DiNucci Will Get 'Fair Shot' In Dukes' QB Race

HARRISONBURG — There weren’t plans for James Madison to add another quarterback to its 2018 roster.

Coach Mike Houston said Friday that the Dukes were set with Cole Johnson and Gage Moloney battling for the starting role come spring and into the summer.

“We are very happy with the two quarterbacks we have returning on scholarship and really we weren’t looking for a quarterback,” Houston said.

Then Ben DiNucci fell into the team’s lap.

DiNucci, a transfer from Pittsburgh, is on campus and enrolled for spring football. He played in 10 games, starting six for the Panthers this past fall and threw for 1,091 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions before Pitt opted to go with freshman Kenny Pickett to end the season.

“Ben contacted us,” Houston said. “He came to a home game after their season was over at Pitt and we told him, ‘You know, we don’t have a scholarship for a quarterback this year.’

“So we ignored it and we weren’t really pursuing that situation. But then he started talking to us more about if we’d allow him to come here and compete for the job, walk-on and if we’d give him a fair shake.

“I told him, ‘Absolutely, we believe in that and that you’re rewarded for your performance on the field.’”

Houston said DiNucci, who has two years of eligibility remaining, took JMU’s walk-on opportunity over scholarship offers from other schools.

“So we promised him a fair shot at competing this spring for the quarterback position,” Houston said. “With Gage and Cole, I’ve talked to both of them and they know the best player is going to play, whoever it is.”

Johnson played in 10 games throughout his career while serving as the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind Bryan Schor. Moloney redshirted this past fall.

When Schor became the team’s full-time starter before the 2016 season, he beat out former South Carolina quarterback Connor Mitch, who Houston brought to JMU to compete for the job.

But the coach said DiNucci’s transfer is different than Mitch’s, even though both played and started at the FBS level.

“The reason I say that is because I had to bring in Connor Mitch because we did not have anyone to push Bryan,” Houston said. “It’s going to be a heck of a competition between Gage and Cole, and then you add Ben into it, and whoever wins that job is really going to be a top-caliber player.”

Also joining JMU this semester is defensive lineman Juwan Moye, who spent the last two years at Virginia.

The Dukes needed an experienced player in that position group after losing starters Andrew Ankrah, Simeyon Robinson and Cornell Urquhart to graduation. The three combined for 168 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks in 2017.

“We had some older kids and we have some young kids that we’re excited about, but it takes time to grow ‘em up,” Houston said. “For whatever reason I don’t think it was a top priority or wasn’t addressed properly before this staff got here, so there’s a little bit of a void in the middle when it comes to the depth on our defensive line and I’m talking about classification — senior, junior, sophomore, freshman.”

Moye has two years of eligibility remaining.

“He’s a talented player and he came recommended to us character-wise from coaches that have coached him,” Houston said. “He had the opportunity to stay there, but felt like it was best for him to transition on, so we’re fortunate to have him here.”

Houston said Moye can probably play both inside and outside on the front, but will begin this spring as a defensive tackle.