James Herrmann (born October 20, 1962) is an American former professional football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals. He played college football at Brigham Young University.

Herrmann attended Arrowhead High School, where he was a starter at defensive end. He received All-county and All-conference honors as a senior. He also practiced basketball, baseball and track.

He accepted a football scholarship from Brigham Young University. As a junior, he was named a starter at defensive end, registering 36 tackles (2 for loss), 46 quarterback hurries and 16 sacks (school record).

As a senior, he was a co-captain, posting 62 tackles (10 for loss), 29 quarterback hurries and 6 sacks, while contributing to the team winning the 1984 National Championship.

He finished his college career with 106 tackles (12 for loss), 76 quarterback hurries, 26 sacks and 6 forced fumbles. At the time, he ranked second in school history in career sacks with 26 (sacks were not an official stat when Mekeli Ieremia played).^[1]

Herrmann was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round (184th overall) of the 1985 NFL draft.^[2] He was waived on August 19.^[3]

In 1986, he was signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Bengals. On August 18, he was placed on the injured reserve list with a knee injury. On July 27, 1987, the Bengals decided to release Herrmann, to avoid the risk of him being reinjured.^[4]

His maternal grandfather, John Smith, was an All-American at the University of Pennsylvania. Herrmann was an assistant football coach at Corner Canyon High School. In 2017, he was hired as the defensive line coach at Alta High School. In 2018, he was hired as an assistant football coach at Skyridge High School.^[5]

• BYU profile

• Rosetta, Dick (October 26, 1983). "BYU's Herrmann Pumps Iron, Helps Cougar Defense Grow". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
• Knoell, Dorothy (November 6, 1983). "Jim Herrmann Likes Passers As Long As They're Sacked". The Daily Herald. Retrieved February 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
• Herbat, Ray (August 29, 1984). "Herrmann Awaits Meeting With Panthers, Fralic". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
• Herbat, Ray (September 3, 1984). "Herrmann Holds Own Against Fralic in BYU Victory". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.