He is the younger cousin of NFL Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James, who also played college football in Miami and later for the Colts.
He developed further as a junior, rushing 225 times for 1,658 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading the Indians to the state title.
He suffered a knee injury during his senior year that kept him out of five games, but he returned to the lineup and still rushed for over 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Head coach Larry Coker named James the starting running back by the fourth game of the season.
James surpassed the 100-yard mark the third time in Miami's October 28 loss to Georgia Tech, rushing for 112 yards on 19 carries.
James suffered a hip pointer injury early in the first half of Miami's November 7 game against Virginia Tech.
He made his NFL debut as a reserve in the Colts' Week 5 game against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 10, 2010.
James scored two rushing touchdowns in the Colts' loss at the Philadelphia Eagles on November 7, 2010.
[5] On May 12, 2017, James finished his schooling obtaining his Bachelor Degree and MBA by graduating from the University of Miami.
On February 28, 2019, James opened up a training facility in Naples, FL called "JJ5 Fitness" under the LLC.