James Skalski

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

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

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

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

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+7⁄8 in
(1.83 m) 		228 lb
(103 kg) 		30+1⁄2 in
(0.77 m) 		9+1⁄8 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

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

Personal life

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

  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.