Razorback Breakdown: Kaleb James, Defensive Lineman

Aggressive style, huge growth in skill, size during senior season reasons for Arkansas fans to get excited

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Jun 21, 2023 9:20 AM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There have been massive changes to the roster at Arkansas, especially on the defensive side. Since fans will not know who many of the players are, the allHogs staff will spend the summer breaking down as many newcomers as possible. Considering how overwhelming the turnover has been since last November, there might not be enough days in the summer to get to every new face, but there will be a focused effort to try.

So, without further ado, let's get to today's featured Razorback. Our third breakdown is of freshman defensive lineman Kaleb James of Mansfield, Texas.

KALEB JAMES
★★★☆☆Linebacker | 6-4 | 260 | Mansfield, Texas | Mansfield HS
HIGHLIGHTS

Shortly after announcing his new high school football home would be changing from Nolan Catholic in Fort Worth to Mansfield High School, defensive lineman Kaleb James announced Arkansas would be his new home beyond high school.

James and his father, Adam James, drove from the cold, yet snow-free flat lands around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to the snowy hills of Northwest Arkansas to spend time with Pittman on a day filled with invited prospects. It was a father-son trip that would close out the final days of Kaleb's 16 years.

On his 17th birthday, finally arriving at an age where in Texas young men can legally make certain decisions as an adult, James made his first life-changing decision – to become a Razorback. His time since has been filled with choice after choice to make himself more SEC ready.

So what is Arkansas getting?

Heading into the public school division at the highest level at 6A Mansfield had all the ingredients to prove whether James truly was the real deal. If he could have success there, it would be a good indication as to how well he might adjust at Arkansas. To say he found success would be an understatement. He had a monster year despite shifting inside to a role as an interior defensive lineman.

• 82 tackles total
• 20 tackles for a loss
• 11.5 sacks
• 34 QB Hurries
• 1 batted down pass
• 1 forced fumble
• 2 fumble recoveries
• 1 blocked kick

James came out of his junior year having typically worked the edges on defense from a four-point stance. He demonstrated good strength, and at 6-5, 250 as a 16-year old, with plenty of room to turn into a full-fledged beast. Typically, moving an edge guy inside kills his production and leads to a pile of evidence that there was a huge adjustment period, but that wasn't the case.

Did he show improvement?

His areas of needed growth following his final season at Nolan included off the ball quickness and overall speed. Put those concerns to rest. A pair of off-seasons in Mansfield, which is a school district that is well known in Texas for developing high quality athletes, helped James make huge improvements in this area. His quickness off the ball and athletic hands allowed him to be the aggressor at all times.

While a ton of defensive lineman highlights include them getting stalemated or pushed back slightly before falling on a running back from behind as he gains positive yards, James got his tackles going upfield after forcing his blocker backward, no matter the size. His aggression and ability to follow through with it jumps off the screen.

As for speed after separation, he regularly ran down quarterbacks and running backs in the backfield and it wasn't pretty once he did. Arms wide in proper, old school tackling form, he swallowed guys up anytime they came near. There was no opportunity for escape as he enveloped them.

It's hard to see how his performance on the field didn't warrant a bump up to a 4-star, but his national, state and position rankings all improved this past season. He finished as a Top 70 recruit in Texas according to Rivals. Considering 20 of the Top 100 players in the country were from Texas in the 2023 class, that's not bad.

He officially measures 6-4, 260 on the Razorback depth chart, and that extra 10 pounds didn't come from sitting on the couch munching on Pop Tarts. His physical status will continue to improve as his body fills out simply from becoming an adult and time with the Arkansas strength and nutrition staffs.

James is definitely worth keeping an eye on over the next couple of years. All the ingredients are there to develop into an elite SEC defender. If he can keep his head on straight, James is going to be a ton of fun to watch on Saturdays in Fayetteville.