Sometimes, direct connections are the best.
But that is just part of the story for Taylor James, who has been hired as Ascension Catholic’s new football coach.
Donaldsonville-based Ascension Catholic announced the hiring of the 30-year-old James, a Winnfield native who has coached at multiple high schools in Texas since 2020, on Friday.
It is the first head football coaching job for James. He previously worked with Ascension Catholic baseball coach Gee Cassard at Houma-based Vandebilt Catholic before the COVID 19 pandemic.
“My wife and I are both from Louisiana, and we’ve been wanting to get closer to family,” James said. “We’ve got four children. They are at the age where they want to be around family and we have family in this area.
“I am excited to get started. I was able to meet with the players and some parents today.”
James takes over for former St. James and LSU quarterback Lowell Narcisse, who led the Bulldogs to the LHSAA’s Division IV select semifinals in his only season as head coach last fall. Narcisse is now the head coach at Class 5A Thibodaux High.
Before accepting the Ascension Catholic job, James was defensive coordinator at Mt. Vernon, a Class 3A public school located between Dallas and Texarkana.
James was part of the 2011 Winnfield team that finished as the Class 2A football runner-up to John Curtis. He played quarterback, receiver and running in high school and went on to play wide receiver at Louisiana College, now known as Louisiana Christian.
James then spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State before entering the high school coaching ranks.
“I’ve had people say, ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this,’ ” James said. “Knowing coach Gee helped get me here. I feel like this is where I am supposed to be.”