Charles James II has become one of the player stories being chronicled for HBO's "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Houston Texans."
But who is he?
The charismatic, chatty cornerback loves socks and playing Madden, but there's more to the second-year cornerback that cameras may not have captured.
"Yeah, I have a lot of socks," James II said to Texans Radio on Tuesday. "They're my happy socks. Basically, I put them on and wear them. I like a lot of color. When I feel like I need to look at something after I just got chewed out, maybe about a play, or something like that."
It's a quirky habit that began during his days at Charleston Southern University. James was a standout in the secondary, recording a CSU career interception record with 12. Despite being named All-American after his senior season, James II went undrafted in 2013.
He landed on his feet, though, with the New York Giants organization.
"My first year I ended up playing thirteen games with them, and all special teams, with a little bit of dime here and there," James said. "Going into my second year, I thought I was having a pretty good training camp, and unfortunately I ended up getting cut and that was an eye-opener for me. It really put things into perspective for me about life. It challenged me to see how hard I wanted it."
James II wanted to pass this life lesson on to a teammate in Tuesday's "Hard Knocks." James got heated and gave rookie safety Corey Moore some real talk about making mistakes in the NFL.
Players may not get a second chance with a team but, fortunately, James did.
Last season, the Texans invited him for a tryout and signed him to the practice squad on October 1. Now as James II competes for a roster spot on the Texans secondary, the "Hard Knocks" cameras have been closely following him.
I asked him why he thought the nation might find him interesting.
"Maybe because I talk a lot, i don't know," James said, smiling. "I'm just funny guy, and I love the game. I play with a lot of passion. I have a story, and I guess they want to share it."
Go behind the scenes of the second episode of #HardKnocks.
