Football
James Kirkland
- Title:
- Recruiting Personnel Specialist
- Email:
- football@msu.edu
- Phone:
- 355-1647
James Kirkland joined the Michigan State football program as a recruiting personnel specialist in September 2021.
Before arriving in East Lansing, Kirkland spent the previous five seasons (2016-20) at Illinois. He was promoted to Director of Player Personnel in the spring of 2017 after spending the 2016 season as a recruiting analyst on Lovie Smith’s initial Fighting Illini staff.
Kirkland was previously an NFL scout with the Cleveland Browns (2004-10; 2014-16), Chicago Bears (2010-2013), and Tennessee Titans (2013-14) after getting his start as a volunteer scouting intern with the Atlanta Falcons during the 2003 season and part of 2004 as a graduate assistant/recruiting Intern at Duke University.
Over his first stint with the Browns, he held the positions of scout (2004), West Coast Area Scout (2005-06) and assistant director of pro personnel (2007-10).
During his three years with the Bears, Kirkland was a pro scouting assistant in 2010, a pro scout in 2011 and a mid-Atlantic area scout in 2012. He was a pro scout for the Tennessee Titans for one year from July 2013 to May 2014.
Kirkland returned to Cleveland as the senior player personnel associate from May 2014 to July 2016.
Kirkland earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in philosophy from Duke University in 1995 while also being a four-year letterman at defensive end for the Blue Devils’ football squad. He later went on to earn a master’s of business administration degree with a concentration in accounting and marketing from Georgia Tech in 2003 before embarking on a career in scouting.
Before arriving in East Lansing, Kirkland spent the previous five seasons (2016-20) at Illinois. He was promoted to Director of Player Personnel in the spring of 2017 after spending the 2016 season as a recruiting analyst on Lovie Smith’s initial Fighting Illini staff.
Kirkland was previously an NFL scout with the Cleveland Browns (2004-10; 2014-16), Chicago Bears (2010-2013), and Tennessee Titans (2013-14) after getting his start as a volunteer scouting intern with the Atlanta Falcons during the 2003 season and part of 2004 as a graduate assistant/recruiting Intern at Duke University.
Over his first stint with the Browns, he held the positions of scout (2004), West Coast Area Scout (2005-06) and assistant director of pro personnel (2007-10).
During his three years with the Bears, Kirkland was a pro scouting assistant in 2010, a pro scout in 2011 and a mid-Atlantic area scout in 2012. He was a pro scout for the Tennessee Titans for one year from July 2013 to May 2014.
Kirkland returned to Cleveland as the senior player personnel associate from May 2014 to July 2016.
Kirkland earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in philosophy from Duke University in 1995 while also being a four-year letterman at defensive end for the Blue Devils’ football squad. He later went on to earn a master’s of business administration degree with a concentration in accounting and marketing from Georgia Tech in 2003 before embarking on a career in scouting.
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