Deion Sanders didn’t have to look far during Colorado practice to find a player worth praising. When the topic turned to James Houston, Sanders zeroed in on the same trait that helped make Houston one of his biggest Jackson State success stories: relentless effort.
“Can you give your absolute all? Can you give every darn thing you got?
Can you exhaust yourself? How many guys, anybody know anybody that's in the pros right now?
I'm not talking about trying out. I'm talking about on the team.
Who you know, Coach Art?”
When the coach mentioned Houston, Sanders made it clear he was talking about the defensive star’s nonstop motor.
“When [he] turn that, when that ball said hut, what did he do?” Sanders asked.
The coach answered, “Oh, he went and got the guy. He did that.”
Sanders followed up: “Every play?”
Houston’s rise started before Jackson State, at the University of Florida, but it was his move to JSU ahead of the 2021 season that turned him into a headline defender. In that year under Sanders, he piled up 70 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles. He also scored twice, returning both an interception and a fumble for touchdowns.
That kind of season earned him First-Team All-SWAC honors and helped Jackson State win a conference title and reach the Cricket Celebration Bowl. The production also pushed him onto NFL radars, and the Detroit Lions selected him in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 217th overall.
Houston spent three seasons in Detroit, had a brief stop with the Cleveland Browns, and later signed with the Dallas Cowboys. He didn’t crack the starting lineup in Dallas, but he still carved out a role in all 17 games, finishing with 35 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. His sack total trailed only Jadeveon Clowney on the team.
Houston was also recently named the NFLPA's 2026 Black College Football Pro Player of the Year, and he addressed the recognition in a statement obtained by the Dallas Cowboys.
“Being selected as this year's NFLPA Black College Football Pro Player of the Year means a lot to me,” Houston said/ “My time at Jackson State made me into the man and player I am today, and I'm proud to be a part of the legacy that HBCU players have built and will continue to build on and off the field. Thank you to the NFLPA for their support and investment into HBCU programs and players.”
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