One of Appalachian State’s most experienced and versatile defenders returns for his fifth season ... is expected to be at 100 percent for the season after missing the final eight games of last season due to a knee injury ... is expected to spend the majority of his time at defensive end but has the ability to slide inside, particularly as an extra pass rusher on throwing downs ... boasts extensive playing experience with 28 games and nine starts in his career ... goes into fall camp listed as the top backup behind Nathaniel Norwood at one of the defensive end positions.

2014: Saw action in first four games before sustaining a season-ending knee injury during Sun Belt Conference opener at Georgia Southern ... finished with four tackles in limited action ... had a season-high two stops, including an 11-yard sack, in win over Campbell ... tallied single tackles at Michigan and Southern Miss ... did not record any statistics before suffering injury early in game at Georgia Southern.

2013: Played in all 12 games with seven starts ... began the season at nose tackle in the Mountaineers’ new 3-4 scheme and started the first four games of the year at the position ... with injuries to several defensive ends, moved outside to help pick up the slack and wound up splitting time between end and nose tackle the rest of the season ... wound up making five total starts at nose tackle and two at end by season’s end ... finished season with 30 tackles, good for second on the team among defensive linemen ... ranked sixth on the squad with 3.5 tackles for loss ... recorded multiple tackles in 10-of-12 games ... two of his 3.5 tackles for loss came during the two-game span that he started at end — at The Citadel and vs. Samford ... turned in biggest game of the season at The Citadel with five tackles and a forced fumble to go along with the TLF ... also made a stop behind the line of scrimmage against Chattanooga ... turned in a big performance at Georgia with four tackles ... had three stops and a quarterback hurry in finale versus Western Carolina.

2012: Appeared in all 12 games as a redshirt freshman … made two early-season starts (vs. The Citadel and Coastal Carolina) … amassed 20 tackles … had at least one stop in 10-of-12 games … made three tackles in collegiate debut at East Carolina … had two tackles in home-opening win over Montana … had three stops against Wofford … was in on his first collegiate sack at Western Carolina … turned in his best performance of the season with five tackles in win at top-ranked Georgia Southern.

2011: Redshirted.

High School: Rated as a two-star prospect by Rivals.com ... named the 2010 St. Petersburg Times North Suncoast Defensive Player of the Year ... in his only season as a defensive end, recorded 83 tackles,  47 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, six forced fumbles and a fumble recovery as a senior ... played linebacker as a junior but was not at 100 percent for the majority of the season after losing 20 pounds due to illness ... led a Leopard defense that surrendered just 10 points per game and shut out three of its 11 opponents in 2010 ... led Hernando to a 9-2 overall record and first postseason berth in five years as a senior ... coached by John Palmer.  

Personal: Full name is William Thomas Bronson ... born June 19, 1992 (23 years old) ... son of Carolyn and Tom Bronson ...father, Tom,  grandfather, Bill Johnson, and grandfather, Tommy Bronson, all played football at Tennessee ... Bill Johnson was an all-America guard for the Vols ... Thomas is the oldest of five siblings (three brothers and one sister) ... majoring in communication studies.