James came to Marshall as a walk-on from Capital High School in Charleston, W.Va. in 2005.

He redshirted that season and did not see varsity action in his r-freshman season of 2006, however in 2007 all that changed.

Marshall's coaches were so pleased with his growth and work ethic over the summer they awarded him a scholarship...not realizing however how big of a factor he would become in the upcoming season.

James, who continued to work hard in the weight room and served as a key contributor on the scout team, was thrust into a starting position several games into the 2007 season when several of his teammates along the defensive line went down with season-ending injuries.

James filled in admirably and ended up starting eight games in 2007 recording 22 tackles.

During the 2008 campaign, Marshall's defensive line returned to health and despite the return of previous starters and incoming scholarship players, James held on to a starting role. He saw action in all 12 games in 2008 and started in seven of those contests recording 30 tackles. Following the season, he graduated with a B.A. in Finance and began working on his second under-graduate degree - this time in marketing.

During his senior season of 2009 he has become a key part of a defensive unit that leads Conference USA in scoring defense allowing only 21 points per game (only 15 per game in conference game).

Despite battling a nagging injury that limited him early on, he has five starts and has seen action in seven games, he has 13 tackles and has helped Marshall to its best record in five years. James and his teammates need only one win to earn Marshall conditional bowl eligibility for the first time since 2004.

Even when he is not on the field, James is a cheerleader on the sidelines for his teammates and he has served as a role model for other players.