Honors
- MVFC All-Newcomer Team: 2024
- Conference USA Honor Roll: 2025
- MVFC Honor Roll: 2024
- MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll: Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025
Missouri State
2025:Â Made 11 appearances (371 snaps) with 6 starts in his second season at Mo State ... Caught 22 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown with multiple receptions in 9 contests ... Best outing was in home win over UT Martin (9/20/25) with 3 receptions for 47 yards and a 6-yard TD reception ... Also caught 3 passes (19 yards) in road win at New Mexico State (10/22/25) and 3 catches (12 yards) in home win over UTEP (11/25/25) ... Snagged season-long 32-yard pass at Kennesaw State (11/22/25), finishing game with 2 catches for 40 yards ... Also had 40 receiving yards on a pair of catches in home opener vs. SMU (9/13/25), including a 21-yarder ... Â Named to Athlon Sports Preseason All-CUSA fourth team ... Earned Conference USA Honor Roll accolades ... Named to MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Fall 2025 semester.
2024: MVFC All-Newcomer Team selection ... Averaged 15.33 yards per reception which was 7th in the MVFC and 71st nationally ... Finished campaign with 24 receptions for 368 yards (both 6th on the team ) and 3 touchdowns ... Played in all 12 games with 3 starts in a four-game stretch ... Snagged at least one reception in 11 games and multiple catches 8 times ... Had season-best 5 receptions for 94 yards and a 27-yard TD grab in home win over Indiana State (10/19/24) ... Logged 4 catches for 43 yards at Illinois State (10/12/24) with an 8-yard TD catch ... Also had a 5-yard touchdown in win at UNI (10/26/24) to cap a 10-play scoring drive ... Season-long 37-yard pass reception came at eventual national champion North Dakota State (11/16/24) ... Named to MVFC Honor Roll in 2024 and MSU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semesters.
Georgia Tech
2023: Saw action in one game as a sophomore with an appearance vs. South Carolina St. (9/9/23) ...
2022: Played in 6 games as a redshirt freshman with a start against Duke (10/8/22) ... Did not record any pass receptions or returns ...
2021: Redshirted as a true freshman and did not play in any games.
High School
Hauled in 120 receptions, 2,285 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns in three high-school seasons at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Cocoa, Fla., averaging 81.6 yards per game and 19.0 yards per catch during his career ... As a senior (2020), he caught 54 passes for 1,015 yards and 9 touchdowns while leading coach Nate Hooks' Tigers to the 3A regional semifinals ... Injured his junior season ... Caught 39 passes for 715 yards and 6 touchdowns as a sophomore while leading Holy Trinity to the 3A playoffs and earning honorable mention All-Space Coast honors ... Rated as a four-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN ... Member of the prestigious ESPN 300 list ... Tabbed as the No. 38-ranked wide receiver in the nation and the No. 32-ranked player in the state of Florida by ESPN.
Personal
James William BlackStrain was born 1/31/03 in Cocoa, Fla. ... Son of Joe Black and Elizabeth Strain ... Has two brothers, Joseph and Rian, and two sisters, Jessica and Jocelyn ... Currently pursuing a post-graduate certificate in Nonprofit Leadership.
