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LIBERTY—Liberty High senior Dalton James recently signed his letter of intent to join the first ever football class at Limestone College in the fall of 2014.

James was a two-way starter for Liberty as a running back and defensive back. The senior also earned three varsity letters in football and was the LHS 2012 Offensive MVP.

“It means a lot,” James said. “I’m one of the first in my family to go to college. It has been one of my goals since I started playing when I was six to play college football.”

James averaged nine yards-per-carry, 24-yards receiving, and tallied 14 touchdowns on offense. James posted a staggering 1,287 all-purpose yards this season, which was a team leading 143 yards average per game.

On defense, James registered 42 total tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 1 interception.

“It was one of my best seasons,” James said of senior year. “It was really a good ending to my high school career.”

The coaching staff at Liberty said the sky is the limit for James in college.

“Dalton possesses an extreme amount of athletic ability,” Head Coach Kyle Steward said. “With hard work, he can have a bright future at Limestone. We wish him the best.”

James said he chose Limestone because of the new direction of the program and the hard work of the coaching staff.

“I like the coaches at Limestone,” James said. “I think they’ve got a good plan to get me started in my first year. I know the coaches are concentrating on the players there, and we will be the first class making history.”

Limestone is an upstart football program that will begin intercollegiate play in the fall of 2014.

While James does not yet have a full scholarship at Limestone, he said that will be one of his goals in the coming year.

“My goal is to start,” James said. “I also want to have an impact in the classroom as well. Hopefully I will be able to earn more scholarship money next year.”

As for where he will fit in on the depth chart, James said he is ready for the competition.

“They recruited me as an athlete,” James said. “I can play wherever they want me.”