Prior to the Class 7A state championship football game last December, Lake Mary athlete Tavarius ‘TJ’ Brundidge Jr., was a little-known college prospect with plenty of upside, but little exposure.
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After taking a handoff from teammate Barrett Schulz and scoring the game-winning touchdown to culminate a Hail Mary-pass play from quarterback Noah Grubbs, Brundidge became an overnight star.
“I’ve been having to hold myself to a higher standard, really keep my head high and be humble. I don’t want that one play to dictate my whole future,” Brudidge said. “I want to show people what I can really do.”
He can play receiver or running back and he showed some glimpses of what he can do in the Rams’ 24-24 spring-game tie against Jones. He scored on a 60-yard, catch-and-run pass play from quarterback Remy Jarman. Brundidge scored two touchdowns in the game.
Pictures: Varsity football media day
“It’s definitely had a big affect on my career, because if it wasn’t for that play, a lot of colleges would not have really seen me and seen what I can do,” said the 6-foot, 195-pound Brundidge, who is ranked No. 11 in the Sentinel’s 2028 Central Florida Super60. “If I just keep my head high and keep playing ball, everybody will see that Tavarius Brundidge can play ball.”
Brudidge has just three offers so far — Bethune-Cookman, East Tennessee State and Rhode Island — but the junior is sure to stir up more attention this season.
All eyes are on Lake Mary and he said the Rams are well aware, and welcome the pressure that comes along with being defending state champs.
“We approach it like we have the tag on our back,” Brundidge said. “We practice harder, we work harder. It’s a different type of work ethic. Transfers that come in know it’s strictly business, we don’t come here to play, none of that.
“It’s been really fun. I feel great. I can’t wait till everybody sees what Lake Mary’s gonna do this year.”
Business as usual
One might think that finally winning the state championship in his 20th year at his alma mater, would have a relaxing affect on Lake Mary coach Scott Perry, but he says not so much.
“It’s refreshing and exciting and it feels good. Kind of rejuvenating, quite honestly,” Perry said. “The kids are excited. There’s no talk of like ‘let’s go repeat,’ or anything like that. It’s just, ‘Let’s go play as hard as we can and see what happens. Have fun.’
“I was telling (my wife), I feel like I’ve got more stuff to do than ever in trying to get ready. The summer went by so fast that it’s like, ‘Oh gosh, here we go again.’ I don’t feel slowed down or relaxed at all. I feel like everything is faster than it has been.”
Tavares coach fed up with transfers
Tavares head coach Gavin Jones, a veteran of 31 years of coaching football, including two stints for the Bulldogs, has watched his roster numbers plummet. Nearly 20 players have left Tavares for other schools, many in Lake County.
Jones sported a T-shirt at the Central Florida Media Days event on Thursday that read, ‘We Coach, They Poach,’ in reference to what he said is other schools coming in and “recruiting” his players. Most notably from this year’s roster, the Bulldogs have lost highly-touted linebacker twins Jelani and Ari Bentley to Hawthorne in Alachua County, and 1,400-yard rusher Tamauri Collins to The First Academy. Five other players transferred to South Lake.
Tavares only had 27 players on the roster for its spring game, a 0-0 tie with Apopka, and Jones said he currently has about 40 players with hopes that the incoming freshman class will provide more depth.
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“Everybody is taking our kids because they know we got some good players, that’s why I’m wearing this shirt,” Jones said. “It is what it is. I guess they think the grass is greener on the other side. I just don’t understand it.”
He stopped short of saying this would be his last season, but the writing is on the wall. The lack of loyalty to a school is what disappoints Jones the most.
“I’m pretty close. I’m pretty much going into the season saying this is probably gonna be it for me,” he said. “It’s been 31 years that I’ve been around. I haven’t really made my final decision yet, but with all the stuff that’s going on … people don’t like to be loyal. I’ve been loyal pretty much my whole career. I just don’t know why everyone else can’t be loyal.”
Before the departures,Jones had a promising crew coming back from a 6-5 playoff team that finished second to state semifinalist Bishop Moore in Class 3A District 6.
“We had a great group and I thought this was gonna be our year to battle for a district championship. We battled for one last year with everyone pretty much being a junior,” Jones said. “I’m pretty much fed up with it, but we’re gonna coach the kids we got and move on.
“We’re gonna be competitive. We’re gonna put a good team on the field. We’re still gonna go to battle.”
Jones canceled the Bulldogs scheduled game against South Lake and added Celebration for the Aug. 28 date.
“We dropped them because they got five of our kids and I didn’t want to have confrontations on the field with bad blood between the kids that stayed and the kids that went over there,” Jones said. “So I nipped that.”
Jermel Jones rejuvenated at Orangewood
Jermel Jones was bouncing around the Media Days facility on the Seminole State College Heathrow campus with a big smile on his face, happy to be back in the coaching ranks. When he left Lyman High in 2025, he was feeling quite the opposite. Like Jones at Tavares, Jermel Jones had grown weary of the transfer atmosphere in high school football and he resigned.
He took a year off, spending time with his two children, ages 1 and 2, and when an opportunity opened at Orangewood Christian, he jumped back into the mix as the Rams head coach.
It was a welcome opportunity for Jones, who has coached for the majority of his career at private schools like the Master’s Academy in Oviedo and a Christian school in Tennessee. He said the atmosphere is much more to his liking.
“I think when you are coaching at a place where the kids are paying for their education, you don’t have some of the transfer stuff that you get at the public schools,” Jones said. “So I don’t have to worry about so many kids leaving. And the kids are going to school for an education where it is a little bit different. It’s not just about sports. The families like what the school provides on the educational side. If the athletics are good, then it’s a plus.
“I am very happy and I get a lot of time to spend with my family, so that’s a good thing too. It’s a blessing.”
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Chris Hays can be found on X.com @OS_ChrisHays.