.jpg) James with theFlorida Gators in 2008 | |||||||||
| No. 12 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver /Return specialist | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1987-12-21)December 21, 1987 (age 37) St. Augustine, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 186 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | St. Augustine | ||||||||
| College: | Florida (2006–2009) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2010 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Brandon Keith James (born December 21, 1987) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver andkick returner in theNational Football League (NFL) andCanadian Football League (CFL). He playedcollege football for theFlorida Gators, earning consensusAll-American honors and winning twoBCS National Championships with the Gators. Thereafter, he played professionally for theIndianapolis Colts of the NFL and theEdmonton Eskimos of the CFL.
James was born inSt. Augustine, Florida in 1987.[1] He attendedSt. Augustine High School, where he was a standoutrunning back for the St. Augustine Yellow Jacketshigh school football team.[2] As a senior team captain in 2005, James ran for 900 yards and eighttouchdowns while leading the Yellow Jackets to a Florida Class 3A state championship.[2]
James received an athletic scholarship to attend theUniversity of Florida in Gainesville, Florida,[2] where he played for coachUrban Meyer'sFlorida Gators football team from2006 to2009.[3] As a freshman in 2006, James saw immediate playing time as a kick return specialist, returning 33 punts for 363 yards and one touchdown in 2006, and earning Freshman All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Freshman All-American honors.[2] His 33-yard kickoff return against theOhio State Buckeyes in the2007 BCS National Championship Game gave the Gators the ball in Buckeye territory after Ohio State'sTed Ginn Jr. opened the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown.[2] James's dramatic return and the Gators' resulting touchdown changed the early momentum of the game, with the Gators ultimately defeating the top-ranked Buckeyes 41–14 to win the BCS National Championship.[2]
James led the Gators in kickoff and punt return yardage for four consecutive seasons, and finished his college career with 4,770 total yards gained, including 112 kickoff returns for 2,718 yards and a touchdown, 117 punt returns for 1,371 yards and four touchdowns, 379 receiving yards and 302 rushing yards.[3] His career kickoff return yardage and combined kick return yardage remain SEC records.[3] He was a first-team All-American in 2007, a consensus first-team All-American in 2008, a first-team All-SEC selection in 2008, the SEC Special Teams Player of the Year in 2008, and a senior team captain in 2009.[3][4] During his time as a Gator, the team won twoSEC Championship Games (2006,2008) and twoBCS National Championship Games (2007,2009).
James graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in sociology in 2010.
| Return Stats | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Punt Returns | Yards | Touchdowns | Fair Catches | Long | Kick Returns | Yards | Touchdowns | Fair Catches | Long | ||
| 2006 | 40 | 363 | 1 | 7 | 77 | 21 | 383 | 0 | 0 | 33 | ||
| 2007 | 16 | 254 | 1 | 2 | 83 | 30 | 841 | 0 | 0 | 61 | ||
| 2008 | 46 | 510 | 2 | 8 | 78 | 32 | 738 | 0 | 0 | 52 | ||
| 2009 | 44 | 244 | 0 | 11 | 49 | 29 | 756 | 1 | 0 | 85 | ||
James was also a member of theFlorida Gators track and field team, competing at the SEC Outdoor Championships. His personal bests are 10.43 seconds in the100 meters and 21.00 seconds in the200 meters.[2]
| Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 meters | 10.43 | Austin, Texas | April 9, 2005 |
| 200 meters | 21.00 | Austin, Texas | March 12, 2005 |
TheIndianapolis Colts signed James as an undrafted free agent on April 30, 2010. On November 10, James was activated from the practice squad to the main roster. On November 28, 2010, James posted 150 kick return yards and 29 punt return yards.[5] He was released the following week from the Colts active roster.
In2011, theEdmonton Eskimos signed James as a free agent,[6] but he was later released during the regular season, bringing his playing career to an end.[7]
In 2012, James was hired to coach the football team atSt. Joseph Academy in St. Augustine. He was fired after one season in which the team went 2-8.[8]
Media related toBrandon James at Wikimedia Commons
