Anthony James Reportedly Headed to Transfer Portal

The UW redshirt freshman defender never got his career going in Montlake.

Anthony James always seemed a little lost when on the University of Washington practice field. He didn't have a set position. He dealt with a lingering shoulder injury. He walked around with a perpetual blank stare.

The 6-foot-5, 272-pound redshirt freshman never seemed long for the Husky football program and on Wednesday multiple news sources indicated James will enter the transfer portal, becoming the fourth UW player in two days to go this route.

Heading out the door is a former top 100 player from Texas, at one time considered the top prospect signed for the UW's 2023 class by Kalen DeBoer's former staff, a player who flipped from Texas A&M to come to Washington.

James, however, never really got his football career started in Montlake. He was either a defensive tackle or an edge rusher, but no one was able to readily make that determination. Not DeBoer's staff or Jedd Fisch and his coaches.

Caleb Presley and Anthony James are shown working with a trainer during spring football practice.

Skylar Lin Visuals

He didn't appear in any games as a freshman and was always in street clothes whenever the Huskies played, even when the UW finished up its glorious 2023 run to the College Football Playoff national championship game in Houston, some 265 miles from his home in Lavon.

This spring, James never padded up and usually wore only a T-shirt and shorts to practice, often working off to the side with a trainer. In one early practice, he was with the defensive tackles, briefly drawing instruction in terms of striking an opponent with his hands, but that's as close as he got to the field.

When standing next to him, James physically resembled a football player with a lot of potential, carrying an extra-thick frame that looked as if it could handle another 30-40 pounds as a down lineman. But it likely won't happen at the UW.

This past Saturday, James came out near the end of practice, presumably from the training room, and sort of stood off by himself, disconnected from what was going on, likely mentally saying his good byes. James was a no-show for Tuesday's practice session.

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