Thereafter, he played professionally for the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL and the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.

[2] As a senior team captain in 2005, James ran for 900 yards and eight touchdowns while leading the Yellow Jackets to a Florida Class 3A state championship.

[2] His 33-yard kickoff return against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game gave the Gators the ball in Buckeye territory after Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. opened the game with a kickoff return for a touchdown.

James was also a member of the Florida Gators track and field team, competing at the SEC Outdoor Championships.

In 2011, the Edmonton Eskimos signed James as a free agent,[6] but he was later released during the regular season, bringing his playing career to an end.