Javarris James (born September 18, 1987) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. The ...
. He was signed by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...
as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2010. He played
college football at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, ...
.
He has also been a member of the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
and
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...
. He is the younger cousin of NFL Hall of Fame running back
Edgerrin James, who also played college football in Miami and later for the Colts.
Early years
James attended
Immokalee High School in
Immokalee, Florida
(your home)
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, image_skyline = File:Immokalee-Zocalo Plaza 2018.jpg
, imagesize =
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. As a freshman, James rushed for more than 800 yards and had 16 touchdowns. As a sophomore, he rushed 165 times for 1,145 yards and 14 touchdowns. He developed further as a junior, rushing 225 times for 1,658 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading the Indians to the state title. He suffered a knee injury during his senior year that kept him out of five games, but he returned to the lineup and still rushed for over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.
He was rated as the 13th best running back in the nation by
Rivals.com, who also rated him the 21st best overall player in Florida, while
Scout.com ranked him as the 35th best running back in the country.
ESPN.com ranked James as the 21st best running back in the nation, as well as the 144th best player in the country. The ''
Miami Herald'' named James as No. 4 on their Top 25 list of the state's best players, while the ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' rated him as the 11th best player in the state. James was named to the PrepStar 200 as the 18th best running back, and was also rated the second best running back on ''
The Florida Times-Union
''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when th ...
'' Super 75.
College career
James was heavily recruited by Miami,
USC,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
,
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...
, and
Oklahoma. James chose to follow in the footsteps of his cousin, Edgerrin James and play for Miami, where he wore the same #5 jersey his cousin wore during his days at Miami.
James, as a true freshman, played in the first game of the
2006 season against rival
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...
. Head coach
Larry Coker
Larry Edward Coker (born June 23, 1948) is a former American football coach and player. He previously served as the head coach of the University of Miami and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).
Coker's 2001 Miami team was named the ...
named James the starting running back by the fourth game of the season. James responded by rushing for 148 yards on 18 carries, an 8.2 yards per carry average, and a touchdown in his first college start against
Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
. The 148 yards were a school record for a freshman, topping
Clinton Portis
Clinton Earl Portis (born September 1, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was drafte ...
's old mark of 147 yards. In recognition of his accomplishment, James was named the
ACC Rookie of the Week. James broke the 100-yard barrier again in his next start, as he ran for 111 yards and a touchdown against
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
. James surpassed the 100-yard mark the third time in Miami's October 28 loss to
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part o ...
, rushing for 112 yards on 19 carries. James suffered a hip pointer injury early in the first half of Miami's November 7 game against
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
. He finished his freshman season with 175 rushing attempts for 802 yards, second most in school history for a freshman, and 4 touchdowns. He caught one receiving touchdown along with 200 total receiving yards over the course of the season.
As a sophomore, James was bothered by an ankle and neck injury all season long but started 12 games and managed to rush 159 times for 582 yards and 4 touchdowns, while catching 14 passes for 100 yards in his sophomore season. In 2008, as a junior, James played in nine games, starting only one, finishing with 286 yards on 62 carries and four touchdowns, missing four games due to injury. In 2009, his senior season, James started 5 of 12 games played, rushing for 492 yards and six touchdowns.
Professional career
Indianapolis Colts
After going undrafted in the
2010 NFL Draft
The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the fir ...
, James signed with the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...
on April 30, 2010. On September 4, 2010, James was waived by the Colts during final cuts.
New England Patriots
On September 6, 2010, James was signed to the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
'
practice squad. He was released on October 5, 2010.
Washington Redskins
James was signed to the practice squad of the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...
on October 6, 2010.
Return to the Colts
On October 7, 2010, the Colts signed James off the Redskins' practice squad to their active roster. He made his NFL debut as a reserve in the Colts' Week 5 game against the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
on October 10, 2010. James scored two rushing touchdowns in the Colts' loss at the
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...
on November 7, 2010.
James did not make the final roster for the
2011 season and was released by the Colts again on September 3, 2011.
Arizona Cardinals
On May 14, 2012, James signed with the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...
.
Personal life
On June 9, 2011, James was arrested in
Fort Myers, Florida
Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 2 ...
, for possession of marijuana. He was released a short time later after posting a $1,000 bond.
On March 7, 2013, James was arrested for failure to appear for his previous possession of marijuana charge. He is being held with no bond.
On May 12, 2017, James finished his schooling obtaining his Bachelor Degree and MBA by walking across the stage as a graduate from the University of Miami.
On February 28, 2019, James opened up a training facility in Naples, FL called "JJ5 Fitness" under the LLC. of JJ5 Fitness. He continues to be one of the areas top physical trainers. Training all ages from youth to adult.
James now resides in Naples, FL with his wife and children. He is a constant active member of the community. Coaching local youth football and track from ages 5-14. James has also held various youth football camps throughout the Southwest Florida area. Teaching aspiring up and coming talents technique for the game, along with the importance of hard-work, determination and discipline to succeed not only in the game of football but life itself. Using his past discretions, James continues to send a message of hope and inspiration to our local community and has become a true success story in the Southwest Florida area.
References
External links
New England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Javarris
Living people
1987 births
People from Immokalee, Florida
Players of American football from Florida
American football running backs
Miami Hurricanes football players
Indianapolis Colts players
New England Patriots players
Washington Redskins players