Florida State football sensation Derwin James made a decision Tuesday to skip the Seminoles’ bowl game and prepare for his NFL future.
Skipping bowl games has become a new trend in college football for NFL-bound stars. Junior safety Derwin James of Florida State is the latest to make the decision to skip his team’s bowl game and focus on his NFL future, but is he truly ready?
Coming off an injury-riddled sophomore season in which he was knocked out in his team’s second game, he was given a redshirt and returned in 2017 with three years of eligibility remaining. Some questioned if he would have the same impact after missing 11 games with an injury, but he silenced all the doubters.
In fact, he broke out as a freshman in 2015 with 91 total tackles, 9.5 for loss, 4.5 sacks and four pass deflections and nearly reached all of those totals in 2017 after essentially a year off. He finished his redshirt sophomore season with 84 total tackles, 5.5 for loss, a sack, two interceptions and 11 pass deflections.
While he didn’t quite reach his tackle total from his breakout freshman campaign, nor his sacks or tackles for loss totals, he did show a better ability in coverage. He had two picks and 11 defended passes to his name, which just goes to show the progress he made in the defensive backfield.
Sure, James was known as a hard-nosed tackler as a freshman, but he developed his game and became a better overall safety as a redshirt sophomore. He shook off any doubters he had after the injury and proved himself as a top-tier talent.
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For anyone wondering if he’s ready for a jump to the NFL after just two complete seasons in college, the answer is yes. James is most certainly ready for the jump and the uber-talented redshirt sophomore will be a star.