Inside The Huskies

Anthony James Will Join UW as Edge Rusher, But Shades of Reggie Rogers, Could be DT

Nearly 40 years ago, the Huskies faced a similar situation with finding the right position for a potentially dominant player.

Dan Raley

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He carried such a big, athletic frame, his University of Washington football coaches initially weren't sure whether to use him as an edge rusher or a down lineman, certain only they would somehow get him on the field as much as possible.

Don James' staff finally ended up letting Reggie Rogers try both positions — and this worked out so well, going from one to the other, he ended up as the seventh player taken overall in the 1987 NFL draft.

Kalen DeBoer and his Husky coaches now face the same intriguing situation with another James, this one incoming freshman Anthony James II, a 6-foot-5, 265-pound signee from Wylie, Texas, and considered the prize of their latest recruiting class.

This teenaged James is an inch shorter yet 30 pounds heavier than Rogers when the latter, a scholarship UW basketball player from Sacramento, California, first decided to become a two-sport athlete at the college level and, once he was wildly successful at it, a football player only.

Anthony James will report to the UW not long after the Huskies play in next week's Alamo Bowl against the Texas Longhorns in San Antonio, which is 300 miles from his suburban Dallas hometown. He practically could hitch a ride to Montlake on the team charter jet. 

For now, James will arrive in town as an edge rusher and let everything play out. 

"We'll see how that weight goes on and, if it goes on fast, then you kind of have to figure out what happens next," DeBoer said of James possibly becoming an inside lineman. "We'll see how his body just reacts to a full year-round program at the college level. I think the sky's the limit for him no matter where he lines up."

Rogers, who struggled with substance-abuse issues and was involved in a fatal auto accident when intoxicated that sent him to prison, was maybe five miles from Husky Stadium when he died in 2013 at 49. Gone for a decade now, he was seated on a Central District porch when his body gave out. It was a sad, unfortunate end to a somewhat legendary UW football player.

In 1984, the Huskies put the then 6-foot-6, 235-pound Rogers at edge rusher, officially designating him as an outside linebacker, and he got off to a very promising college football beginning. Rogers responded with 10 tackles for loss, which included 5 sacks, for an 11-1 team that beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

However, Rogers was moved to defensive tackle the following season. He was able to put on considerable weight with ease. He was up to 260 pounds on his long, sturdy frame when he changed defensive positions and increased his totals to 15 TFLs and 8 sacks. 

In 1986, as a second-year DT, Rogers came up with another 13 TFLs and 7 sacks, and the Detroit Lions had to have him. He left the UW as a consensus All-America selection and the then Pac-10's Morris Trophy winner as the conference's top lineman.

Anthony James is a much bigger body in these more modern times of weight training and strength conditioning — already up to 265 pounds — but the current UW coaching staff still initially sees an edge rusher in him.

"That's definitely where you start him out," DeBoer said. "That's what his body is. He's a big edge for sure."

While Rogers was a late bloomer to football, James has been highly thought of all along, initially committing to Texas A&M before re-opening his recruiting. He thrust himself into a leadership role with the Huskies once he committed, doing all he could to get other leading prospects to join him in Seattle.

In fact, he'll be one of the first of the newcomers to show up for UW winter conditioning, setting yet another example for others to follow. He's mature beyond his years. And he wants to be as good as he can be.

DeBoer, on signing day, made sure to salute James for his early efforts in promoting Husky football, helping the first-year coach further solidify his program.

"He was one of the guy I think who really rallied our recruiting class from the beginning, back in the summer — an exceptional player, can't wait to get him on the football field," the Husky coach said. "Just who he is, and his focus and intensity, who continued to make our recruiting class great, was certainly noticeable."

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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