Tabbed by the National Recruiting Advisor as the top dual-threat quarterback prospect in the 1996 class, Odell James has had people talking for years. Here is a selection of quotes from some of the coaches and experts who knew him then.

"Well, the first time I saw him was at a practice at MacArthur midway through his sophomore year. I went to practice, and Alpert told me, 'This is the guy.' He had all the skills even then. Then I saw the state championship game where they lost a heartbreaker, and by that time, the legend of Odell James was well on its way to taking shape." - Rivals.com Editor in Chief Bobby Burton (National Recruiting Advisor Publisher 1995)

"I remember when he was a freshman, of course he played offense and defense when he was on the freshman team. But I went out and watched them play when he was a freshman, and I'm telling you he just dominated both sides of the ball. I said, 'God, I've never seen anything like him in my life.' He was a man among boys." - Arlington Grace Prep Offensive Coordinator Spike Harlan (Aldine MacArthur Quarterback Coach 1995)

"He was just special. He was a special kid and had a special family and just one of those kids that had a great smile on his face. He had a great work ethic and wanted to be successful in whatever he did and when you saw him play your mouth dropped it was just like wow." - N.C. State Linebacker Coach Andy McCollum (Baylor Defensive Coordinator 1995)

"Obviously we wanted him to run the option for us. We wanted to put him on the outside and feature his ability to run the football and throw it. We liked his athleticism – he was a big, strong, physical young man that could run.

"That's what enticed about what he was able to do and become in our program. He was well thought of; he was just an outstanding young man and outstanding person. I loved his personality. Our personalities fit each others' pretty well, and we hit it off pretty good from that standpoint." - Buffalo Head Coach Turner Gill (Nebraska Quarterback Coach 1995)

"Tommie Frazier, I thought he had a natural feel for the game like Frazier, but probably had more of a big-play ability than Tommie. Boy, they both had a feel for the option game that you can't teach." - Burton

"I'd say the closest is probably Robert Reid. Odell was slightly more athletic, but Robert is much more physical. Still, they are very similar players. Big arms, not always accurate, but Odell always had a little something extra. He was not as dominating in high school as Vince Young, nor was he as big, and he certainly didn't have the same quality of teammates surrounding him. Reggie McNeal would have been a decent comparison, but Reggie was smaller and outright faster. But Odell was a better overall quarterback even though Reggie had a great senior year." - Burton

"He reminds me of Vince Young. When he was coming out of high school he was the Vince Young of that time and if he hadn't of gotten his knee hurt when he was a senior - I think he had like 3 reconstructive surgeries - I don't think there's any doubt he would be where Vince Young is today. He just never got over that and lost a little step and just never overcame it. But I would compare him to Vince Young at that time." - Harlan

"I remember at the time I thought Nebraska would be such a great fit for him because he kind of reminded me of Tommie Frazier just the way he ran that style of I-option offense, but with the ability to throw the ball as well as he did. I thought that would have been a great fit for him with what they were doing at that time. Because coach Osborne was still there, and they were still having all those successes." - Lewisville Hebron Head Coach, Brian Brazil (Lewisville Defensive Line Coach 1993)

"You know who he kinds of reminds me of with his looks and his build is that Chiles kid that's down at Texas right now. That's a real similar type kid. He's kind of a big, athletic kind of kid. He had the same type build and the same features." Brazil

"I think probably the first thing that comes to mind is they were competitors No. 1, and they were outstanding runners. I didn't get the chance to work with Odell to really truly know his competitiveness, but just from what I heard he really wanted to win. He could run over people, he could run around people and he could outrun some people." - Gill on the Tommy Frazier comparison

"It was huge because at that time Odell James was probably what people would say now is the Vince Young coming out. He was one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, great character, came out of a great high school program from a great high school coach Bob Alpert, and coming from the city of Houston, which has some of the top talent in the country and some of the top high school coaches in the country year in and year out.

"So it was huge for our program and he fit what Chuck Reedy did offensively and he was going to be one of the first one's that came in and fit what we did as far as the abilities that he had could do." – McCollum

"Certainly it was a big signing for us. Here's a guy that was recruited by everyone in the country and it basically came down to us and Nebraska and to be able to get a commitment from him fairly early and hold onto him and he had a big impact on other kids that we signed especially from the Houston area because he was so well known and well regarded. So it was a big deal.

"We had signed Jerrod Douglas either the year before or two years before, and Jerrod was by and large the No. 1 player in the state his senior year, or certainly in the top 2 or 3 depending on who you go by. But to be able to sign within a three-year span what were regarded as two of the top signees in the state was a positive thing for our program." - Goose Creek High School Head Coach, Chuck Reedy (Baylor Head Coach 1995)

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