Out of small Wildwood High School in Central Florida, linebacker John Brantley came to Georgia in 1983 unheralded and mostly unwanted. By 1987, “Rambo,” as he was nicknamed for his aggressive, tough-as-nails approach to the game, had become a tackling machine for the Bulldogs and one of the program’s top linebackers of all time.

Despite being credited with just a single tackle as a redshirt freshman in 1984, Brantley remains one of only four Georgia players in history to tally more than 400 career tackles. From 1984-1987, he totaled 415 tackles, including 36 for loss (including sacks), 11 sacks, 10 passes broken up, five forced fumbles, and four interceptions. Brantley’s 25 career true tackles for loss (TFL minus sacks) are an unofficial school record. He earned All-SEC recognition in both 1986 and 1987 and was selected as a second-team All-American as a senior.

The first Georgia linebacker selected in the NFL Draft in nine years, Brantley played for the Houston Oilers and eventually started for the Washington Redskins. He also starred in the World League with the Birmingham Fire for two seasons.

Since his playing days, Brantley has worked in the mortgage and construction industries and has been involved in charitable work. UGASports caught up with Brantley from his home in the Farmington community of Oconee County.

UGASports: John, how did you first catch the attention of major schools like Georgia and Florida State, especially considering Wildwood High School was a relatively obscure and small-time program at the time? (At one point while Brantley attended the school, Wildwood dressed only 18 players on its football team.)

Brantley: When I was still an underclassman at Wildwood, we were set to face this big, strong running back for Eustis who had been recognized as “the next Herschel Walker.” So, everybody came to watch our game against Eustis. But they all came to watch that running back, expecting him to run all over little Wildwood. But, from the opening kickoff, we played that team tough. I played outside linebacker, fullback on offense, and special teams as well (Brantley also scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery). We wound up winning the game easily while holding that running back to minimal production. Several scouts were in attendance, and I was recruited soon after that. Ironically, it took me having a great game against “the next Herschel Walker” for me to get noticed by a school like Georgia.

UGASports: Was there any interest from the nearby Florida Gators?

Brantley: No. In fact, I was basically told by the program that I didn’t have what it took to be a Gator. And that was disappointing at the time, considering that I lived only 60-70 miles from the university and had grown up a Gators fan. Scot Brantley (an All-SEC linebacker for Florida in the late 1970s) is a distant relative of mine, so I naturally had thoughts of following him and playing the same position he played for the Gators. As far as Georgia football goes, at the time in the early 1980s, I knew nothing, other than when Florida and Georgia played, it seemed like the Gators would lose.

UGASports: Describe what it meant for you to sign with a major college. And why did you ultimately decide to attend Georgia?

Brantley: At Wildwood, I was the first football player ever to get a scholarship to a Division I school. So, it was a significant event for that small community. Just an ole country boy, I had hardly been out of my little area before I started to get recruited by Georgia. But I just instantly fell in love with Athens and its surrounding area—and how the area actually experiences four seasons, unlike where I was from. In fact, I saw snow for the first time on a recruiting visit to Athens. I also met some people on my visits who, like me, were outdoorsmen, and I thought they could become lifelong friends. So, more so than what I expected to accomplish playing football, I decided to attend UGA because I knew I’d be happy in a place like Athens.

UGASports: Onto a few rapid-fire questions regarding your playing days at Georgia… Although we think we already know the answer to this first one: In your opinion, what was Georgia’s biggest rival when you played?

Brantley: Easy, Florida.

UGASports: Name an opposing running back who gave you and the Georgia defense fits.

Brantley: When we played against LSU in 1986 and 1987, the Tigers had a really good running back tandem of Harvey Williams and Sammy Martin. We had good defenses those years, but we had a hard time stopping those backs, especially with them running behind LSU’s excellent offensive line. (In two games against Georgia, Williams and Martin combined to rush for 361 yards while averaging nearly six yards per carry. The Bulldogs lost both games by a combined 49-37 score.)

UGASports: For you, what were Georgia’s most significant wins during your playing days?

Brantley: My sophomore season (1985) when we beat No. 1 Florida leads the way, followed by at Auburn in 1986, and then Georgia Tech in Athens that same year. For my No. 4 win at Georgia, I’d say it was when we beat Florida when I was a senior in 1987.

