You can’t talk about football in St. Johns County without mentioning St. Augustine High School legend and current offensive coordinator Brandon James.
Inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020, he still holds two SEC records—for kickoff return yards and combined kick return yardage.
As a freshman, he grabbed All-SEC and All-American honors, and by 2008, he was a consensus First Team All-American, First Team All-SEC, SEC Special Teams Player of the Year—and later, a senior team captain.
While he was at Florida, the Gators won two SEC titles and two BCS National Championships. Oh—and he just happened to be in the same class as Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes and Percy Harvin.
Around here, you say “Brandon James,” and folks light up: “The football player? What a great guy!”
Your path to success—UF scholarship, playing for Urban Meyer, time in the NFL and CFL, and now OC at St. Augustine—seems smooth. But what’s one major setback you’ve faced, and what did it teach you?
I wouldn’t really call it a setback but honestly, the biggest thing was being born small. I was born with spinal meningitis which stunted my growth, so I was smaller at birth. Not really a setback but it gave me almost a chip on my shoulder.
I was in and out of the hospital as a baby and even passed away for a minute or two, but they revived me. And my grandmother, who’s passed now, always tells the story the best. She would famously say, “The doctors said you could be physically or mentally impaired and well…you turned out to be both!” So that was an obstacle, being a smaller kid, and then coming from a super competitive family. That chip on my shoulder. It’s just something that never left me.
You have a degree in sociology from UF. Does that help you in your professional life as a coach, a community leader and a role model?
I would say so, yes. Just in learning how to build relationships, and learning that relationships are the most important thing. Most people would say I’m a player’s coach. I would hope most kids that play for me would say I’m a players coach. My players like to be around me and have real conversations with me about life.
Being a coach and a teacher means kids are gonna look at what you’re doing. That’s extremely important to me and something I take a lot of pride in. Getting into coaching – obviously, you get better and mature year by year, so I feel like I’m always learning and getting better, even though I’m a grown man.
And the kids are so young – I tell a lot of my kids if they just listen, especially when God has blessed them with a lot of great attributes. Listen and follow the blueprint. The coaches have seen it all. We’ve been around.
How do you build a successful team culture?
It’s all built around our leadership. Our Athletic Director Quinterrance Cooper played for SAHS and has a lot of passion, and so does our head coach, Brian Braddock. The kids see adults and leaders who are super passionate, having a lot of pride about what they’re doing – everyone normally follows suit, so it’s kind of hard for the culture of the team to not resemble that mindset.
What have been your biggest challenges and greatest rewards?
Easily just communicating and talking with the kids. I have a lot of kids who don’t play football that I’m extremely close with. I’ve been in teaching since elementary school, so I’ve been around these kids and I know these kids. Just staying in tune with their lives, knowing what they’re doing, and having the kids come and talk with me. – I work in the ESE department – a lot of students that I know, I know their parents, too.
Kids today are exposed to so many different things – a lot of things are materialistic – so I guess the challenge would be the same as the reward – helping these kids. Sometimes the challenge is reeling them back in and helping them to understand exactly what’s important in life and what to value in this world.
How do you manage the expectations of the players and their parents?
You have to believe in the work you’re doing. I am sometimes the one who decides who plays and who doesn’t. The majority of the time, we get it right, but we get it wrong sometimes.
And, the amount of kids we’re keeping in school means more than any of the wins do. Some parents are just not ready for their kids to grow up, and we understand that. And I never really got into what people think I should be doing – I just make sure I’m in line with my own priorities and with what God is pushing me to do.
What keeps you motivated year after year?
The kids and their expectations. No matter the success you had before, this is a new group of kids. Make sure you keep them in school. And knowing how much pride people here have in their football teams.
We’ve won regional championships and state titles, but there’s always the challenge of people thinking maybe you’ll have a drop off year, and working against that.
But you have to tune the criticism out. You’re under a microscope when people know you, you hear their opinions, but you do your best to do what God is pushing you to do and make a positive impact.
How do you keep yourself in shape mentally and physically?
I basically grew up in the church. My grandmother was super big on making sure we went to church, my Dad is a pastor currently in Crescent City, my uncle has passed now, but he was a pastor in Hastings.
So that – having my Dad to talk with – definitely keeps me grounded mentally. Physically, I just try to stay in shape by running around with the kids. I work out with them and train with them. I don’t want them to be able to push me around!
And I have my own business – Blueprint Sports and Physical Training.
Any special techniques for staying in a losing game or coming back after a loss?
One of my big things with the kids and one of my core value words is “connection”. We are all in this together. It’s bigger than just you so keep that mantra. If you’re out there scoring all the points, remember, it’s not about just you. And If you’re having a bad game, facing adversity, or we’re behind, it’s also not about just you.
An example was our game against American Heritage. They jumped out at us 28-9. I just sat down, and was really quiet. And then it was, “Look…we’re gonna fight back or we’re gonna sit back and get our heads beat in, but either way, it’s gonna hurt the same. So stay connected with your teammates.”
Who has been the most influential in your life?
My dad played football at St. Augustine High School and went on to play at Samford University. for the Bowdens, the coaching family. He played for Bobby’s son, Terry, and Jeff Bowden and Jimbo Fisher.
Just having him in my life and him playing the game, he was influential in many ways. And then, obviously, my mom and my grandmother.
In coaching I would say Urban Meyer. His whole personality and how he was. He really moulded me into the man I am today with the grind factor, work ethic. Those four people played the biggest roles.
Was playing football always a dream of yours?
No! I started out playing basketball and baseball. Didn’t play football until 6th grade. Dad coached football and I got teased about not playing ‘cause people thought I was scared with my dad as coach. So I went out to prove I wasn’t.
First time I touched the ball I scored. We were running a slant – I went across the field instead of going outside, and scored. Totally against my Dad’s teaching. From 6th grade on, that’s when it all started for me. I remember it like it was yesterday.
For what do you feel most grateful?
I would say for great health. And looking back, everything that I set out to do as a kid pretty much happened. Growing up, I was never big on being a professional and making a ton of money. I just wanted to play big-time college ball at a big school, and I did that and more.
My dad and Urban Meyer both said, You’re gonna be a coach – you have mannerisms to be a coach, and here I am. I think it all played out just the way it was supposed to.
Best advice and Future goals?
Be a great father to my boys, live up to what they need from me. For myself, that would probably be the most important one.
