Bryce Oliver

Early life

Oliver was born on May 19, 2000, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale and competed in football and basketball, winning consecutive state championships in the latter. He had 76 receptions for 1,112 yards and five touchdowns as a junior, but suffered a knee injury as a senior which led to a significant drop in attention as a recruit. A three-star prospect, he committed to play college football for the Kentucky Wildcats, the only program to continue to show interest in him after his injury.

College career

Oliver redshirted as a freshman at Kentucky in 2018. He appeared in 12 games during the 2019 season, posting six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. He battled injuries in 2020, playing six games while having two catches for 14 yards. He entered the NCAA transfer portal following the season.

Oliver transferred to the Youngstown State Penguins in 2021, playing nine games that year, six as a starter, and finishing second on the team with 24 receptions for 266 yards and a team-leading eight touchdowns. In 2022, he caught 59 passes for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns, being named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) while having the most single-season receiving touchdowns for a Youngstown State player since 1983. As a senior in 2023, he broke the school record for career receiving touchdowns with 26 and finished the season with 64 receptions for 978 yards and eight touchdowns.