Off the field, Central Connecticut State junior wide receiver Tyshaun James likes art and likes to draw in his spare time; on the field, his route running, catches and ability to run the ball greatly resembles art as well.

In Central’s home opener against Merrimack University, James ran a crisp corner route from the slot at the beginning of the third quarter when quarterback Aaron Winchester decided to lob up a pass to his number one receiver in double coverage. James came down with the catch and scored his third touchdown of the game.

Through three games this season, James has caught 11 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns. He has also rushed for two more scores.

Standing at 6-foot-3-inches and 210 lbs, CCSU head coach Ryan McCarthy described James as a “matchup nightmare.”

Graduate-transfer quarterback Winchester seems to agree and is looking James’ way early and often. The scary part is (for other NEC opponents) it appears the chemistry between the two is only going to get better.

“Chemistry between Ty and I began on my recruiting visit,” Winchester said. “My visit was during winter break so not too many people were still around, but him being a local guy and taking time out of his break to come and be around me showed a ton of commitment to the program and we hit it off from then on.”

“I just tell him, ‘there are no 50/50 balls, there’s only 90/10 or 100 percent, if you throw it I’m going to go get it,'” James said. “I feel like our chemistry is good but I definitely feel like it’s not a finished product and when it is, there’s going to be a lot more big plays on Saturdays.”

Part of the reason why James is such a reliable target for his quarterbacks is that he used to be in their shoes.

“I initially came to Central as a quarterback, then they asked me if I wanted to switch to a receiver and I was like ‘yeah sure,’ because I trusted the coaches,” James said.

“Playing quarterback helped me a lot with playing receiver because it helped me read coverages better, so it helped me learn quicker and I know what quarterbacks want.”

According to his new signal-caller, coming in as a quarterback and transitioning into a Division I wide receiver is no easy task for anyone, but luckily for James, he has been learning since day one and he had a few great mentors.

“I’ve been playing receiver since my freshman year, so I’ve been learning and we had two great receivers in Jose Garcia and Malik Rush, so I was just learning from them,” James said.

“They taught me the simple things like focus on the catch and don’t let the moment get too big.”

Despite his recent success, James struggled out of the gate. As a freshman, James recorded only one reception for 11 yards.

“Coming in and going against defensive backs like Tajik [Bagley] when I first came in, it was a struggle, but it made me want to be a better receiver,” James said.

Since his freshman year, James has only improved but still has a long way to go until he is a finished product in many people’s eyes.

James caught 20 balls for 218 yards as a Sophomore to go along with four touchdowns.

Now, in his junior season, he is the featured weapon in Central’s offense and is on pace for 44 catches, 808 receiving yards, 12 receiving touchdowns and 8 rushing touchdowns.

“He’s progressed but he’s still a long way from being a finished product,” McCarthy said. “He’s got the size and speed and I think something he needs to improve upon is his practice consistency, I think if he does that, the sky is the limit.”

“Ty is just scratching the surface of what he can be,” Winchester said. “I’ve had the pleasure to be around two NFL receivers in Robert Davis and Penny Hart at Georgia State and Ty reminds me a lot of those two guys and if he continues to have the same hunger and work ethic I wouldn’t be surprised to hear his name being called by the NFL commissioner on draft day.”

If you ask James about his personal ceiling, he would tell you, “I got high expectations and so do my coaches and teammates, personally I take it a practice at a time,” James said. “Of course I want to go to the NFL but I’m just focused on this season, winning as many games as I can and then my senior year.”

James is focused on the present right now, but being the number one option on a Division 1 offense speaks for itself and is definitely something scouts will have an eye out for. He has the physical tools and will get the opportunity to produce as a WR1.

“If you’re good enough they’ll find you, just like Central found me, I just have to work hard like my dad always tells me,” James said.

As far as James’s plan to ultimately reaching his goals, James says he has to “just keep your mouth shut and do what you have to do.”