UGASports: Name a local establishment or two that you and your teammates like to frequent when you were in school.

Brantley: The Odyssey on Lumpkin Street was a favorite of ours. Also, out on the east side of town, there was a place, Cooper’s, we liked.

UGASports: Who was the toughest player you ever went up against?

Brantley: As part of that great LSU offensive line I mentioned, there was a guard, the late Eric Andolsek, who was built like a fire hydrant, really thick. Those two games, he and I went at it, really battled. And we both knew it was going to be a long day going into each game. Eric was tough to face. We actually later became friends in the NFL.

UGASports: What about the toughest teammate you had while at Georgia?

Brantley: In my five years in the program, the teammate who was the toughest, in my opinion, might have also been the most underappreciated player while I was there—my former roommate, offensive guard Mack Burroughs. Mack was a big country boy from Rabun County, who showed up at Georgia and would face tough times with adversity and injuries. No matter, he worked hard, played hurt, and wound up being a four-year starter. Mack was a tough, hard-nosed individual who deserved far more accolades and awards than he received. I still talk to him from time to time. He’s a testament to the saying, “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” (Notably, as a redshirt freshman in 1984, Burroughs had the distinction of being the first freshman to start on offense for a season opener during the Vince Dooley coaching era.)

UGASports: You mentioned the ’85 Florida game as your favorite win. Besides the fact that Georgia defeated the No. 1-ranked team in the nation—something the program hadn’t accomplished in its history before then—why was that game so significant for you?

Brantley: After growing up a Florida fan, but them telling me that I wasn't good enough, and it was my first start against the Gators in my first year as a starter, the game meant a lot to me. And Florida was so good! Kerwin Bell was their quarterback, the team was filled with high draft picks, and they had college football’s biggest offensive line. Leading up to the game, Georgia was given no chance, like we shouldn’t even travel to Jacksonville for the game. But our coaches had a phenomenal game plan. They (Florida) were so big on offense that we, defensively, didn't line up and go against them face-to-face. Instead, we moved, we shifted in different directions, and were able to get after them really good. On offense, we had two backs rush for over 100 yards (Keith Henderson and Tim Worley), and another (Lars Tate) who nearly did so, as well.

UGASports: You had a phenomenal game with a bunch of tackles, including a few for loss, and your first career interception at Georgia. And weren’t you hurt for the majority of the game?

Brantley: Yes, I cracked three ribs on the third play of the game. But when I played football, I normally wouldn’t let something like cracked ribs affect me or keep me out. Cracked ribs can only hurt when you breathe, right? (chuckle) We tried a flak jacket. I took it off, got a shot in my side, and I was back out there. And then, I think it was the first play of the second half, I tore cartilage in my left knee. But I just had it wrapped up, and I continued to play. I wound up having surgery on that knee when the season was over. It was such a gratifying [24-3] win that I didn’t mind getting a little banged up to experience it.

UGASports: There may not be a better example of you, or maybe any former Georgia player, playing through pain/sickness than your appearance in the 1987 Liberty Bowl vs. Arkansas. Describe what was your final game as a Georgia Bulldog.

Brantley: Leading up to the game, I had gotten food poisoning and then a virus on top of it. I couldn’t keep anything down, couldn’t keep anything in. I didn’t practice, didn’t attend meetings, or any of the bowl events. I just laid in bed, took meds, and watched film—nothing else. Still, by gameday, there was no question I was going to play. I got some IVs right before kickoff and just went out there and played. On the field, I still couldn’t keep anything down or in. It was a mess. It was rainy and muddy, and I was vomiting in the huddles. And then, on top of it, sometime just before the first half was over, I separated my shoulder. I got it popped back in, and we actually rallied from losing by double-digits in the fourth quarter to a [20-17] win. (Brantley was named Georgia’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the game.)

UGASports: Looking back at your NFL career, it appears you didn’t play as a rookie for Houston and then sparingly in your second year. Evidently, you were then released, only to start for Washington three seasons later in 1992. Please explain what appears to be an unusual path in the league.

