A Closer Look At JMU's 2018 Recruiting Class

HARRISONBURG - James Madison finished its 2018 recruiting class on Wednesday by adding three signees.

Between the early signing period in December and Wednesday’s traditional signing day, JMU has put together a 16-man class.

Here’s a closer look at each signee, beginning with the three most recent:

The younger brother of former JMU standout Rashard Davis, Rakeem Davis plays the same positions. An All-Jefferson District kick returner this past fall, Davis was the first commit of the class having given his verbal agreement to the Dukes back in April.

A former Western Kentucky commit, Reid’s lead recruiter was JMU defensive coordinator Bob Trott. Reid and Trott are from the same hometown. Reid was the South Piedmont Conference Defensive Player of the Year for his 108 tackles and seven interceptions.

The Jefferson District Defensive Player of the Year this past fall, Thurston totaled 78 tackles and four sacks for Louisa County. Recruited by Dukes defensive line coach Jeff Hanson, Thurston picked JMU over offers from Tennessee-Chattanooga and William & Mary.

And a look back at the December signees.

A two-star and 5.4-rated prospect by Rivals, Brown has stayed true to JMU after making a verbal commitment in August when he first visited Harrisonburg for a camp. He had other offers from Campbell and South Dakota, but also received interest from schools at the FBS level.

He will play safety at JMU after a year at The Peddie School in New Jersey after spending his high school career at St. John Vianney. A former Villanova commit, JMU likes his size, speed and ball skills.

Currence racked up 76 tackles and four interceptions in his senior season, showing he fi ts the mold of cornerbacks already on JMU’s roster who can defend against the pass and make tackles. He is already on campus and enrolled for spring practice.

Recruited by former JMU offensive line coach Bryan Stinespring, Drew picked the Dukes from a final five that also included FBS programs Coastal Carolina, Marshall, Old Dominion and Virginia. He starred as a quarterback and defensive back. He was a VHSL 4A All-Region defensive back this past fall.

JMU hit Hermitage — the same school that produced current cornerback Rashad Robinson — to land Jackson, who picked the Dukes over FBS Cincinnati. The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder was the Metro Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.

To bolster its offensive line depth, JMU beat out six schools, including fellow Colonial Athletic Association members New Hampshire and Villanova, to land the 6-5, 300-pound tackle. He was the Washington County Offensive Player of the Year in his last go-around at Boonsboro.

A high school quarterback, Mann will transition to play safety in college. JMU coaches view him similarly to graduated safety Jordan Brown, who also transitioned from signal-caller to defensive back in college.

Another target of former JMU offensive line coach Bryan Stinespring, Moran selected the Dukes over nine other scholarship offers from FBS schools. The 6-6, 300-pounder was a 757 All-Star Classic selection in 2017.

The Dukes see Painter as a player who could have signed as either a tight end or defensive end. But as the program likes to use multiple tight ends, Painter fits as an in-line player at the position. Painter is also the son of a college assistant — his father is the offensive line coach at Division III Lebanon Valley College.

Not even an offer from Virginia could deter Ravenel from sticking with JMU. The younger brother of former Dukes star receiver Brandon Ravenel, Devin, who was a first-team All-Commonwealth District choice as a senior, will also play receiver at JMU.

The Dukes had to out-recruit FBS schools Buffalo, Coastal Carolina, Marshall and Temple for Schroeder’s services. The Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association first-team All-State choice will join an already deep position group of interior offensive linemen in Harrisonburg.

A former Virginia linebacker, Terrell spent this past fall at Garden City Community College in Kansas. At JMU, he’s reuniting with former Cavs teammates David Eldridge and Landan Word. Terrell is enrolled early and is expected to compete for a starting job during spring practice.

Wise can kick field goals, kick off and even punt, which is valued by JMU. As a scholarship specialist, it’s vital to at least do two of the three well.