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Shemar James is going pro instead of back to Gainesville for 1 more season, declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday.
The junior linebacker wrote an emotional goodbye message to Florida fans on social media. The 6-foot-1, 229-pounder out of Alabama wrote in part of his note: “I’m proud to say that I wore that orange and blue with pride every single Saturday. Thank you Gator Nation for welcoming a kid from Mobile, Alabama, into The Swamp.”
James had a productive final season in Gainesville in 2024, making 64 tackles, 34 of them solo, with 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. James also had an interception and 3 pass deflections.
When James was asked about his decision ahead of the Gasparilla Bowl, he said he was taking it day by day and just focusing on the game. With that game, a 33-8 victory over Tulane last Friday in which James had 5 tackles (all solo), in the rearview mirror, James has decided that the bowl game would be his last game as a Gator.
James’ stellar 2024 season followed a 2023 season that came to an early end because of a dislocated left kneecap that required surgery.
Now, James will turn his attention to getting ready for next spring’s NFL Draft.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
