DiNucci Settling In Well At JMU

HARRISONBURG — Ben DiNucci left Pittsburgh behind, but his western Pennsylvania ties are helping him settle in at James Madison.

The Pine-Richland product and former Panthers signal-caller was met with familiar faces when he arrived in Harrisonburg in January. As a high school athlete, he said he played football against former JMU safety Jordan Brown who was an All-American this past fall, and basketball against junior wide receiver Riley Stapleton.

“Jordan and I, we were in the same conference,” DiNucci said. “And Riley I remember from basketball. He was a heck of a basketball player, so we’ve crossed paths.”

If DiNucci is to beat out senior Hunter Etheridge, junior Cole Johnson and redshirt freshman Gage Moloney for the Dukes’ starting quarterback job, he’ll have to create on-field chemistry with Stapleton.

Stapleton, at 6-foot-5, is the team’s projected No. 1 receiver for this fall after posting 428 receiving yards and three catches for touchdowns in the 2017 postseason.

“The move was easy. They helped me out a lot,” DiNucci said of Brown and Stapleton. “And the other guys have been receptive of welcoming me into the locker room and not holding any grudges.”

Through three spring practices, DiNucci has tried to learn the offense and his teammates to help himself in the quarterback competition.

At Pitt, DiNucci made six starts as a redshirt sophomore this past season while throwing for 1,091 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions.

“I think Ben is doing a good job of going out and competing with the other three quarterbacks each day,” JMU coach Mike Houston said. “He obviously has ability, but he’s trying to mesh with the roster.”

Houston made no promises to DiNucci during the recruiting process other than that he’d have a place on the roster and a fair shot to win the job. There was no scholarship to offer, though, so DiNucci had to walk on.

Initially recruited by JMU out of high school before signing with Pitt, DiNucci said he didn’t want to pass up on the Dukes the second time around.

“I had a few other schools offer scholarships, but I wanted to play at the best place possible,” DiNucci said. “JMU is that place with an unbelievable record the past two years and a national championship. That was very intriguing, and part of the reason why I decided to transfer here was because of the winning culture.

“Walking-on never made a difference to me. I have a lot of confidence in myself to go out there and compete with everybody.

“For me it was about going out there and making sure the stars were kind of aligned in terms of academics, athletics and having coaches you can trust and that you want to play for. Having those three things line up, I couldn’t be happier to be here.”

DiNucci is immediately eligible with two years left to play.

Right now, all four quarterbacks are splitting reps and have each taken snaps with the first-, second- and third-team offenses.

“The offense is great. [Offensive coordinator Donnie] Kirkpatrick does a really good job of getting playmakers the ball and being able to get points on the board,” DiNucci said. “I love the no-huddle stuff.”

Ron’Dell Carter had a little déjà vu last Sunday when he was introduced to his new teammate.

The junior defensive end had heard of Wake Forest transfer defensive lineman Paris Black before.

“What’s funny is when he committed to Wake Forest, I had just gotten an offer from Wake Forest,” Carter said. “And they told me if you come here, you’ll be teaming up with Paris Black. When he first got here and I saw him [last Sunday], we were just like ‘Whoa, those coaches told us we’d be teaming up together if I went to Wake Forest.’”

Black isn’t the only fresh addition to the defensive line group as Virginia transfer Juwan Moye and Garden City Community College transfer Matt Terrell arrived to JMU in January.

Moye is taking snaps at defensive tackle and Terrell is working at defensive end.

“I’ve gotten to know Juwan Moye and Matt Terrell because they came in early,” said Carter who joined the Dukes ahead of the 2017 season after transferring from Rutgers. “And it’s been fun getting to know those guys and making them feel comfortable because last year I was that person. I was transferring in and I had to get comfortable with everybody. I want to make sure they’re comfortable and they seem to be fitting in well from what I see.”

Houston said true freshman mid-year enrollee cornerback Jamari Currence is also adapting smoothly.

“I’ve been very, very impressed,” Houston said. “Even [Saturday], our first day in pads, I wondered how he’d be out there.

“He may not weigh anything and I’ve got to get him eating in the buffet line, but he’s got fight in him. And if you’ve got that warrior mentality and intensity, you’ve got a shot.”