Dukes' Spring Practice Starts Tuesday

HARRISONBURG — Last month, James Madison won the FCS national championship. Before this month ends, it’ll begin its quest to defend that title.

When the Dukes open spring practice Tuesday, they will be only 52 days removed from having hoisted the trophy in Frisco, Texas.

“The good thing is that it wasn’t that long ago that we practiced,” second-year JMU coach Mike Houston said. “It’s not like you’re installing a brand-new offense or brand-new defense, you’re picking up where you left off.”

The team returns 12 starters and brings back more players than it graduated who saw action in the championship win over Youngstown State.

Houston earned a raise and contract extension in January and brings back his entire staff of assistants.

“You look back a year ago and we had no identity,” Houston said. “I think we know who we are right now and so I think I’d like to see us build upon that identity.

“I would expect spring practice to be highly competitive when we go offense versus defense.”

Quarterback Bryan Schor highlights the list of five returning offensive starters while safety Raven Greene and defensive end Andrew Ankrah top the list of seven returning defensive starters.

For Schor, Greene, Ankrah and others who started last year, it stands as the longest season any of them had at any point of their football careers, which gives Houston a unique challenge for the spring.

Houston said he realizes just how many snaps his key players took in a season that ended a little over seven weeks ago.

“We’re going to be smart with that stuff,” Houston said. “But at the same time, we have to make sure [left tackle] Aaron Stinnie has the kind of spring that’s going to prepare him to have a great senior season, and we have to make sure Bryan Schor is sharp coming out of the spring and going into the summer.

“There is a balancing act with that, so one of the things that we are going to really focus on is that we have some talented younger players that are going to be depended on more heavily this year. This is going to be the time where you really try to develop them and work with those guys to see if they’re ready to play.”

Schor, the 2016 Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Year, will get all the reps he needs, but offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick said the Dukes would work Cole Johnson in with the first team, too.

Johnson, who had his redshirt pulled when Schor got hurt in a Nov. 12 game at Villanova, threw for 317 yards and two touchdowns in four games.

“We’ll go into spring really getting Cole a lot of work,” Kirkpatrick said. “Bryan will get a lot of work, too, but we’ll fight the temptation to just go out there and play Bryan all the time so that we look good.

“We’ll spend a lot of time getting Cole a lot good scrimmage reps with the first group, so that we’re prepared in case Bryan goes down again.”

Competition for carries at running back will start immediately. Khalid Abdullah is gone to graduation, but JMU returns Cardon Johnson, Trai Sharp and Taylor Woods. Georgia Tech transfer Marcus Marshall is also on campus.

Johnson, who split carries with Abdullah up until an Achilles injury sidelined him last fall, likely won’t be ready to play until June, so Sharp, Woods and Marshall get the first crack.

Marshall is one of two FBS transfers that joined Madison this semester. Former Maryland linebacker Gus Little should be in the mix to help the Dukes try to replace Gage Steele, their leading tackler from the 2016 season.

Defensive tackle Marcus Hawkins in the only first-semester freshman enrolled early for the 15 spring practices.

“They’ve figured out they’re not at Georgia Tech or Maryland or wherever anymore,” Houston said. “And they fit in really well with our players.

“Optimistically, I’d expect all three to be heavy contributors this fall.”