James played college football for Mississippi State on the defensive line. He played sparingly in 2012 and redshirted the 2013 season, before playing again in 2014, where he helped lead the Bulldogs to a #1 ranking and a bid to the Orange Bowl.
James started 15 games over his final two seasons (2015 and 2016). He had five tackles in a win over Troy in 2015, and registered a sack against South Carolina and Miami (Ohio) in 2016. James finished his career with 62 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.
On May 8, 2019, James was assigned to the Albany Empire. On May 13, 2019, James was placed on reassignment, becoming a free agent. In October, he was picked by the Dallas Renegades in the 2020 XFL Draft.[3] He was traded to the Houston Roughnecks in exchange for tight end Julian Allen on January 13, 2020. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[4]