 Brantley (front center) during his freshman year withTim Tebow, Bryan Waggener (#10), andCam Newton (#13) | |
| No. 12 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1989-03-03)March 3, 1989 (age 36) Ocala, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 219 lb (99 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ocala (FL) Trinity Catholic |
| College | Florida |
| NFL draft | 2012: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
John Brantley, IV (born March 3, 1989) is an American formerfootballquarterback. He playedcollege football atFlorida from 2008 to 2011. He was signed by theBaltimore Ravens after going undrafted in the2012 NFL draft but was released before the start of the season.
Brantley has family connections to the University of Florida. His father, John Brantley, III, also played quarterback there in the late 1970s and his uncle,Scot Brantley, played linebacker for the Gators and went on to theNFL.
Brantley attendedTrinity Catholic High School inOcala, Florida.[1]
As a sophomore, Brantley threw for 1,201 yards, 17 touchdowns and one interception, while sharing time with senior Seth Varnadore. During his junior season, he threw for 2,835 yards, 41 touchdowns and five interceptions, leading Trinity Catholic to the Florida Class 2B state title. Brantley finished his high school career with an FHSAA record 99 touchdown passes, breaking the previous state mark of 98, held byTim Tebow. Following his high school career, Brantley was invited to play in the 2007U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Brantley was chosen as the 2006Gatorade National Player of the Year for football and was judged a four star recruit by Scout.com.[2]
After a trip toAustin to see theUniversity of Texas, Brantley committed to the Longhorns. In a later interview with FloridaFB.com, Brantley reiterated his commitment to Texas, stating that he felt it was "a real special thing to be headed out there [Texas]."
The other schools on Brantley's shortlist includedAlabama,Louisville,Oklahoma, andFlorida.[3]
In December 2006, Rivals.com reported that Brantley would de-commit from Texas to follow in the footsteps of his uncle at the University of Florida. He later signed his letter of intent, and enrolled in Gainesville in 2007.
Brantleyredshirted his first season with the Gators in 2007, before competing withCam Newton for the backup job as a redshirt freshman in the2008 season. Brantley first saw playing time in the season opener againstHawaii, and would go in as the backup after the starters were pulled in several conference games. He appeared in nine games, with pass attempts in seven of them. Brantley finished the 2008 season going 18 for 28 passing for 235 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
Brantley earned media attention during the 2009 season after starting quarterbackTim Tebow suffered a concussion in a September 26 game againstKentucky. It was speculated Brantley would make the first start of his Gator career inBaton Rouge at LSU, but Tebow was cleared to play on the day of the game.
In Florida's spring game of 2010, he completed 15 of 19 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.[4]
Brantley was thestarting quarterback in theGators' 2011 season. He injured his ankle in the October 1 game againstAlabama and missed the following two games.[5]
Brantley signed as an undrafted free agent with theBaltimore Ravens on April 28, 2012 after going undrafted in the2012 NFL draft.[6] He was waived on August 1, 2012.[7]
Media related toJohn Brantley at Wikimedia Commons