There’s a ton of methods to use for a defensive player whenever they’re about to play in a football game, but there’s only one that seems appropriate for a guy who labels himself as an avid hunter.
Hunt.
That’s precisely what Kaleb James said he intends to do when he suits up for the University of Arkansas this fall.
“I’m really an outdoors person,” James said. “I’m a big fisher, big hunter. I love doing all of that kind of stuff, and there’s plenty of spots here to do that. But hunting, man I really love it.”
That love is sure to be reciprocated by Razorback fans once they get a glimpse of James’ ability to track and stalk opposing offensive players.
The agile 6-4, 260-pound freshman was the first defensive lineman to sign with Arkansas in its class of 2023, and he did so after putting together a dominant senior season at Mansfield (Texas) High School.
In the state’s largest classification, James finished the 2022 season with 82 tackles, including 20 for a loss, 11.5 sacks and 34 quarterback hurries. He also had 2 fumble recoveries, 1 blocked kick and 1 pass breakup while making the move from the outside to the interior of the defensive line.
Those kinds of jaw-dropping numbers are enough to catch the eye of any top-tier university, but James had big-name schools knocking on his door long before he played his final year of high school football.
He had more than 160 tackles and 20 sacks combined during his sophomore and junior seasons, which attracted a who’s who of programs toward his direction. James was initially offered a scholarship by the Razorbacks following a camp during the summer of 2021, but he made his commitment official in January 2022 on his 17th birthday.
“The community was a big factor in me wanting to be here,” James said. “The fan base is just amazing, they really are. And then, the coaching staff just added to that. Coach [Sam] Pittman is really good, Coach Deke [Adams], the defensive line coach, those guys made me feel at home.
“I could tell from meeting with all the coaches that they’re about their business. They’re really good people, so humble about everything. They handled everything accordingly, and I really liked that.”
James also said he has really taken a liking to everything Arkansas has to offer.
He’s already gotten a feel for how different his days are now as opposed to what they were in Mansfield. That includes not being able to see his main backers on a regular basis.
“I’ve met a lot of new people, and everybody has been great,” James said. “But being away from my family, being by myself, has taken some getting used to. Being away from my little brother, being away from my parents, that was a little tough because they’re my biggest supporters. They’re my backbone, and I could always lean on them.
“The first couple of days after I got here was pretty hard on me. But after a few weeks, it got better. Now things are good.”
Arkansas will be counting on James to be good on a defensive front that’s set to shift to a 4-2-5 look. The Razorbacks broke the school’s single-season sack record in 2022 with 42, and of that total, 22 of those were registered by defensive linemen, paced by edge rusher Jordan Domineck with 7.5. However, Domineck has since left to play at Colorado, forcing Pittman and Adams to seek additional help by way of transfers.
Despite having Zach Williams, Landon Jackson and Jashaud Stewart — a trio who had 9.5 sacks and 9 quarterback hurries between them last season — all back, Arkansas added several proven transfers, starting with Trajan Jeffcoat and John Morgan III. But playing in the SEC routinely requires quality depth along the line, and that’s what the Razorbacks appear to have.
“I want to come in and honestly, just try to see the field,” James said. “I want to make plays here and there, and just keep growing on that. The workouts, at least for the first couple of days, were pretty tough just because of that fear of the unknown when you come into college. I really didn’t know what to expect.
“It was pretty hard earlier, but I got acclimated and just worked my tail off. Ever since then, it’s been pretty much a breeze because I’m use to everything now.”
That mentality has also brought a sense of pleasantness for James.
“I’m comfortable now,” he said. “I just work as hard as I can and try to keep getting better every day.”
James At a Glance
CLASS Freshman
POSITION Defensive Line
HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-4/260
AGE 18 (born Jan. 18, 2005)
HOMETOWN Mansfield, Texas
HIGH SCHOOL Mansfield
NOTEWORTHY Transferred from Fort Worth Nolan Catholic to Mansfield prior to his senior year. … Rated as a 3-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN. … Had 10 sacks in each of his sophomore and junior seasons. … Was offered scholarships from an abundance of schools, including Arizona State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Utah and Virginia.