James has been East Mecklenburg’s best player for the past couple of years, and he plays a number of positions for them – quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and defensive back. While James does some very good things for the Eagles with the ball in his hands, I think his future is probably on the defensive side of the ball. His instincts as a defensive back are impressive, and he shows ball-hawking abilities from his safety position.

I thought James was the best individual player on the field on Friday Night. Offensively, James had a couple of big catches to keep drives alive over the middle of the field. James also played some wildcat quarterback where he scored a touchdown and picked up a first down to keep a drive alive. James nearly had a 2nd touchdown out of the wildcat, but a holding penalty negated that effort. James also had an interception on defense, but when the Rams went run-heavy, they took him out of the game defensively.

The Eagles’ best player and one of their college prospects should be playing on both sides of the ball once again this season. James is a dangerous receiver, as he can win against single coverage in both the screen game and on the outside. On defense, James is a ball-hawking safety who tracks the ball well in the air and can excel in both man and zone-based schemes defensively.

Bailey is a guy who doesn’t have a ton of high school experience at receiver and defensive back, but he’s flashed on film and he has great natural talent. After playing primarily as a running quarterback as a sophomore, Bailey moved to receiver and flashed in ways you wouldn’t expect for a guy who was new to the position. Of course, his athleticism transferred, but the ball skills and route-running were nice bonuses at what is likely his future position.

James competed as a Defensive Back first at the showcase, but he has the ability to play wide receiver as well. I thought James did a good job when he was matched up against like players, as more of a safety, James did well when he was covering tight ends and bigger receivers. James has a strong ability to contest 50/50 balls in the air, and his vertical ability was consistently on display. James has picked up multiple offers in recent weeks, including Fayetteville State, NC A&T, and Concord University, which he picked up after a strong showcase performance.

James was the best all-around player for the Eagles last season, as he started as a wide receiver and defensive back for them. James had 42 catches for nearly 600 yards and 6 touchdowns on offense and over 30 tackles and 4 interceptions on defense primarily as a safety. James was an All-Conference selection and should be receiving college interest in my opinion. Some people may be down on the program he plays for, but I would challenge anyone to have his production given his situation, it is more than impressive for sure.