By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- He spent the 2024 football season coaching quarterbacks at Tabor Academy following a record-setting career at Bridgewater State University.

For James Cahoon, the start of a coaching career certainly didn't mean the end of his playing career.

Cahoon, who threw for a BSU-record 7,065 yards, was determined to get back on the field somewhere to resume playing quarterback.

The 2024 BSU graduate received that opportunity this past spring and summer, becoming the starting QB for the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League.

Cahoon made the most of his chance, earning a spot on the IFL All-Rookie team after leading the league with 222.2 passing yards per game. Despite not joining Iowa until the fourth game of the season, Cahoon was third in the league with 2,888 passing yards.

"I knew I still had the itch to play," said Cahoon, thinking back to this time a year ago. "I enjoyed coaching, but I always knew I would get back to playing at some point."

Cahoon, who set the BSU passing record by nearly 1,000 yards, owns school marks for yards in a game (357) and in a season (2,658 in 2022). He is also first with 576 career completions and second with 56 touchdown passes.

The Bourne High School product was hoping to get into an NFL training camp in the summer of 2024, but that did not materialize. That led to Cahoon coaching at Tabor and keeping an eye out for playing opportunities elsewhere.

Cahoon was in training camp with the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor League at the start of this year. He attended a Pro Day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va.

The Barnstormers signed Cahoon on April 18 after Iowa had already played three games. In his pro debut eight days later, Cahoon threw for four TDs and was 16-for-27 for 186 yards in a 37-16 win over Fishers Freight of Indiana.

Cahoon played the final 13 games for Iowa, going 255-for-463. He had 56 TD passes, completed 55 percent of his passes and had a 138.7 efficiency rating in a season that ended July 25.

With an IFL season now on his resume, Cahoon would like to get a chance to play outdoors, perhaps in the Canadian Football League or the United Football League next spring.

"Playing at that level and having some success indoor just helps give me a lot of confidence," said Cahoon. "I knew I could compete at the highest level. There's no talent gap for me. I think I'm in the same ballpark as those guys.

"Having that season, you're able to knock some of that 'small school quarterback' (label) off. Now I've played at this level and had some success as an arena quarterback. I've had some interest from other leagues since then.

"Hopefully at some point, I'll be able to spin this. It's about getting the right set of eyes seeing me and believing in me. I know it's out there. It'll come at some point."

Cahoon, who works with another BSU quarterback, Mike McCarthy, at the M2 QB Academy, had to adjust to playing in the faster-paced indoor game. McCarthy was also an indoor player and played in Europe following his Bears' Hall of Fame career.

"From the outdoor to indoor game, the biggest difference is the decision-making process," said Cahoon, whose team won just one game. "You process information even faster. You have to anticipate really well. The space is so different. Windows close extremely fast. Windows are significantly, significantly smaller.

"You have to trust your anticipation and have a little bit of moxie to throw the ball into tight windows and throw to guys early on."

Cahoon's top receiver, Quian Williams, recently signed with the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League. He had 93 catches for 1,159 yards and 27 TDs.

"He's as talented a football player as I've seen," said Cahoon of the Eastern Michigan and Buffalo product. "He made the transition super easy for me.

"The success that I had was a combination of a lot of things. I was prepared through Mike (McCarthy's) training. I had a great coach in coach (Dave) Mogensen and the staff. The players around me are really talented The group was really good. The quarterback is only as good as the people around him. My job is to get them the football."

The Indoor Football League features 14 teams from throughout the country.

Cahoon was able to return to Massachusetts for a game, going against the Mass. Pirates in Lowell when he threw four TD passes in a 54-31 loss on July 3.

"I really did enjoy coming back home and playing," said Cahoon. "It was great to feel all the love and have friends and family and (BSU) coach (Joe) Verria there. It was good to be back in Massachusetts."

Cahoon will keep working out, travel to showcase camps and hope to keep the playing career going.

Teams in Canada expand their roster later in the season, and the United Football League gets going next March.

"I have the utmost confidence I can play and be a starting quarterback at any level," said Cahoon. "I have great people around me. I have unwavering support from friends and families and great trainers and coaches.

"I think I'd be kind of dumb to not keep going. It didn't happen for me right out of college, but I have the utmost confidence it will."

Cahoon has taken one step forward, earning All-Rookie team honores in the IFL playing in Des Moines.

"I loved Iowa," he said. "Iowa was great to me, the organization, the fans, my teammates. It was a great situation for me. I loved the community. It was like a second home."