JAMES OFFICER BIOGRAPHY:
High School: Lettered in football and track and Cathedral High School ... Played football for coach Rick Streiff ... Was named all-city as a senior ... Took home Associated Press 5A All-State honors .... Named to the Indy Super Team ... USA-19 Football Team Nominee ... Earned the Moose Mattingly Line Of The Year Award ... He led an offensive line that paved the way for 399 yards of total offense per game ... Won the State Championship all four years (three times in 4A and once in 5A).
Personal: Born James William Officer IV on November 8, 1996 to James and Patricia Officer in Terre Haute, Ind. ... Open Preference major.
GETTING TO KNOW JAMES OFFICER:
1. What made you choose ISU?
When I visited I felt at home. This is partially because Terre Haute is my home town and both of my parents attended ISU, but mostly because the coaches really made it clear that Indiana State Football isn't just a sport or a team. It is a family.
2. How influential was Coach Everett in your decision to come to ISU?
He was very influential based off of just his honesty. I know what is expected of me and what I need to do to earn a scholarship.
3. What leadership qualities will you bring with you to ISU?
I bring intensity and a winning tradition. I come from Cathedral where we are expected to win. I don't plan on that changing when I go to the next level.
4. What do you plan to major in?
Civil Engineering
5. What are your career plans after football?
I want my football career to last as long as possible and after that I plan to be a civil engineer.
6. What about Coach Sanford and the rest of the coaching staff attracted you to this program?
Honesty. Throughout the recruiting process, a lot of coaches beat around the bush and said a good amount of things that essentially equated to nothing. Coach Sanford and Co. had everything laid out plain for me.
7. What about the program as a whole are you most excited about?
It's a young team and I am excited to be a part of what is about to happen. It's crazy to think about we are capable of.
8. How will your skill set impact this team?
I bring athleticism and rawness to the center position. I have only played one year at center, so I can be molded into what the program wants.
9. What excited you the most about playing in the Missouri Valley Conference?
The amount of exposure the MVC gets is crazy. I see MVC teams on TV constantly playing FBS schools and holding their own.
10. Who is the most influential person in your life and why?
My father. He's been behind me at every camp, visit, and meeting. Without him, I would not have had the drive to keep pushing to achieve my goals.
11. What athlete do you look up to the most and why?
Jeff Saturday. You never saw him out there demolishing his opponent but he always did his job and made sure that everyone on the line did theirs. That's what a center is there for, to captain the offensive line.
12. If you had to compare you playing style to one NFL player who would it be and why?
Mike Pouncey because of his athleticism and ability to read defenses and recognize blitzes pre snap.
13. If you were marooned on a deserted island and were only allowed to bring three items what would they be?
Water, Phone, Knife
14. What's one place in the world you have to see in your lifetime?
Paris, France
15. Favorite non-football hobby?
Shooting Hoops
16. Favorite meal?
Chicken Parmesan w/ Alfredo and breadsticks
17. Favorite restaurant?
Fogo De Chao
SAVE THE DATE: The Indiana State Football Golf Outing Fundraiser Is Scheduled For April 26, 2014. We look forward to having you this year!
