After four seasons coaching in the NFL alongside legendary receiver Reggie Wayne, Colts assistant wide receivers coach and offensive quality control coach Brian Bratton has been hired by one of Wayne’s old quarterbacks.

Bratton is expected to be named Stanford’s wide receivers coach, according to Wayne, who posted on X Tuesday night about the move that will send the longtime Furman receivers coach back to the college game to work under Stanford general manager (and former Colts star quarterback) Andrew Luck and his team’s new head coach Tavita Pritchard.

Advertisement

“Damn. The receiver room took a hit. Coach B has become the receiver coach at (Stanford). I’m excited to see them boys get right this year and moving forward. Who’s gonna talk me (off) the ledge now,” Wayne wrote. “Y’all wish ‘em good luck on his new journey.”

Bratton posted this on X that evening: “Thankful for four unforgettable years with the Colts. A ride marked by lessons learned, bonds forged and every challenge met head-on. Grateful for the players, coaches and this city. I carry the lessons, the scars and the standard with me – the next chapter will write itself.”

At the time of writing, Bratton is not yet listed among Stanford’s coaches on the team’s website and has not been formally announced by the team, but the receivers coach is no longer listed on the Colts’ coaches list online.

Advertisement

Bratton joined the Colts in the spring of 2022 in tandem with Wayne, following the former’s seven-year coaching stint at Division I FCS-level Furman, his alma mater. As a player with the Paladins, Bratton earned All-American honors as a freshman in 2001 after averaging a college-best 37.2 yards per attempt on kickoff returns – including three touchdowns. He also caught 131 passes for 1,826 yards and 18 touchdowns in his career during his stint that included a pair of conference titles and an FCS national runner-up finish. He’s a member of the school’s athletics Hall of Fame.

Bratton spent time with the Falcons and Ravens in 2005 before stints in NFL Europe (2006), the Arena League (2007) and the CFL (2007-12), where he won two Grey Cups with the Montreal Alouettes and won the league’s Tom Pate award in 2012, the CFL’s equivalent to the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Following two years working as an assistant coach at North Greenville University, Bratton was hired by Furman in 2015, where he worked as the team’s wide receivers coach while also holding special teams coordinator and co-offensive coordinator duties.

During his four years with the Colts, Bratton oversaw the development of young wideouts Alec Pierce and Josh Downs – the former who is entering what is certain to be a lucrative offseason as a free agent for the first time in his career after topping 1,000 yards in 2025 and leading the NFL in yards per catch for the second year running.

Bratton’s departure is the third loss for a Colts coaching staff this offseason that has remained largely intact. On Thursday, IndyStar confirmed the team’s plans to hire Arkansas’ Marion Hobby as Indianapolis’ new defensive line coach to replace Charlie Partridge, who joined Notre Dame’s coaching staff this offseason in the same role after working for two seasons on Colts head coach Shane Steichen’s coaching staff. The team also saw Charlie Gelman, a football analyst and game management specialist, leave to join the Ravens as a defensive assistant and game manage coordinator on new head coach Jesse Minter’s staff after three years in Indianapolis.

Advertisement

After principal team owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon confirmed the evening of the season-finale that Steichen and longtime general manager Chris Ballard would return in 2026, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter and passing game coordinator Alex Tanney all received outside coaching interest and interviewed for a combined six play-calling coordinator or head coaching roles with the Bills, Titans, Giants and Eagles. All, ultimately, will stay put in Indianapolis.

Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts lose assistant WR coach Brian Bratton to Andrew Luck, Stanford