When the Howard University Bison Football schedule was released earlier this year, many people were excited to see the team open its 2025 season in the Orange Blossom Classic at Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium, and that excitement has been building for months.

But graduate running back Eden James — a native of Port St. Lucie, Florida, which is a little over two hours from Miami — said it hasn’t really hit him that he’ll be playing so close to home for his last college season opener, or that he’ll be doing so in the very stadium where his father, Edgerrin James, was a star running back for the University of Miami Hurricanes before his Hall of Fame career with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. 

“It probably won’t hit me until I get on that plane,” Eden James said. “It’s definitely a full-circle moment.”

The Weight of a Name — And the Choice to Be Himself

James understands the conversation that follows him. He also understands the pressure that comes with it; he’s been accustomed to it since he began playing the game. But James, who was a standout running back at First Coast High School before committing to Howard University in 2021, has definitely established a name for himself. In fact, earlier this month, he was named to the Black College Football Hall of Fame’s 2025 Player of the Year Watch List. Entering his gift season with the Bison, James is ready to further show people he is in fact his own star player.

“To be honest, you just want to go out there and play ball,” he said. 

“People mention the name I’m attached to, and as I got older, I realized how great of a football player [my dad] was. The expectations can be a lot, and people can treat you differently because of who you’re related to,” James said. “I never asked for that. To be honest, I just wanted to go out and play ball. I just want to be Eden James.”

Graduate Grind, Football Focus

With his finance degree in hand, James recently started the School of Business’ nationally ranked MBA program, the only HBCU in Fortune's Best MBA Programs for 2025. Balancing the rigors of graduate school while zeroing in on a season he believes can be transformative for himself as well as the team is keeping James busy and focused.

“This should be the breakout year for me. I finished undergrad, so my focus is a lot more on football,” said James, who played in all 12 games last season, compiling 570 yards and scoring three rushing touchdowns. His best performance was against Hampton University in the 2024 Truth and Service Classic, where he ran for 107 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown.

James is looking to almost double his 2024 yardage, aiming for 1,000 yards, and wants to enter the end zone at a minimum of 10 times. 

“I’m expecting a much more productive season this year. I’m taking it day by day and preparing to deliver some big numbers, starting with the game against FAMU,” said James, adding that he’s placing little value on the MEAC preseason poll predicting a fifth-place finish for the Bison this season.

“Those rankings are opinions based on last year,” James said of the Bison, which had a disappointing 4-8 season a year after winning the MEAC and making a Celebration Bowl appearance. “The last time they slotted us low, we won the MEAC. We have a competitive team this year. I feel like we’re going to shock some people.”

Why Howard, and Why It Matters

And choosing to ignore some opinions has served James well thus far. As a high school player, he received offers from large programs like Miami, Indiana, and Wake Forest. But he saw Howard University as a better fit, a place where he could play the game he loved and become a man with a well-rounded experience and outlook for the future. 

“For me, it was bigger than football,” James explained. “I didn’t want to stay in Florida. My sister, Edquisha “Qui” James (B.B.A ‘19) came to Howard, and I loved visiting D.C. Howard has a top business school and earning my finance degree here will definitely help me later in life.”

James’ experience — both on and off the field here — has sharpened his purpose. 

“Being here challenged me to see how much I love the game,” he said. “We don’t always have the same resources as larger programs, so it makes you ask if you truly love football. If you do — and I do — then you push through and play for the love of the game, not what you can get out of it. Being here can really help you learn how to push through obstacles and understand what it means to persevere. It’s absolutely a lesson in how to live life, too.”