THIBODAUX, La. — As a 6’2, 290-pound all-state selection at De La Salle, the wise words of former offensive line coach Lee Roussel weighed heavily on Jeremiah James and his decision to attend Nicholls State University.
“He had told me, ‘when you come to play at the college level, there’s going to be a lot of coaches that care about size and length, he wants ball players.’ That stuck out with me my whole year, like, it’s not going to matter how big you are or how small you are. You need ball players and people that are going to put other people first,” says Nicholls offensive lineman Jeremiah James.
James arrived on campus in the fall of 2018, with former De La Salle teammate and friend Julien Gums who ends his college career as Nicholls’ all-time leading rusher.
“I tell everybody who asks me, it’s a privilege blocking for Julien Gums because he is one of the best guys you will ever meet in your life. So big-hearted, he loves everybody. He makes sure he knows everybody’s name and it’s just a privilege blocking for him and he’s so selfless. He’ll put everybody else first,” says James.
In 2020, the Colonel’s Cavallier family would grow even larger when Jeremiah’s twin brother, Jamiran, transferred from Tulane to Thibodaux.
The move amplified the home atmosphere already provided by Nicholls State University.
“It always felt like home, but it felt like that family is in. Like we’re back for Thanksgiving, everybody is in the house. It’s just awesome. It’s an awesome feeling. Whenever you need something, everybody is down the street and the thing about it is that we’re building bonds with other people. So we have lifetime bonds with other people here as well,” says James.
Before Jeremiah James was a Colonel, he was a star on Friday Night Football.