North Carolina high school football: Chris James steps down after three seasons

There’s a new North Carolina high school football coaching job available after Chris James stepped down after three seasons at Charlotte Christian. Langston Wertz Jr. of the Charlotte Observer reported that the school posted about the vacancy on social media.

James, a Charlotte Christian alum, replaced Jason Estep in 2023. Coincidentally, James played for Estep before attending the University of Richmond and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. After college, James became an assistant coach at his high school alma mater before taking the coaching job at Covenant Day. He also served as offensive coordinator at Ardrey Kell and Myers Park before returning to Charlotte Christian.

James led the Knights to an 8-4 record in his first year, 7-4 in the second, and 7-6 last season. The Knights competed in the 2025 North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I state championship game but lost to Providence Day 42-6. That defeat gave James a 22-14 record in three seasons.

It’s unclear if James will coach another North Carolina high school football team. However, he left a good role because Charlotte Christian only had one losing season since 2005. That unfortunate ending came in 2021, when they went 5-6 under Estep. During that stretch, the Knights had seven seasons with at least ten victories, including two undefeated seasons (2018 and 2013).

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