There are a lot of things about Johnathan Bryant that Georgia Southern coach Jeff Monken likes and appreciates.
    “Gosh, he’s so hard,” Monken said. “He’s such a fiery kid on the field. He’s fast, and there’s the intensity he brings, especially to practice.
    “To watch the kid practice — he’s always in motion, huffing and puffing around. He’s talented, fast and has good hands. He wants to be good, and he’s very competitive.”
    Bryant, a junior from Cairo, is one of the Eagles’ starting slot backs, and he’s a welcome addition to the lineup after missing all of last season due to a broken ankle suffered in the opener against Savannah
State.
    “Last year was a really frustrating year,” Bryant said. “All I could do was sit in the stands and cheer the guys on. It’s a great feeling to be part of a team again, to be able to contribute.
    “The most frustrating part was when they left for a road trip,” Bryant said. “They would talk to me about the game when they got back, but it was really tough not to be able to be a part of it. When they talked about the game all I could do was sit there and listen.”
    Bryant will be looking to make his contribution when the No. 1 Eagles (2-0, 1-0) meet Western Carolina (0-2, 0-0) at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Paulson Stadium in a Southern Conference matchup.
     In high school Bryant teamed with current Eagle wide receiver J.J. Wilcox to lead Cairo to an unbeaten season and a Class AAA state championship during his junior season.
    The Syrupmakers beat Flowery Branch for the title, a team coached by Georgia Southern quarterback Jaybo Shaw’s father, Lee, and quarterbacked by his brother, Connor, who is now at South Carolina.
    The following season Cairo got beat in the state title game, and it is an indication of his competitiveness in that it still rankles him.
    “I came out of Cairo having just lost a state championship,” Bryant said. “I just wanted to get back on the field and just play.”
    Bryant wound up grayshirting in 2008, and played primarily on special teams in 2009 before catching Monken’s eye in spring practice. He quickly established himself as one of the Eagles’ top A backs as he easily adjusted to the triple option.
    “Cairo is a school of hard knocks,” Bryant said. “As long as you go hard in this offense you are going to succeed.”
    However, then came the bad break against Savannah State and the most frustrating season of his football career.
    In two games this season Bryant has shown his versatility as he has caught two passes for 66 yards, ran for 11 yards on one carry, returned a punt for 29 yards and a kickoff for 17.
    “We get a lot of mileage out of him,” Monken said. “He’s a good punt returner, and a good receiver. We also play him a lot on special teams because we can’t afford not to.
    “He’s a really nice kid, and he has really matured,” Monken said. “He’s done a really good job in our program.”
    When the Eagles made a run to the semifinals in the playoffs last year it proved to be a blessing for Bryant who towards the end of the season had recovered to the extent he could play on the scout team.
    “The extra weeks helped me,” Bryant said. “While at the same time I was helping the team by being on the scout team and helping them prepare I was also helping myself.
    “I can make big plays, but the only thing I want to do is whatever it takes to help this team win.”