Kentucky 2026 safety Hank James adding offers
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
Paducah Tilghman’s (Paducah, KY) defense was straight nasty during the 2024 high school football season. The Blue Tornado stormed off to a 15-0 record capturing a 4A state championship supported by a defense that only allowed 9.9 points per game on average pitching three shutouts with only one team, Franklin County, getting to the 20-point mark in a contest. The last line of defense stopping hopeful offenses from moving the ball was Hank James.
Watching James (5-11, 175) play, the intuitiveness and understanding of the game shows as a sideline-to-sideline player that can cover deep and come downhill.
Operating out of a base 3-4 working a Cover 2 with some Cloud, James tallied 41 tackles, three picks, and nine pass breakups during his junior campaign.
“I feel like I am really good at tracking the ball, coming down to the ball, something I do well, and I am physical,” James stated. “Especially on a really good defense, it can be hard to make plays, but when the opportunity comes, I am there.”
Next season, some of those nine passes batted away or knocked down will be swipes.
“This offseason I am mostly working on my hands,” James said. “I dropped some picks this year that should have been caught. And my speed. If I get those two down, I will be solid.”
Hank James – 2024 Kentucky state champion.
Five teams already believe in James with offers coming from Maryland, New Mexico, Toledo, Troy, and UMass.
James spoke about receiving his first offer from the Minutemen, “It was really good. Receiving the offer was a good confidence booster, and it was great to get the recruiting process going, especially rolling into my junior year.”
The list of growing teams showing interest was shared, “Wyoming, Memphis, West Virginia just followed me, UPenn, Georgia Southern, and Hawaii.”
Game-day trips were taken to Wyoming, Memphis, Maryland, and Troy; James shared information on three of the visits.
Memphis: “It was a great experience. Memphis showed great hospitality. There was lots of communication with the coaches; I was getting to know them. Memphis has a solid team and are coached very well.”
Maryland: “It was good. Maryland showed great hospitality. They also have a great coaching staff. I saw them beat USC; that was a great experience. They seem to have a lot of new technology. They have great facilities, and their indoor is huge. They said they could play a football game in their indoor; that is a big deal.”
Troy: “It was good. My brother (Jack James – 2025 QB) signed with Troy; they do show a lot of love towards me. After the visit they called and offered; that was a big deal with me knowing the coaches. The stadium is really nice. Their fans are super loud. They have a good fanbase and a good team culture. The atmosphere is awesome there. They shot fireworks when they scored.”
Recruiting visits are on the agenda for James in the New Year in between wrestling and baseball events.
Photo credit: James family – Hank James at Memphis and post-game Kentucky state championship.
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