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James Skalski

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James Skalski
refer to caption
Skalski with the Clemson Tigers
Oklahoma Sooners
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1998-02-02) February 2, 1998 (age 26)
Sharpsburg, Georgia
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:Northgate High School
College:Clemson (2016–2021)
Undrafted:2022
Career history
As a player:
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
As a coach:
  • Oklahoma (2023–present)
    Graduate assistant
Career highlights and awards

James Skalski (born February 2, 1998) is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently a coach for the Oklahoma Sooners football program. He last played for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson.

Early years

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Skalski attended Northgate High School in Newnan, Georgia, where he played soccer as well as linebacker and punter on the gridiron.[1] As a junior, he was limited to seven games due to a thumb injury but had 78 tackles and three sacks, earning All-County honors.[2] Skalski recorded 170 tackles as a senior including 33 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, an interception and two defensive touchdowns. He was named the Region 4-AAAAA Defensive Player of the Year.[1] In February 2015, Skalski committed to Clemson over offers from Louisville, Marshall, Ole Miss, North Carolina, South Carolina, UCF and Wake Forest.[2]

College career

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As a freshman in 2016, Skalski had 14 tackles, with eight tackles coming on special teams plays.[3] He recorded 37 tackles, including two tackles for loss as a sophomore while starting two games. Skalski redshirted the 2018 season after sustaining an injury in preseason practice.[4] Due to a new NCAA rule, he was able to return at the end of the season while keeping his redshirt and helped Clemson win the national championship.[5] As a redshirt junior in 2019, Skalski was second on the team with 105 tackles, including 7.5 for loss, as well as 4.5 sacks, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He was named to the All-ACC Academic Team.[6] In the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship against LSU, he had six tackles, a sack and a pass breakup, but was ejected due to a targeting penalty.[7]

Coming into his senior season, Skalski was named to the Butkus Award watchlist.[6] He focused on improving his diet by cutting out junk food and lowering his sugar intake.[7] On October 24, 2020, Skalski missed the game against Syracuse with a groin injury during practice.[8] After an MRI revealed more significant damage which required surgery, he was ruled out for several weeks.[9] Skalski returned in the win against Pittsburgh on November 28.[10] He was ejected in the Sugar Bowl for targeting after lowering his helmet into the body of Justin Fields in the second quarter of a 49–28 loss to Ohio State.[11]

Young fans loving Skalski as he exists Memorial Stadium after defeating Georgia Tech 14–8, 2021.
Young fans loving Skalski as he exits Memorial Stadium, Clemson University 2021.

College statistics

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Season Games Tackles
Total Solo Ast TFL Sacks
Clemson Tigers
2016 7 11 6 5 2.0 1.0
2017 12 31 16 15 2.0 0.5
2018 3 5 3 2 1.0 0.0
2019 15 90 45 45' 6.5 3.5
2020 9 34 22 12 2.0 1.0
2021 13 87 40 47 4.5 2.5
Career 59 258 132 126 18.0 8.5

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11+78 in
(1.83 m)
228 lb
(103 kg)
30+12 in
(0.77 m)
9+18 in
(0.23 m)
4.72 s 1.63 s 2.72 s 4.32 s 6.96 s 34.0 in
(0.86 m)
9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)
26 reps
All values from Pro Day[12]

Skalski signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2022. He was released from the Colts on August 31, 2022.[13]

Coaching career

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Skalski announced that he was joining Oklahoma as a coach on January 22, 2023.[14][15]

Personal life

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Skalski is the son of John and Sherri Skalski. His older sister Brenna played softball at Georgia State.[7] Skalski's father died of a heart attack on October 14, 2016, while mowing the lawn. Skalski missed Clemson's following game against NC State.[3] He got a tattoo on his left bicep that says, "War like the warrior you are," based on a quote of his father's.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b Oliver, Gavin (February 11, 2017). "Skalski enjoyed 'fun ride' in first season". The Clemson Insider. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Crumpton, Tony (February 4, 2015). "3-star LB commits to Clemson". TigerNet.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Lentz, Zach (October 27, 2020). "Tragedy Turns to Triumph for James Skalski". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  4. ^ Keepfer, Scott (August 29, 2018). "Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has plan in place to redshirt linebacker James Skalski". The Greenville News. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  5. ^ Pendergist, Ashley (March 6, 2019). "Skalski is ready to step up". The Clemson Insider. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Anderson, Reggie (July 20, 2020). "Skalski named to Butkus award watch list". WTLX. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Needelman, Joshua (March 9, 2020). "'Like a criminal': Clemson linebacker's ejection in title game was low point, but he's back". The Post and Courier. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  8. ^ Adelson, Andrea (October 24, 2020). "Clemson Tigers without DT Tyler Davis, LB James Skalski vs. Syracuse Orange". ESPN. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  9. ^ Hale, David (October 27, 2020). "Clemson Tigers LB James Skalski to miss multiple games with groin injury". ESPN. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  10. ^ Needelman, Joshua (November 29, 2020). "7 takeaways from Clemson's win over Pittsburgh". The Post and Courier. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Adelson, Andrea (January 2, 2021). "Clemson LB James Skalski ejected from Sugar Bowl for targeting". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  12. ^ "2022 Draft Scout James Skalski, Clemson NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  13. ^ Stankevitz, JJ (May 13, 2022). "Colts Sign Four 2022 NFL Draft Picks, 22 Undrafted Free Agents". Colts.com.
  14. ^ Skalski, James. "Post". Instagram.com.
  15. ^ Peery, Wade (January 23, 2023). "Former Clemson star joins Brent Venables, Oklahoma coaching staff". On3. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  16. ^ Raynor, Grace (August 10, 2019). "Scouting James Skalski: Clemson coaches say to watch out for this unheralded Tigers linebacker". The Athletic. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
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