Florida Gators LB Shemar James is ‘a whole different player’ now

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — On the opening day of spring ball, Florida linebacker Derek Wingo made an observation watching from the sidelines, where he’s spent all of camp while recovering from offseason surgery.

Wingo noticed something different about Shemar James and mentioned it to their position coach, Jay Bateman.

“Wingo said this to me the first Saturday, ‘Shemar’s talking a lot more.’ I said, ‘He doesn’t have a choice.’ Last year Shemar could stand beside Ventrell [Miller] and listen,” Bateman said. “Ventrell doesn’t play here anymore. So, he has to talk more.”

Not only has Miller moved on, but senior veteran Amari Burney — Florida’s other starting inside linebacker — also graduated. And with Wingo out and Ohio State transfer Teradja Mitchell being non-contact for most of the spring, James has taken on a starting role in camp.

More importantly, he’s talking more as a sophomore, making all the defensive calls and helping fill the leadership lost at the position.

“I feel like I stepped up to the plate to be that next leader. I’m communicating more, I’m more vocal this year. So, I feel like it’s been a pretty productive spring,” James said.

“My first year, it was fun. Playing beside Ventrell and Burney, it was an experience to have those mature group of guys in that room. I feel like my freshman year was a blast.”

Shemar James building on 2022

James appeared in all 13 games as a true freshman, making four starts and finishing the season with 47 tackles, 3 quarterback hurries, 2 TFLs, 2 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

According to Pro Football Focus, James graded out as the best tackler (76.9) among Florida’s linebackers. He made out his collegiate debut and first career start in the season opener vs. Utah.

“As you could tell in the Utah game, I felt like I was just getting my feet wet,” James said. “The game was a lot faster compared to high school.”

James didn’t enroll early in 2022, so this is his first time going through spring ball. He arrived on campus for fall camp last year and was thrown into the fire as a freshman.

Due to his inexperience, Bateman made sure to pair James with Miller or Burney whenever he was on the field.

“Last year with Shemar, we really protected him when he was in,” Bateman said. “He was always in with Ventrell or Burney, so he had a crutch. And then also he mostly played against two tight ends, which is a lesser involved. So, Shemar really didn’t start playing all of it until the last half or so of the season.”

James started the first three games but didn’t start again until the Las Vegas Bowl. He had one of his most productive performances of the year against Oregon State, registering a season-high four solo tackles and seven total tackles (one shy of his career high) for just the third time.

“As the season went on, I feel like I got more comfortable in the defense,” James said. “Coach Bateman, Ventrell, Burney, they helped me a lot. We got extra film study, you know, after practice, before games. And I’ll say, from the Utah game to Oregon State, I feel like I became a whole different player.”

Bateman said James is now “100 percent” good with making the calls on defense. He credited the time James spent around Miller and Burney for helping him blossom so quickly.

“I talked to Ventrell and Amari before the season started last year about the legacy you leave isn’t so much like the great plays you made — and obviously those two made a bunch of great plays. But it’s how the room is after you leave,” Bateman said. “Shemar came in as a freshman and saw these two guys that had played a bunch of football and they were coming in constantly and getting extra work and constantly asking for extra help, constantly doing extra physical things. That’s what he knows.

“So, I think that’s the legacy those two left. In addition to being great players, they established a standard as a player that you want to uphold. Shemar is coming in every day and doing the same things those two days because that’s all he knows. … Shemar’s really, really talented. He’s got a really high ceiling. He’s going to play a bunch of football here and he’s going to be a really good player.”

What has been his biggest area of growth?

“Probably communication,” James said.

Wingo can confirm.