards per game and tied for second in TD catches (10).

In 2021, Jalen Bracey finished 10^th in the country with eight touchdowns and would go on to sign with Florida International.

The 2020 team featured wide receiver Jalen Bracey, who caught passes for 98.2 yards per game. That ranked second in the country, as did quarterback Philip Short’s 255.7 passing yards per game. Wide receiver Jymetre Hester was named JCGridiron All-American at punt returner.

Quarterback Chance Lovertich set school records for completion percentage his first two seasons. The 2019 Gulf Coast team ranked seventh the country in total offense (440.6 ypg) with a balanced attack that ranked 10th in rushing (202.2 ypg) and 16th in passing (238.4 ypg). Freshman wide receiver Jymetre Hester tied for third in the country with 10 touchdowns. Lovertich was second in the NJCAA in completion percentage (64.5 percent) and fifth in touchdowns (24).

In 2018, Gulf Coast led the MACJC in offense (412.1 yards/game) and Lovertich led the nation in quarterback efficiency (184.1), in addition to setting school records for touchdown passes in a game (6) and completion percentage (70.8 percent).

Prior to coming to Perkinston, he spent the two seasons at Coahoma, where he served as wide receivers coach and interim head coach. He was also passing game coordinator, co-special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator.

Bryant coached wide receivers for three years at Delta State, where he oversaw a pair of Conerly Trophy finalists and had first-team All-Gulf South Conference receivers each year from 2013-15. Casey Osborne earned All-American honors, and the Statesmen led the conference in passing and ranked in the top eight nationally all three years.

In 2012 at Millsaps, he had a receiver selected first-team All-Southern Athletic Association as the Majors tied for the conference championship.

At Concord University in 2011, he coached a first-team All-Conference running back and the Mountain Lions won their first conference title since 1990.

After playing for the Memphis Xplorers in the AF2 indoor football league, Bryant coached at Southaven High School.

He started his college playing career at Upper Iowa University before transferring to Arkansas. He played there from 2000-2002, helping the Razorbacks win the 2002 SEC West championship. The team played in three bowl games during his time there.

He earned his associate degree from Upper Iowa in 2000 and a bachelor’s in human resource management from Arkansas in 2003.

Bryant played high school football at Bartow, Fla., where he was a three-sport letterman.

Bryant and his wife Christina have four children: Braylon, Dallis, Landyn and Kennede.