This fall marks a different kind of homecoming for Sean Bedford, BSAE ‘10. The strapping  6’1” former Yellow Jackets offensive lineman will still be rooting for his alma mater, heart and soul. That will never change.

But, as the new color commentator for the IMG Radio Network, he’ll have to trade some of his enthusiasm for a little cool-headed analysis.

That shouldn’t be a problem for Bedford, now a practicing patent attorney with Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunbar, LLC in Atlanta. He gets paid to stick to the facts.

And, since he has spent the last two years moonlighting as the commentator on the Jackets pre-game show, he also knows how to keep the gridiron banter crisp.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said after the season opener, Sept. 5, versus Alcorn State

(66-6).

“I had a lot of highlights to call and that makes it more enjoyable. My only concern was, ‘Am I going to run out of positive adjectives to use?’ You can only use ‘fabulous,’ ‘phenomenal,’ ‘tremendous’ and ‘great’ so many times.”

Those same words have often been used to describe Bedford, who started his football career at Tech as a walk-on defensive lineman freshman year (2006). Hard work, dedication, and talent led the Gainesville, FL native to earn a scholarship from head coach Paul Johnson and, then, a spot as the team’s starting center. By the time he graduated, Bedford had become a two-time All ACC player; had won the inaugural Burlsworth Trophy, (given to the top college player to begin his career as a walk-on); and was one of just three college players named to Sporting News’ 20 Smartest Athletes list.  In 2013 CBS Sports named him to their all-walk-on team, as one of the previous decade’s most surprising successes.

Born and bred a Gators fan, Bedford’s love of football made his transition to the Yellow Jackets seamless. His bigger ambitions went beyond the playing field.

“I have wanted to be an aerospace engineer from the time that I knew what that was,” he said.

“The whole idea of aviation and space flight has always held a special place in my

heart. The feeling of adventure that is so often absent from modern life was just so clearly present there that I just felt myself drawn to it.”

Bedford maintained this perspective when he chose law school after graduating from Tech.

“I got into the work I’m doing now because I found a way to blend my two passions, engineering and law. I love having the opportunities to help inventors protect their inventions, to observe and help to develop new technology at the forefront of innovation. And I love being in a competitive environment.”

Bedford said he uses what he learned at Tech every day.

“Probably the two most useful tools I learned in the AE program were learning how to prepare and learning how to apply a knowledge base to new environments and challenges,” he said.

“One of the hallmarks of a great attorney is approaching each problem from the mindset that you know everything you possibly can so that you’re prepared for every situation. When you’re studying AE at Tech, you don’t really have much of an option but to adopt that approach.”

In AE, he says, professors always pushed him to prepare, prepare, and then: prepare some more. 

“One time, after a weekend game, Sean came in looking a little tired on Monday,” said Dr. Lakshmi Sankar, one of his GT-AE professors.

“So I asked him if the reason was that he played really hard.”

No, that wasn’t the reason

“So I said, “Well maybe you had a little too much fun after the game?’”

Bedford shook his head.

“‘No, it wasn’t the game or the party. It was your homework…It was really hard. I was up late doing it.’”

Sankar laughs at this now. No complaints or apologies: Bedford was just stating the facts.

"He was a very good student," Sankar added.

Bedford’s dogged attention to detail was just as helpful to him in football. When he was on the Yellow Jackets scout team, he watched video of the other teams so he could imitate them during practice to help the varsity squad prepare for a game. Now, as a color commentator, he studies the other teams so he can be familiar with their plays and players when he’s calling a game.

Prepare, prepare, and then: prepare some more.

It never changes.

And Bedford doesn’t want it to. It’s a formula that has bred success in every aspect of his life. And he’s quick to predict that it will do the same for those who come after him at his alma mater.

“If there’s any student out there who’s thinking about pursuing aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech, I can’t recommend it strongly enough. It will take you places you’ve never imagined.”