4-star Texas A&M commit Anthony James II from Wylie East High School, northeast of Dallas, Texas was impressed–more than impressed, by his visit to the University of Washington.
“It blew my mind, the players, the coaches, the people, the scenery,” James said as he struggled for the right words to describe his visit. “Most kids don’t know what’s out there (in Seattle).”
James, at 6-5, and 250 pounds, with a 4.69 40-yard dash, isn’t exactly a late-bloomer, just late to the game of football.
“I was 6-0 in middle school and I could dunk in 8th grade but I didn’t start the game of football until my freshman year,” the class of 2023 defensive end prospect said. “There were times when I didn’t like it or feel like playing but the brotherhood kept me coming back.”
While he remains a solid commit to Texas A&M he stays in constant contact with the Washington coaches.
“A&M has been there since the very beginning,” he said. “But I told the coaches that I want to visit other schools to see what’s out there.”
It’s James’ relationship with Washington’s Director of Player Personnel, Courtney Morgan, dating back to Morgan’s days at Michigan, that drew James to Seattle in early Spring.
While the on-campus experience blew his mind it was how the city of Seattle has an abundance of love for the university. In fact, the big “W” in Seatac Airport surprised him.
“All you see is purple and Husky merchandise everywhere,” he said.
He said that Coach DeBoer did a fantastic job of painting the game-day atmosphere at Husky Stadium–and the crowd’s roar coming from every direction.
“It sounds amazing,” he said. “Unbelievable.”
Equally unbelievable was his team’s 2-8 record this past season.
“We were a first-half team,” he recalled. “We’d go up in the first half but we couldn’t hold it. We’re fixing the losing mentality. We’re not that same team.”
As one of the team’s 7 captains, James leads by example, and that’s how the coaches want it.
“They want the captains to show the way,” he said. “I’m not a talker. I’ve never been the celebration type of person. You go out and show what you can do and go back on the next play and show it again.”
Execution is how he gets his teammates hyped up.
“Finish one play and get ready for the next,” he said of his in-game mentality. “I don’t jump around. I play football, that’s it. You don’t need to do something you don’t need to start.”
And this season he will help his team finish games.
