Dudzik back at JMU

The former James Madison quarterback preceded the stadium’s 2011 expansion, but he’ll have at least six opportunities to run onto the field this fall as the Dukes’ new receivers coach.

“It’s going to bring back that adrenaline rush, give me the goosebumps,” Dudzik said this week by phone. “It seems like yesterday I was playing here.”

In a sense, Dudzik was just playing at Madison. The 27-year-old finished graduate school in 2010, then took a position in the sales-associate program at Cisco Systems in Raleigh, N.C. After a year, he began coaching running backs at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh on the side before Justin Rascati – another former JMU quarterback – introduced Dudzik to Duke receivers coach Jeff Faris, a friend of Rascati’s.

Dudzik took a job as an offensive graduate assistant with coach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils, primarily working with the receivers. In 2014 and 2015, Dudzik was Faris’ right-hand man, in charge of scouting coverages from the coaches’ booth on game days.

“Having a guy that Coach Cutcliffe thinks so highly of is certainly an asset,” JMU coach Mike Houston said of Dudzik. “At Duke, they’ve done some pretty good things on offense the past several years. Certainly he’s been around some good coaches and some good football.”

What Dudzik lacks in experience, Houston said, the Clifton native makes up for with energy. Dudzik said he was heavily involved in the Blue Devils’ recruiting efforts, which included a strong presence in Northern Virginia.

Houston said Duke’s graduate assistants were given more responsibilities than most, and when JMU’s new coach heard that Dudzik was interested in joining Madison’s staff, it seemed like a good fit.

“For a first full-time coaching position, I think it makes an easy transition for him,” Houston said. “He was very hands-on both in the recruiting area and in coaching, so I think he is maybe more prepared right now than some GAs are.”

Dudzik had far from a Hall of Fame career at JMU. He played for the Dukes from 2006 to 2010, serving as a backup in 2007 and 2008 after redshirting as a true freshman. In 2009 he split time with Justin Thorpe before Dudzik suffered a season-ending foot injury in Week 5. In 2010, Dudzik was a full-time starter and engineered what may be the biggest win in the history of Madison’s program: a 21-16 victory over Virginia Tech.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Dudzik finished his time at JMU with 1,925 yards passing, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and often split time with teammates at quarterback.

How much did playing at Madison help him get a job at his alma mater? Dudzik said it had more to do with his actions off the field than his time on it.

“I did things the right way,” Dudzik said. “I treated people with respect, whether I was having a lot of success on the field or not, and I think that goes a long way and I kept relationships with a bunch of people here at JMU over the years.”

Harrisonburg has stayed a key part of Dudzik’s life since graduation. He met his wife, Meredith, at JMU, and proposed to her on campus in Jan. 2014. Dudzik said he attended a JMU spring practice prior to last season and was at Madison’s FCS playoff game against Colgate this past season.

Dudzik – who dreams of one day being a college head coach – always thought he would get into coaching. While playing for ex-Madison coach Mickey Matthews, the relationships Dudzik forged with his coaches, he said, started him on that path.

And while at Duke, he said he viewed taking a job at JMU as the next logical step in his coaching career.

“It’s actually been a goal of mine since I decided to get into the coaching world a couple years ago,” Dudzik said. “When I got into it and started at Duke, I had thought, ‘Wow, a great next opportunity potentially could be me coming back to JMU to be a position coach.’ That was a goal I set for myself, and I’m just excited to be back here.”