10 Things To Know As Dukes Prepare For Camp

HARRISONBURG — Summer is just about in the rear-view mirror, at least in the college football world.

Conference media days are underway across the country, and this coming Tuesday the Colonial Athletic Association will hold its event at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to signal the start of a new season. James Madison coach Mike Houston, senior cornerback Rashad Robinson and junior running back Trai Sharp will represent the Dukes.

Ten days later, JMU opens August camp in preparation for its Sept. 1 opener at N.C. State.

With the start of practice on the horizon, here are 10 things to know about the Dukes as they get set to enter the preseason:

1. The biggest decision Houston must make is what direction to go at the most important position on the field. A quarterback battle that started in the spring will resume.

Junior Cole Johnson and Pitt transfer Ben DiNucci, a redshirt junior, did enough to turn a four-man competition into a two-man race, but not enough to separate from one another.

DiNucci possesses mobility and the ability to extend plays. Johnson knows the playbook after spending the past two seasons as former starter Bryan Schor’s understudy.

Offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick will have a say in the decision as well and during the spring he said DiNucci’s skill set is more similar to Schor’s than Johnson’s is.

Johnson, a 6-foot-5 Virginia Beach native, has played in the past, though, and proven in a small sample size that the system can work with him behind center. In 10 career appearances, which included one start in 2016 filling in for an injured Schor against Elon, Johnson has thrown for 458 yards and three touchdowns while completing 61 percent of his passes.

2. Of all the players JMU will return from injury, only running back Cardon Johnson is trying to comeback from a season-ender for a second straight year.

Two years ago and last season, he suffered Achilles injuries. In 2016, he played in nine games before being sidelined for the rest of the year. Last fall, he was hurt in Week 3 against Norfolk State and didn’t return. That was just two weeks after rushing for 265 yards and two touchdowns to help JMU win at FBS East Carolina.

A medical redshirt has given Johnson, the lone Mickey Matthews recruit still in the program, a sixth season at JMU.

Other Dukes expected back at practice after suffering 2017-ending injuries are: junior tight end Nick Carlton, junior offensive lineman Tyree Chavious, junior offensive lineman Gerren Butler, junior linebacker Dimitri Holloway (who practiced during the spring) and junior cornerback Charles Tutt.

3. Chavious and Butler are rejoining a young, but experienced offensive line.

Although JMU doesn’t have a senior offensive lineman listed on its roster, the Dukes return five that have started at least a game in their careers.

Butler, Chavious, junior Mac Patrick, sophomore Zaire Bethea and sophomore Liam Fornadel are back with starting experience. During the spring, redshirt freshman Jake Glavin took reps with the first-team offense.

First-year offensive line coach Steve Shankweiler is responsible for figuring out how to align the front. Throughout the spring, the Dukes allowed Fornadel to play guard and tackle and Patrick to move from center to guard and back in pursuit of finding the combination of five that works together the best.

4. Just like the offensive staff needs to evaluate the most effective group of offensive linemen, defensive coaches need to figure out how the pieces in the Dukes secondary fit together.

Robinson, an All-American, and Jimmy Moreland, an All-Colonial Athletic Association first-teamer, give JMU a pair of upperclassmen at cornerback. Senior Curtis Oliver has started as defensive coordinator Bob Trott’s slot corner in each of the past two years.

Tutt returns from injury and Ohio State transfer Wayne Davis adds options for a defensive backfield that could also feature some younger athletes like D’Angelo Amos, Taurus Carroll, Wesley McCormick or Adam Smith.

Earlier this summer Houston said, “I think [Davis] can play all five positions in the secondary.” So JMU should be able to move the former Buckeye from corner to safety to nickel corner if need be during camp.

5. Of the four FBS transfers and two junior college transfers who have enrolled at JMU since the Dukes’ FCS championship game loss to North Dakota State in January, Davis won’t be the only one to make an immediate impact.

DiNucci has a chance, if he can beat out Cole Johnson for the starting quarterback gig. Houston raved about Central Florida running back import Jawon Hamilton when he said, “It’s easy to see why he’s a great fit.”

Hamilton, a sophomore, should get a share of carries even though he’ll play alongside three seniors — Sharp, Cardon Johnson and Marcus Marshall.

Former ASA College wide receiver Edward Morgan can play in the slot or out wide if he has to, according to his JUCO position coach. And with no starters inked in aside from outside receivers Riley Stapleton and David Eldridge, Morgan likely gets a shot to impress in the slot during camp.

Wake Forest transfer defensive lineman Paris Black and ex-Garden City Community College edge rusher Matt Terrell, who began his career at Virginia, probably earn spots in the Dukes’ defensive line rotation.

6. Darrious Carter is the lone returning starter across the defensive line, but Ron’Dell Carter, who saw significant playing time last year is back, too. They both will likely start at the defensive end spots.

And the Dukes have plenty behind the two Carters to provide depth at defensive end, but still would likely want to develop more on the interior of the front.

Terrell, at 6-foot-4, 245 pounds is most likely only an end. Same goes for junior John Daka, who tallied four sacks in the program’s spring game in April.

Black played both inside and outside during the spring. Ron’Dell Carter did both last season.

Sophomores Mike Greene and Adeeb Atariwa took most first-team reps at defensive tackle throughout spring practice.

7. After the spring ended, Ron’Dell Carter said he wanted to lead the Dukes’ defense.

Whether it’s Carter or someone else, JMU has to fill a leadership void.

Following back-to-back title game appearances, the team is without the starting quarterback, who commanded the offense, and All-Americans at defensive end (Andrew Ankrah) and safety (Jordan Brown and Raven Greene), who were mainstays for the unit, to get the Dukes there.

8. With new faces stepping in at different offensive and defensive positions, it’s easy to overlook the special teams unit.

But don’t.

JMU will have a battle at the kicker spot. Tyler Gray is a senior and Ethan Ratke is a sophomore. Each of them have connected on critical field goals in the program’s history. Gray hit a fourth-quarter 45-yarder in the 2016 national semifinal at North Dakota State, which helped send JMU to the championship game. Ratke made a game-winning 46-yarder as time expired in the 2017 quarterfinal to beat Weber State.

9. The NCAA passed a rule last month that will allow football players to appear in as many as four games without using their redshirt season.

“I think for the FCS level, with only 63 scholarships, I think it’s a huge, huge positive,” Houston said.

Training camp is no longer the timetable for first-year players to prove whether or not they can play right away. Typically at the end of a camp, coaches know which players are redshirting and which ones aren’t. Now those decisions come with an asterisk — if the player isn’t ready yet, it doesn’t mean a staff can’t develop him and use him in a few games that season.

From a strategic standpoint, FCS coaches can wait purposely to use a first-year player, say for the first time in the playoffs if they wanted. They could save an offensive weapon their opponent may know nothing about or to simply bolster the depth of their own roster in the postseason.

10. JMU will open camp with the intent on making its third consecutive trip to Frisco come playoff time.

Each spring or summer, Houston and his staff start over with the way they install the offense, defense and special teams or how they decide on starters or backups.

The end goal hasn’t changed since they arrived in Harrisonburg.