Florida State safety Derwin James says he will be ready for the season opener.

The rising sophomore aggravated an ankle injury this offseason that required him to wear a boot for several days, a source told Noles247 earlier this week. A second source confirmed to Noles247 that James indeed suffered a lower-leg injury, although that source could not give a concrete timetable for his return. A separate report surfaced Thursday, stating James needed surgery for a foot injury and would miss 4-5 weeks.

A Noles247 source said James was expected to be a full participant in preseason camp, which begins Aug. 9, and would "absolutely" play in a game if the Seminoles were in the middle of the season.

James reaffirmed that mindset Saturday with a Tweet in which he assured FSU fans he would not miss the season opener in Orlando versus Ole Miss (8 p.m Sept. 5).

I'm good not missing no game Monday night September 5 I will be out there #dj3 #NoleNation — Derwin James Jr (@derwinjames6) July 30, 2016

James had 91 tackles, 9.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks and 5 PBU despite not cracking the starting lineup until the final eight games of his freshman season.

The 6-foot-3, 211-pound native of Haines City utilized his freakish combination of speed and size to emerge as arguably FSU’s most efficient pass rusher, as the Seminoles’ staff opted to move James close to the line of scrimmage on passing downs to blitz or spy the quarterback.

Few other players in the country were as effective rushing the passer as James was last season, so losing that versatility would a major wrinkle out of FSU’s playbook. The fact James is optimistic about his recovery is obviously positive news for the Seminoles.

Josh Newberg and Brendan Sonnone contributed to this report