Brantley: I wasn’t a choir boy in college. I had some off-field altercations, and it definitely hurt my draft stock. As a late-round pick who’d endure some injuries, I certainly saw the “business side” of the league and had to really succeed just to make Houston’s [what was then only a 47-man] roster. My second year (1989), I played on special teams during the regular season. When I was released, I was definitely surprised but, like I said, the NFL is a business. However, luckily, around that time, the World League (the World League of American Football) came about. I was with the Birmingham Fire, had fun playing there, and did well. (In his two seasons with the Fire—the only two seasons the team existed—Brantley was named to the All-World League Team both years and was the league’s defensive MVP in 1991.) Just weeks after the Fire’s 1992 season ended, I was signed by Washington. Although I had never played in a 4-3 defense, I was able to pick up on things quickly and made a good impression early, especially on special teams. By October, I was starting to see time at linebacker, besides special teams. By mid-November, I had started a couple of games. (In his first NFL start, coming against Seattle on November 8, 1992, Brantley was considered the standout defensive player of the game, totaling a Redskin season-high 12 solo tackles while recovering a fumble, in a 16-3 win while helping limit the Seahawks to 183 total yards.)

UGASports: Unfortunately, your football playing days would soon be over though, right?

Brantley: A shattered elbow made me miss the ’93 season, but the Cincinnati Bengals soon signed me. At the time, things were actually really progressing. The Bengals seemed to really like me, projecting me to be a starter in 1994. At the same time, one of the two expansion teams that would be in the league the following season had reached out to my agent about signing me in 1995. But then, it’d suddenly all come to an end. During training camp, we got a little break, and I went home to Georgia. I was simply walking down the street in Winder with a buddy of mine when suddenly I sneezed, exploding my L4/L5 lumbar vertebrae and sending bone fragments into my sciatic nerve. I dropped like a ton of bricks. After all the injuries and the wear and tear on my body from playing football, it took only a sneeze to end it all.

UGASports: Where did you decide to go from there?

Brantley: I could have tried to return to the NFL from the injury. I was told I could be repaired and would probably be able to play again. However, at the time, my wife, Diane, and I had just had our first two kids—a pair of twins—and the last thing I needed to worry about was getting injured again and the possibility of being paralyzed. So, I decided to call football quits. Still, I think I went through a stage of depression because, at first, I really didn’t know what I was going to do with myself. All I knew had been football—my plan A—and now I had to discover another path—my plan B—after my plan A had been progressing so well. In the end, my plan A didn’t work out. Of course, a lot of plan As don’t work out when it’s all said and done.

UGASports: Would you say that football taught you a lot about life?

Brantley: Definitely. I’ve learned to deal with adversity off the football field like I did on the field. Like a lot of people, I’ve had my share of hardships, like personal injuries, family sickness, lost careers, etc. At the end of the day, there are good times and bad times. Football prepared me for the good and the bad because on the field, you either win, or lose, and there’s always a chance of getting hurt. With life, like football, I learned to keep grinding it out—whether I win, lose, get hurt—keep getting up the next day, go another round, and keep fighting.

UGASports: After football, what did you do professionally?

Brantley: I entered the home mortgage industry, initially with a great company, HomeBanc. I later got into building residential housing and commercial structures in the real estate sector. I am still involved in the mortgage business with one of my sons.

UGASports: Tell us about your family.

Brantley: My wife, Diane, and I have been married for 36 years. She is the Executive Director of a local organization very near to our hearts, Lydia’s Place. Lydia’s Place is a non-profit organization that provides basic needs for young adults ages 17-24 as they transition from foster care or homelessness to being on their own. Diane and I have four boys—Hunter, Logan, Bo, and Jose—and one girl, Maya. We also currently have three grandkids.

UGASports: Finally, is there any advice you could give to an incoming signee nowadays, even considering the current landscape of college football involving NIL, and the like?

Brantley: I’ll say, NIL was long overdue—but things have gone from one extreme to another, and not in a good way regarding NIL. Currently, I might find it difficult to give a kid full advice regarding attending college and playing football, as what he’s perhaps experiencing, such as receiving a lot of money, is far different from what I experienced. Still, if I could offer up any advice, no matter if a kid already has NIL money or not, I’d tell them to start planning for a life after football now. When football is over—and it’s coming, we just don’t know exactly when—what are you going to do? And what are you doing now with your current resources to prepare yourself for when you can’t play football anymore? Recruits should already be thinking about and preparing for a world beyond football because here’s what I know: As soon as you're no longer on a roster, whether that’s in college or in the pros, that money is not coming in anymore. For many of them, their plan A didn’t fully work out. So, they better have a plan B.