Talking and listening to TJ Cole makes you think he was already in college getting ready for a playoff game or in the NFL continuing a march toward the postseason.
“Manage the offense.”
“Keep the tempo up.”
“Play our brand of football.”
Sounds like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, right? Mature. Team-first. Accountable.
But no, Cole is the senior quarterback at Raines High School, which looks to complete a perfect season in the state Class 3A championship game Dec. 12 against Miami Northwestern (7:30 p.m. in Miami). Both schools are 13-0.
Cole, whose maturity was off-the-charts impressive when we chatted before practice earlier this week, played two years at Ribault before moving over to Raines before his junior season. All he’s done for the Vikings is throw 82 touchdowns (and only 10 interceptions) and rush for 12 more.
“He’s a field general; he controls the offense and gets us in the right situations,” Raines coach Donovon Masline said. “It’s just fun to watch and great to see.”
What Masline has watched and seen is a truly great high school career.
In four seasons, Cole has thrown for 7,605 yards, 104 touchdowns and 18 interceptions and rushed for 1,945 yards and 18 touchdowns. Raines is 26-1 in the last two years.
What a capstone an upset win over Northwestern would be for Cole.
“It’s my last high school game,” he said. “I think I’ve done a good job this year and there’s one more game to go so I plan on managing this game to perfection.”
One touchdown pass from record
Cole calls it his “inventory” of accomplishments. He is on the cusp of one more.
Cole’s aforementioned 104 career touchdown passes are tied for third on Jacksonville’s all-time list with Ivory Durham IV (Raines) and behind only Bishop Kenny’s John Wolford (126) and First Coast’s De’Andre Johnson (131).
And if Cole (39 touchdowns/three interceptions this season) throws one touchdown pass against Northwestern, he will become the first quarterback in Jacksonville’s FHSAA history to have two seasons of at least 40 touchdown passes. His 43 touchdown passes last year were third-most in area history behind Johnson (47 in 2014) and Nease’s Tim Tebow (44 in 2004).
“That feels great, being one touchdown away,” Cole said. “The work I’ve put in all season, the work I’ve put in with the receivers, it’s been great throwing them the ball. I tried to get the De’Andre Johnson (record) for 47, but came up short of that.”
Part of the reason why Cole didn’t reach 47 touchdowns? Raines blew teams out — 77-0, 48-14 51-3, 49-0, 53-0, 51-3, 58-6, 57-0, 43-6 54-0 and 61-15 were the scores of 11 routs. Their only “close” games were 27-14 over Madison County and, if you can call it close, 28-8 over Sarasota Booker in last week’s state semifinal game at The Graveyard (Raines’ home field).
Cole’s favorite play?
“Woooo,” he said with a laugh before going through the catalogue in his head. “This one wasn’t particularly ‘special,’ but it was about the ‘inside’ of the play. I checked out of a run into a better play because I got the look we saw on film and we took advantage and scored (on a touchdown pass against Trinity Christian).”
That one play exhibited the pre-play progress Cole focused on during the offseason.
“Just being able to have that freedom in the offense to take us from a bad play into a better play,” he said.
Masline’s favorite play?
“There are so many of them,” he said with a laugh. “He had one against Lake Mary …”
There is video of this one. Cole was at his own 20-yard line and in the shotgun. A pass rusher beat his left tackle and had a free run at Cole. No matter. Flushed out of the pocket to his right, Cole — without stopping to set his feet or square his body — threw a pass 27 “air” yards on the button to his receiver for an 80-yard touchdown.
“He’s a field general and controls the offense and gets us in the right situations,” Masline said.
What major colleges are missing
Despite the production, Cole can’t overcome his height (5 feet, 10 inches), which kept Power 4 college programs off his trail. His main known offers were from Florida A&M, Western Carolina and Texas Southern.
Cole said FAMU is still the plan for him even after coach James Colzie III was fired on Dec. 8. Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Henry Burris was promoted to acting coach.
“Me and Coach Burris have a connection and have talked at least every other week (during the season),” Cole said.
Was getting shunned by the big programs demoralizing?
“It was tough to accept the fact that in these times, colleges like to take the prototypical quarterback who is 6-3, but I just had to face that adversity,” Cole said. “I’ve put in the work so I just had to stay level-headed. I thank FAMU for the opportunity. There are so many aspects of football that go beyond your size. If I just go out and play (in college) like I’ve always played, I’ll be good.”
Masline said the big schools are overlooking Cole’s intangibles.
“Stuff you can’t coach, he just has,” Masline said. “He has ice in his veins in crunch time. He doesn’t panic. When you need a drive, he’s the guy you want to lead it and orchestrate it to win a game. They’re missing the ultimate competitor who has proven he can take an offense and make it his own and make it 10 times better than it was.”
Masline thinks Cole can start right away at FAMU.
“That’s just how focused he is and how physically ready he is,” Masline said.
Before moving onto college, Cole has one final high school game. He wants to atone for last year’s 41-0 loss to Northwestern in the title game.
“Just the work we’ve put in all season, it’s paid off to get us back to where we wanted to be,” Cole said. “Now we have to finish it.”
Contact O’Halloran at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Raines High quarterback TJ Cole aims to cap career with state title