CCSU’s James signs free agent deal with Falcons
Ryan McCarthy has stillfresh memories of the first time he sized up Middletown High’s Tyshaun James on a football field. An offensive-minded coach, McCarthy was settling in on the staff at Central Connecticut State after a 13-year run at Albany when he saw James on tape.
“Tyshaun played quarterback and that was the first thing that stood out on him. Certain guys stand out on tape and I thought, ‘This kid just looks different,’ ” McCarthy recalled. “He was long and athletic and he played quarterback, and obviously he was just super productive” as a runner and a passer. “And he also played defense.”
He couldn’t believe this recruit was there for the taking.
“How is this kid not picking up a lot of offers?” McCarthy wondered. “He’s too big (6 foot 3, 190 pounds), too athletic and he plays multiple positions. He probably won’t be around for us. I don’t think he attracted the interest because of his position.”
McCarthy asked what Pete Rossomando, Central’s head coach at the time, thought.
“He said, ‘Bring him in as a quarterback and we’ll figure it out from there,’ ” McCarthy, who became head coach in 2018, said this week. “With the movements, Tyshaun was so talented and so athletic that we just had to get him.”
It all worked out for Central and it surely worked out there for James, who was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent wide receiver after last week’s draft. James is the first Middletown public school athlete to have a shot at making an NFL roster since Al Marshall in 1983.
James’ journey begins with the Falcons’ rookie minicamp on May 13, followed by mandatory minicamp in mid-June and training camp at the end of July. Atlanta drafted a receiver, USC’s Drake London, in the first round (No. 8 overall) and currently have 12 receivers who will compete to make the team.
“He’s a really self-motivated and driven kid as it is,” McCarthy said, “and now, the competition level
just increased tenfold. You know with that, will come another spark with him because he’ll be surrounded by highly talented kids who come from different programs.
“He’ll go down there with a little chip on his shoulder. He has the physical tools. He’s motivated. He’s played multiple positions. I don’t think there will be many things that will throw him off with scheme. I think he will look at this with a new form of motivation that will being out the best in him.”
Like McCarthy, former Middletown football coach Sal Morello experienced a moment in time during James’ Blue Dragons career when the player looked different than all the others. During his junior season in a game against Maloney, James rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 112 yards and two scores.
“I could tell there he was special,” Morello said. “That game sticks out to me. Both teams were 4-0 and he was unstoppable.”
“We are so proud of him,” Morello added. “Tyshaun was always a hard worker and loved the weight room. He was always good about his academics. He had a great foundation at home.”
McCarthy leveraged his player’s talent at receiver, running back and at quarterback in the Wildcat scheme. But James was a pass catcher first and foremost. He leaves the program as its leader in career touchdown receptions. The two-time First Team AllNortheast Conference selection boosted his post-college prospects with a fantastic junior season — 978 receiving
yards, nine touchdown catches and 14 total touchdowns, which led all NEC players.
McCarthy said NFL teams became interested in James’ after his junior season.
“I’m pretty sure we had every NFL team here at some point to talk about Tyshaun,” he said, “whether it be in the fall or training camp. His 2019 season, that’s what got the whole thing going.”
When COVID-19 hit in early 2020 and wiped out the Blue Devils’ season that fall, McCarthy said James could have entered the NCAA transfer portal for a shot at playing for a major Division I program. But he stayed loyal to CCSU and played out his career in 2021.
“He could have gone a lot of places and he didn’t do that,” McCarthy said. “He could have ended up at a Florida State or another Power 5 program, but he also could have ended up as a third guy at places like FSU or Louisville, and I think that played a role in (him staying) as well.”
James leaves Central with degrees in economics and management. He completed his studies in December but will not walk with his class at graduation, which overlaps with minicamp in Georgia. Still, those degrees are in hand. Same as the opportunity that awaits at the highest level of football.
“Tyshaun is the type of kid who looks at what’s in front of him,” McCarthy said. “He got the one he needed, an opportunity, whether he was drafted or signed. And he’s going to make the most of it.”