STUDIOUS JAMES LEARNED A LOT IN FOOTBALL AND CLASSROOM AT UW

By Rich Myhre

By Washington Huskies

November 15^th, 2018

It might go without saying, but being a college football player is no easy thing. Not only does it require exceptional athletic ability, but also great commitments of time and effort in a daily routine of practices, weight training, film study and team meetings.

But that is just one-half of the student-athlete equation. The other half – the student part – involves many additional hours each week for classes and studying. The academic pace is always demanding and often difficult, but most college athletes get it done and some even excel.

One of the latter is University of Washington football player Matt James, a 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive tackle and fifth-year senior from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. James has a cumulative GPA of close to 3.5 while majoring in materials science and engineering (MSE) with a focus on nanoscience and molecular engineering.

If that sounds hard, well, it is. “All my classes have been pretty challenging,” James confirmed.

As an example, James is taking an upper-division class this quarter called Introduction to Polymers. For those who have forgotten their high school chemistry, a polymer is a molecule of high relative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises the multiple repetition of units derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass (as defined by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry). Polymers can be natural or synthetic, with wool, silk, amber and shellac being examples of the former, and nylon and silicone examples of the latter.

STUDIOUS JAMES LEARNED A LOT IN FOOTBALL AND CLASSROOM AT UW

In previous years, James also had extensive coursework in mathematics (including calculus, differential equations and statistics), natural sciences (primarily chemistry and physics) and engineering fundamentals (including computer programming and mechanics of materials). In addition, MSE degree candidates must complete more than a year of classes within the department. Among them, crystallography and structure, kinetics and microstructural evolution, and failure analysis and durability of materials.

Whew!

As you can imagine, James is a very busy young man. During football season he typically wakes around 5 a.m. during the week, and he arrives at Husky Stadium about an hour later, with practice beginning at 8:45 and continuing to 10:30. Later in the day, he will have another few hours of film study, team meetings and weight training. In total, he devotes close to six hours a day to football.

Classes take up about three hours each day, and he spends another three or four studying. He usually returns to his apartment near the UW campus around dinner time, and then studies until 10:00 or 10:30 when he finally heads to bed.

That regimen takes a lot of discipline and leaves little time for goofing off. Indeed, James said, “I had to learn time-management skills very quickly (as a freshman). That definitely doesn’t make it any easier, but it does make it manageable.”

And to those around him, it is remarkable.

“He’s done a great job of balancing his time,” said Washington offensive line coach Scott Huff. “You see him competing in the classroom in the same way he competes on the football field, and it’s been real cool to watch.”

James, a 2014 graduate of Coeur d’Alene High School, committed to Washington back when Steve Sarkisian was still the UW head coach. Months later, Chris Petersen was hired to replace Sarkisian, and James subsequently reaffirmed his commitment.

After redshirting as a true freshman, his playing career began promisingly when he started the team’s first two games of 2015. But he did not play in three of the final four games, and he has since seen action as a reserve and on special teams. He is on Washington’s PAT and field goal teams this season.

“Obviously, everybody comes in here wanting to start and play a lot,” James acknowledged. “That didn’t necessarily work out for me, but I did get to play a little bit and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”

The 2016 season, when the Huskies won the Pacific-12 Conference championship and advanced to the College Football Playoff, “was a great experience altogether,” James said. “I think that’s probably the highlight and one of my greatest memories (at Washington).”

“Matt may have not always started the games and all that,” Huff said, “but he’s been a great resource and backbone of this program for a long time. He’s a guy that’s been very dependable. You can always count on him, and he’s so versatile that you can put him in a lot of different situations. As a coach, you can’t have anything but appreciation for that. You can throw him into any situation, and regardless of the circumstances he’s going to perform.”

James will graduate in the spring, and then either begin graduate school or return to Coeur d’Alene. He wants a career in medical research, and specifically cancer research, though he is also open to the possibility of jobs in other areas of engineering, such as civil or aerospace.

Because he is unlikely to play professionally, his football career is probably down to its final few games. It leaves him wondering what life will be like without the sport he has played and loved since childhood.

“I’ll probably have way too much time on my hands,” he said with a laugh. “But it’ll be weird because it’s going to be the first time I’m in school and not doing a sport. It’ll be nice to just be a student (in winter and spring quarters), but I’m going to miss all the guys. I’ll miss the vibe and the brotherhood on the team.

“I guess I’m kind of sad about it (ending), but I’m trying not to be too sad right now. I’m just trying to enjoy it and soak up every second while I can.”

His UW years “have gone by so fast,” he said. “The tough classes probably made it go by even faster because it’s just flown by. It feels like I just got here and that I just finished saying goodbye to my parents as a freshman. It hasn’t seemed like (almost) five years.

“But it’s been great. I’ve certainly learned a lot, both in football and in school. I’ve learned a lot from the coaches and from my professors, and from my friends and teammates. I’ve also made a lot of great memories, so it’s been really fun.”