100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #94 Troy James By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: May 30, 2018

Stats and image via SoonerSports.com

The Path to Norman

James, a one-time Arkansas commit, was someone on the edges of the Sooners recruiting class for a while. He tried to make it to Norman on a few occasions but had a hard time pulling it off. Finally, very close to signing day (late January), James made it to Norman. Even then, it wasn’t clear if a flip was possible. However, the OU staff pulled it off and Troy made the switch.

Career so Far

The big Louisiana native took a redshirt year in 2017 to get used to the college game. He weighed in at 275 during fall of his senior year of high school and 285 spring of his senior year; the latest roster from OU has him listed at 303 pounds. Go Coach Wylie go.

As far as what James can bring, TFB spoke with his high school coach shortly after his commitment January of last year. This is what his coach had to say:

Size: In terms of size coach Roach said James is up to 285-290 lbs. He also noted that he’s somewhere between 6’2 1/2” and 6’3. I have a friend who worked with James in camp and said he’s closer to 6’2 1/4”. Either way he seems to be somewhere between 6’2 and 6’3 and projects as a 3 technique. That isn’t necessarily great height but it’s better than what OU has had and certainly not short.

Athleticism & Ability: Coach Roach said, “he’s 290 lbs and he can dunk a basketball…exceptional athlete. He can be a true impact guy at the 3 technique. I mean, he can put 300 lbs in the air…”.

Comparison: Coach Roach is also the father of standout Texas DE, Malcolm Roach who had a fantastic true freshman season in 2016. Coach Roach said that Troy is the closest player to Malcolm that he’s ever coached. He also noted that, like Malcolm, he believes Troy will be ready to see some time on the field as a true freshman. I spoke to my friend who had Malcolm Roach and Troy James in camp and while he likes James he did say he felt Roach was the more athletic of the two. However, that isn’t surprising given their difference in weight.

Why He Chose OU: Interestingly, coach Roach said that the decision to commit to OU for James came down to, “he wants to play in a 4 man front. Arkansas said they’re moving to a 3 man front”. I do believe OU is going to be multiple but the more I talk to people the more it’s clear that this move to a base 1 gap scheme up front could really help OU moving forward in 2018 and seems to have been one of the main reasons OU landed James late in this cycle.

Current Year

Redshirt-freshman

Stats

N/A

Highlights

2018 Season

It’s tough to evaluate James’ role in 2018. He is a guy that has a lot of athleticism for someone so big and OU will certainly be looking for more depth in the middle of the defensive front. However, there are several other young defensive tackles who will also be vying for playing time. Hopefully the young man’s athleticism wins through and he becomes a contributor.