Former All-Sun Belt lineman comes to USF after helping guide SEC’s top rushing offense at Tennessee
TAMPA, FEB. 13, 2024 – Head Coach Alex Golesh has announced the addition of Micah James as running backs coach on his second USF staff as the Bulls continue with offseason conditioning ahead of the March 5 beginning of spring practices.
An All-Sun Belt Conference center at Middle Tennessee, James comes to USF after two seasons as an offensive line coach at Utah State and last season working as an offensive analyst at Tennessee. In his 10 seasons as a collegiate coach, James has been a part of three conference championship teams and six bowl games.
“Coming from Tennessee and working closely with the SEC’s top rushing offense last season, Micah joins our staff with a strong understanding of our offense and the importance of the run game in it,” Golesh said. “A standout center as a player, he is a coach with 10 years of experience and great football intelligence, and he will connect very well with our players and staff. We are very excited to welcome Micah to our Bulls family.”
James has also served in stints at UMass (2019-20), UCF (2018), Maryland (2017), Faulkner University (2016) and Arkansas State (2014-15).
Banks was part of head coach Josh Heupel’s staff at Tennessee (2023) that helped orchestrate the SEC-leading and No. 9-ranked rushing offense (204.8 ypg) in the nation in 2023 led by Jaylen Wright’s 1,013 yards. The Vols ran for 2,878 yards (5.4 ypc) on the year, part of 5,825 total yards (No. 19 nationally) on the season.
At Utah State (2021-22), James helped the Aggies to their best season in school history in 2021 as they tied the school record with 11 wins (11-3), won their first-ever Mountain West Championship with a 46-13 road win at No. 19 San Diego State, posted a 24-13 win against Oregon State in the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl to finish the season ranked 24th in the nation in both polls.
Behind James offensive line, Utah State’s offense set six school records during the 2021 campaign, including 41 touchdown passes, 4,248 passing yards and three receivers with 10-plus touchdown receptions. USU’s offense also tied a pair of school records with 13 100-yard receiving games and five passing touchdowns in a single game.
The Aggies produced over 600 yards of total offense twice, and over 400 passing yards three times on the year, all of which ranked among the top-16 performances in school history.
Utah State finished the 2021 season ranked 15th in the nation in passing offense (303.4 ypg), 23rd in total offense (445.6 ypg), and 33rd in scoring offense (32.6 ppg). USU was also the only team in the nation with at least 10 touchdown receptions by three players.
Under James two offensive linemen earned honorable mention all-MW honors as senior Alfred Edwards and junior Quazzel White were recognized.
James came to Utah State after spending two years as the co-offensive line coach at Massachusetts (2019-20). In 2020, UMass had two offensive linemen garner accolades in Larnel Colemen and Dalton Tomlison. Coleman earned a spot on the Outland Trophy Watch List, given annually to the top interior lineman in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and garnered Phil Steele Magazine All-Independent honors, while Tomlison was selected to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, which annually honors the top center in FBS. Furthermore, Coleman was invited to participate in the 2021 College Gridiron Showcase.
During James’ first season at UMass, the offensive line unit cut down on their sacks allowed by 69.2 percent, despite replacing four starters from the year prior and suffering numerous injuries that led to nine different players starting.
James served as an offensive graduate assistant at UCF (2018) and Maryland (2017).
At UCF, James helped the Knights to a No. 11 national ranking and a 12-1 record as they swept their eight-game American Athletic Conference schedule, won the AAC Championship game and earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl. At season’s end, four Knight’s offensive linemen earned all-AAC honors, including three landing on the first team.
During his one season with the Terrapins, James worked on the offensive side of the ball and assisted in the development of receiver D.J. Moore. With James’ help, Moore earned first-team all-Big Ten honors and ranked ninth in the country in receptions per game (6.7).
As the run game coordinator and offensive line coach at Faulkner University (2016), James helped the Eagles to a 6-4 record and coached B.J. Turner to all-Mid-South Conference West Division second-team honors.
James began his coaching career at Arkansas State (2014-15), spending two seasons under Blake Anderson and helping the Red Wolves to a 16-10 record during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, including a 13-3 conference mark, back-to-back bowl games and a 2015 Sun Belt Conference Championship.
James arrived at A-State after completing an all-Sun Belt Conference playing career at Middle Tennessee in 2012, which was followed by an invitation to participate in the Atlanta Falcons’ and Dallas Cowboys’ NFL rookie mini-camps in 2013.
During his senior season at Middle Tennessee, James was voted one of five permanent team captains and selected first-team all-Sun Belt after helping the Blue Raiders to an 8-4 regular season record.
The 2012 campaign saw James start all 12 games at center, and he was third among linemen with 844 total snaps. He was part of a line that ranked second nationally in fewest sacks allowed and paved the way for three different 100-yard rushers. He collected 78 knockdowns, including a season-high 10 against both Memphis and Western Kentucky.
James earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies with an emphasis in criminal justice and coaching from Middle Tennessee in 2012. He achieved his associate’s degree in 2010 from Georgia Military.
James transferred to Middle Tennessee in 2011 after playing at Georgia Military as a freshman and sophomore in 2009 and 2010. His sophomore season saw him start all nine games on a team that went 6-3.
A native of Hoschton, Georgia, James earned first-team all-region and all-county honors while playing at Mill Creek High School. He participated in the 2009 Gwinnett County All-Star Game and also lettered in track.
USF is coming off a resurgent season that saw the Bulls go 7-6, a program-best six-win improvement over 2022 and the second-best win improvement for any FBS program in 2023 behind Northwestern’s seven-win improvement. The Bulls set 12 team records and 16 individual marks during the 2023 season and logged the program’s highest-ranked recruiting class in a decade (No. 48 by Rivals) and highest ranked of any program outside the autonomous “power” conferences as the Bulls head full speed into 2024.
USF begins spring practice on March 5 and will practice 15 times including the annual USF Spring Game set for Sat., April 13 at 2 p.m. The 2024 season kicks off Aug. 31 when the Bulls face Bethune-Cookman at Raymond James Stadium. USF’s non-conference schedule includes road trips to Alabama (Sept. 7) and Southern Mississippi (Sept. 14) and a home date with Miami (Fla.) (Sept. 21).
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The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 27th regular season in 2023 by earning the program’s seventh bowl win, entering a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility and receiving Board of Trustees approval for construction of a $340-million on-campus stadium set to open in 2027. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections, including a 2021 consensus All-American kick returner, and have 32 first-team all-conference selections. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and 11 bowl game appearances (going 7-4 in those games), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. The Bulls posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, and finished both seasons ranked in the AP Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
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