DANVILLE, Va. -- Avery James joined the Averett University football staff as the special teams coordinator in January of 2026.

James arrived at Averett with years of coaching at the high school level. Before joining Averett's fold, James was last the special teams coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia. Here, James contributed to the team's most points scored in a single season in school history, while also leading them to the playoffs. Previous to his time at Sprayberry, James was the special teams coordinator and inside linebacker coach at Westside High School in Anderson, South Carolina. While at Westside, James served as a recruiting liaison, and won two state championships in two years. 

James had other various stops at high and middle schools across South Carolina, gaining a wealth of experience as a defensive-based coach. Originally from Marietta, Georgia, James played safety at then Division I FCS Liberty University, where he started 13 of 14 games as a true freshman, and finished with 19 tackles and an interception. In his sophomore campaign, James finished with 71 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.

James graduated from the University of South Carolina Upstate in August 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Experimental Psychology.