T.J. Brunson
refer to caption
Brunson with the South Carolina Gamecocks
No. 47 – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1997-12-03) December 3, 1997
Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Richland Northeast
(Columbia, South Carolina)
College:South Carolina (2016–2019)
NFL Draft:2020 / Round: 7 / Pick: 238
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice roster
CFL status:American
Career NFL statistics as of 2021
Total tackles:3
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Tremari Jerelle "T. J." Brunson (born December 3, 1997) is an American football linebacker for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at South Carolina and graduated with his Bachelor’s in December 2019.

Early life and high school

Brunson grew up in Columbia, South Carolina and attended Richland Northeast High School. As a junior, he had 134 tackles and four sacks before suffering a season-ending hip injury. Going into his senior year, he committed to play college football at Louisville over offers from South Carolina, NC State, Georgia Southern, North Carolina, East Carolina, and Appalachian State.[1] He recorded 140 tackles as a senior and helped lead Richland Northeast to the Class 3A state playoffs. He decided to flip his commitment to South Carolina at the end of the season after a recruiting push by then-new head coach Will Muschamp.[2]

College career

Brunson played four seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks. He played mostly on special teams and occasionally as a reserve linebacker as a true freshman. Brunson was named a starter at linebacker going into his sophomore season and finished the year as South Carolina's second-leading tackler with 88 along with 4.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks and three fumble recoveries. He was named to ESPN's All-Bowl team after making 13 tackles and his first two career sacks against Michigan in the 2018 Outback Bowl.[3] He led the Gamecocks with 106 tackles and 10.5 tackles for loss with four sacks in his junior season.[4] As a senior, Brunson recorded 77 tackles, six tackles for loss and five passes broken up as a senior.[5] He finished his collegiate career with 283 tackles, six sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and six passes defensed.[6]

Professional career

New York Giants

Brunson was selected by the New York Giants with the 238th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft.[7] Brunson made his NFL debut on October 22, 2020, in a 22-21 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, making one tackle on special teams.[8] After the first game of the 2021 preseason against the Jets, Brunson tore his ACL and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.[9] On June 10, 2022, Brunson was waived.[10]

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On May 18, 2023, it was announced that Brunson had signed a contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) joining the club's training camp roster.[11]

References

  1. ↑ Kornblut, Phil (July 20, 2015). "USC, Clemson grab new commits commitments". Index-Journal. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ Traina, Patricia (April 29, 2020). "A Special Bond Helped Forge Linebacker TJ Brunson's Path to the NFL". SI.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ McGranahan, Hale (January 10, 2018). "South Carolina football: T.J. Brunson lands on ESPN's All-Bowl team". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ "South Carolina football: TJ Brunson ready lighter load". The State. August 25, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ "T.J. Brunson comes off the board". WISTV.com. April 24, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  6. ↑ Braziller, Zach (April 24, 2020). "Giants select T.J. Brunson with No. 238 pick in NFL Draft 2020". New York Post. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Reggie (April 24, 2020). "T.J. Brunson is drafted by the Giants". WLTX.com. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  8. ↑ Eisen, Michael (October 22, 2020). "Notes & Stats: Inside Thursday night's loss to Eagles". Giants.com. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Giants' T.J. Brunson out for season after tearing ACL". Giants Wire. August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  10. ↑ Simmons, Myles (June 10, 2022). "Giants sign Keelan Doss, waive T.J. Brunson". nbcsports.com.
  11. ↑ 3Down Staff (May 18, 2023). "Riders sign former New York Giants draft pick, LB T.J. Brunson". 3DownNation. Retrieved May 18, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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