Paducah Tilghman QB Jack James can Throw TD Passes and Win State Wrestling Title

Paducah Tilghman junior Jack James threw for 56 touchdowns last season but he also won a state wrestling championship. He recently committed to Troy.

Paducah Tilghman junior Jack James is not your ordinary high school quarterback.

He threw for 4,019 yards and 56 touchdowns last season when he completed 255 of 375 passes (68 percent) and also ran for six touchdowns to help Paducah Tilghman reach the Class 4A semifinals. However, he also won the 215-pound state wrestling championship this season. If that’s not enough, he also has a 3.95 grade-point average.

Paducah Tilghman coach Sean Thompson knew James was talented as a freshman but says he has matured and improved because of his work ethic.

“You don’t hear of many quarterbacks with elite arm talent who also wrestle,” Thompson said. “He didn’t cut weight for wrestling either. I definitely have got the toughest quarterback in the state. He has wrestled his entire life but is a much better quarterback. He wrestles for that edge and his family believes that helps his football and it has worked because wrestling helped him learn to fight through adversity.

“He’s a very willing runner. It’s not something we ask him to do much because his arm talent is so special that we don’t want to risk what we have with him.”

Thompson noted James (6-1, 210 pounds) had an 80-yard run against Mayfield that showcased what he can do when he runs.

James, who also plays baseball, said his father liked the physical and mental toughness it takes to wrestle. He started wrestling about 11 years ago when he was at McCracken County and just kept wrestling when he got to Tilghman.

“Football has always been my main sport and I just wrestle during wrestling season for about 3 1/2 months per year,” James said. “I have had good coaches and been able to train with state champions.”

He admits he’s never seen another quarterback wrestling because it takes more of a “linebacker” mentality on the wrestling mat.

James was third in the 2023 state wrestling competition and the two who finished above him are now wrestling in college. He moved up from the 175-pound division to 215 rather than cut weight which might have hurt his football preparation.

“I am going to play college football and need to keep my size,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to play college football and knew that was a realistic goal after my second freshman year after COVID when I threw 35 touchdown passes. The interest started cranking up my sophomore year when I started getting offers.”

He had offers from Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Tulane, Massachusetts, Miami (Ohio) Troy, Old Dominion and Charlotte but has now committed to play for Gerad Parker at Troy.

Thompson said he’s a perfect fit at the mid-major level because of his ability to make quick decisions and get the ball out fast.

“If he was three inches taller  he would have any offer he wanted,” the Paducah Tilghman coach said. “A lot of times coaches get caught in measurables as opposed to what a kid can do. But he’s going to make someone a really good college quarterback.”