James Conner played high school football at McDowell High School in Erie, Pennsylvania. Conner was a two-way player who played both running back as well as on the defensive line. In his senior season, Conner rushed for 1,680 yards and 26 touchdowns. 

Conner committed to the University of Pittsburgh prior to his senior season at McDowell. In his freshman season, Conner was named the Little Caesars Bowl MVP. His 226 yards in the bowl game was a school record for bowl games. Conner finished his freshman season with 799 yards and eight touchdowns.

In his sophomore season, Conner rushed for 1,765 yards, which led the ACC and was seventh in the FBS. His 26 rushing touchdowns were an ACC record. He was named ACC Player of the Year. In his junior year, Conner tore his MCL in the opening game and missed the rest of the season.

After rushing for 1,062 yards and 16 touchdowns the following year, Conner announced his decision to enter the 2017 NFL Draft.

James Conner was drafted in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 105th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. Conner began his career as a backup to Le’Veon Bell. In 2018, his second season, Conner was named the starter after Bell’s decision to holdout due to contract disputes.

Conner started in 12 games in 2018, missing a few due to injury. He finished the season with 1,470 total yards and 13 total touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl. In 2019, Conner missed six games due to injury. In his 10 games, Conner totaled 715 yards and seven touchdowns.

In 2020, Conner began his third year as the Steelers’ starting running back.