Nick James
Nick James
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Across four seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Tom Allen and Pat Narduzzi. The receipt: 6 tackles, 1 TFL against West Virginia — Week 3, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
Career Arc
Coaching Lineage · 2022–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Pat Narduzzi.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Narduzzi
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 1 · 2-deepR04 · Rotational
Rotational. Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Pittsburgh | 21 | 7 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 2 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Pittsburgh | 20 | 7 | 2.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Indiana | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Indiana | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 48 | 17 | 9.5 | 2.5 | 3 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 13 · 2025
W 42–28
at Georgia Tech
1 TOT
Edged out Georgia Tech on the road in a shootout.
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Pittsburgh
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive line · Pittsburgh
Returning around him
- 1 Pittsburgh player drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -5 net (16 in / 21 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Pittsburgh · Last season: 8-5 (AP #24) · Talent rank #56 · 2026 recruiting class #44
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to James Rawls’s 2022 season.
Matches James on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Merhauti Xepera's senior season at Fresno State (2025).
Matches Merhauti on
Differs from Merhauti on
Background
2025: Played in all 13 games, making four starts, and collected career highs in tackles (22), tackles for loss (seven), sacks (two) and passes batted down (two)…had a season-high six tackles at West Virginia, along with a TFL…at Florida State, helped lead the team to an upset road win over a...