Houston 2025 commit Ladeadrick James ranks in top five, including Memphis and Oregon football team

Houston three-star football player Ladeadrick James has his final five schools in mind, he told The Commercial Appeal.

Memphis, Oregon, Florida, Arkansas State and Liberty make up the top five for the 5-foot-11, 175-pound defensive back, who also plays tackle. He plans to commit in mid-September.

James, a member of The Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen top Memphis-area seniors, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 32 player in Tennessee in the Class of 2025 and the No. 128 athlete in the country. He has 18 offers, including Arizona State, Louisville, Kansas and Houston.

James visited Memphis for the season opener on Saturday with teammates Andre Allen, Owen Waggener and Trayshon Shaw. James said he also plans to visit Oregon, Houston and Washington this season.

“Memphis always shows me a lot of love as a hometown kid,” James said. “(Assistant) coach Reggie Howard and coach (Ryan) Silverfield always welcome me with open arms every time I walk through the Tiger doors.”

James admitted that he had also built good relationships with the other schools on his list and that he would have to make a difficult decision.

“Other schools have also shown me a lot of love, from being so welcoming to making me feel welcome and trying to make the recruiting process fun,” he said. “I’ve formed close bonds with a lot of the coaches who have recruited me since then to now, so finding a home will be fun, but not easy.”

In two games of the TSSAA high school football season, James has 81 yards receiving and 34 yards rushing.

Last season, James was named to the Commercial Appeal All-Metro Second Team after racking up 480 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. On defense, he had 40 tackles and four interceptions to help Houston win its first 6A state championship.

Wendell Shepherd Jr. is a high school sports writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Wendell at [email protected]. Follow Wendell on X, formerly known as Twitter, @wendellsjr_.

This article originally appeared in the Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Football: Ladeadrick James names Tigers, Oregon in top five