James Rankin McNaught (8 June 1870 – March 1919) was a Scottish footballer who played as a half back.

[4] After signing, he made three friendly appearances as an inside right in March 1893,[5] before suffering a dislocated elbow in the third game against Ardwick.

[4] He finally made his competitive debut for Newton Heath in the first game of the 1893–94 Football League season on 2 September 1893, starting at inside right in a 3–2 win over Burnley.

His contract with Tottenham drew criticism from The Cricket & Football Field, which referred to his weekly wage of £4.10s (with a signing bonus of £50 up front) as "ridiculously high".

Towards the end of his nine-year spell with the London side, he joined their coaching staff, before moving to Maidstone United in 1907.