Toryeon James may not look the part of a starting high school running back, but he’s been acting like it on Friday nights.
Now a junior, James first walked into the door of Riverview High as a 5-foot-3, 108-pound freshman who wanted to play running back, but was far too small for the position.
That size forced him to slot in as a receiver last year, where he led the Rams in catches (27), receiving yards (517), and receiving touchdowns (7).
After adding some height and muscle — he now stands at 5-foot-6, 158 pounds — James has been moved to running back this season, and is making a world of difference for an undefeated Riverview (3-0-1) team, and possibly for his life in football after high school.
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Balling like Barry
James grew up wanting to be a running back after his older brother showed him highlights of Barry Sanders, but Rams offensive coordinator Brody Wiseman couldn’t play him there due to his size.
After excelling as a wide receiver last fall, many might have believed James’s dreams of playing running back were over.
But many people also didn’t know what James could do with the ball in his hands.
“We spend a lot of time with these kids,” Wiseman said. “Over the offseason and during the season, we see what they can do, especially when they’re younger and maybe they’re not on the field a ton and filling scout team roles. I try to pay attention to all of that. Tory was a guy as a sophomore, if he had been 10 or 15 pounds heavier, I would have been playing him at running back sooner. He’s a really dynamic runner with the ball in his hands. He has tremendous instincts. It just seemed like a natural move.”
Though Wiseman knew that James could excel at running back, his hand was forced this past spring when starting running back Isaiah Belt was injured in the spring game against Largo.
Wiseman moved James to running back in the second half, and he rushed for close to 100 yards.
James has been a running back ever since, and he’s played so well it will be hard to justify moving him to a different position. Through four games, James has rushed 50 times for 420 yards (8.4 yards per rush) with eight touchdowns.
Running with a Purpose
For James, running between blocks — regardless of the position he plays — is what he considers the path toward a better life.
James grew up in north Sarasota with a father who wasn’t in his life and six brothers and two sisters, several of whom lived apart from him.
He said many people in his neighborhood got into trouble and couldn’t find a way out, and that made him determined to choose a different life.
“Growing up, the only thing that was going to get me out of getting in trouble was football,” James said. “It was like a 90 percent chance of me getting in trouble if I didn’t focus on school and football. People around my neighborhood got into trouble. Seeing that made me realize if I really want this, I have to grind for it if I want to leave this area.”
James grew up watching his older brothers play football at Bayshore, Booker, and Lakewood Ranch. When it was time for James to decide on where he went to school, however, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Though his father, Tory James, wasn’t in his life early on, when he was released from prison, James said he has been there for him.
“I asked my dad for some help because I didn’t know what to do, and he told me he went to Riverview,” James said. “So I was like, you know what? I’m going to give Riverview a try.”
That decision has been a game-changer for the Rams.
Riverview has had two close games so far this season, and James has been a difference maker in both.
He scored Riverview’s only two touchdowns — rushing seven times for 88 yards — in a 14-14 tie with Naples that was called off at halftime due to weather in Week 1.
Two weeks later, James was a true workhorse back in a back-and-forth 38-35 win over Palmetto, rushing 25 times for 160 yards and two touchdowns to help the Rams remain undefeated.
He’s done all of this while splitting carries with Belt, who has also put up a solid stat line (49 rushes for 430 yards and 5 touchdowns), who he said is one of his closest friends on the team.
Though James is playing like a full-fledged running back, he may still be undersized for collegiate recruiters, but the numbers he’s been posting on Friday nights suggest otherwise.
“My first goal and my main goal right now is to be academic so I can get where I need to be,” James said. “After that, wherever my goals take me, they take me, but my main goal is to get to the NFL. If I do make it, I’ll be able to look back and be like, ‘Man, I really came this far.’
“I’m not going to let up until I’m satisfied.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Toryeon James has been a game-changer at running back for undefeated Riverview Rams
Reporting by Vinnie Portell, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
