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Former Dukes Ankrah, Hyman To Play In AAF

New Pro Football League Starts In February

Former James Madison defensive end Andrew Ankrah (shown last season) will play in the new Alliance of American Football league.
Former James Madison defensive end Andrew Ankrah (shown last season) will play in the new Alliance of American Football league. (Daniel Lin/DN-R)
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HARRISONBURG — The Alliance of American Football startup league will have James Madison flair when its inaugural season begins in February.

Former Dukes defensive end Andrew Ankrah and wide receiver Ishmael Hyman both said they were drafted over the weekend by the league’s Orlando franchise and plan to play for the team.

“I’ve been out of the game for a while,” Ankrah said, “and I was hoping good news would come my way and I’m just happy I have the opportunity to play football again.”

Orlando, coached by Steve Spurrier, opens mini-camp in November.

Hyman said when he went to the AAF’s August Combine in Atlanta that Spurrier and former NFL pro bowl quarterback Michael Vick were in attendance. Vick is the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta franchise.

Spurrier, the former headman at Duke, Florida, South Carolina and of the Washington Redskins, is one of six ex-NFL coaches leading teams in the first season of the AAF.

“People probably don’t know much about the league right now, but this league is actually legit,” Hyman said. “Coach Spurrier even said it to us, ‘I wouldn’t have come out of retirement if it wasn’t.’”

Ankrah and Hyman were part of JMU’s FCS national championship squad in 2016 and helped the Dukes return to the title game as seniors last year.

In 2017, Ankrah was the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year for his 45 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. His 23-yard scoop-and-score helped JMU win a conference game at Delaware.

Hyman collected 29 catches for 408 yards and four touchdowns in his final season at Madison.

Former James Madison wide receiver Ishmael Hyman will play in the new Alliance of American football league.
Former James Madison wide receiver Ishmael Hyman will play in the new Alliance of American football league. (DN-R File Photo)

The two had NFL chances this past spring. Ankrah went to rookie mini-camp on a try-out basis with the Seattle Seahawks, and since then has drawn interest from the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins. Hyman tried out for the Tennessee Titans during their rookie mini-camp.

“I really expected to sign with an [NFL] team,” Ankrah said. “And it just didn’t happen to go my way and I don’t know what happens behind the scenes when the draft goes on, but it was kind of a shock and surprise to me, so at that point I switched my mindset and said, ‘Any opportunity that comes my way, I’ll take it and run with it.’

“It’s made me more hungry to go out and prove myself. I just feel like, right now, a lot of teams don’t know about me. They just know from my college film, but they don’t know what I could truly do on that level yet.”

Not only will this opportunity allow Ankrah and Hyman get paid to play professionally — in July, ESPN reported the AAF will give players three-year, non-guaranteed contracts worth $250,000 — but it will also provide a platform for the former JMU standouts to have more recent tape to show NFL clubs. Neither Ankrah nor Hyman were with NFL teams during the preseason.

And AAF players can leave for the NFL without penalty.

“I was thinking about going over to the Canadian Football League but then I was like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to stay up there,’” Hyman said. “They have rules and sometimes if [another league] calls you, they don’t let you leave.

“This is why this league is legit. Say for instance if the Jets call me and want to bring me in for a workout and I get signed, I can do that right away. Then if I get cut, I can go back to the AAF team.”

Hyman said he’s anxious to play inside and outside receiver on offense and gunner on special teams. Ankrah said he’d fit at either defensive end or outside linebacker in Orlando’s 3-4 defense.

Both said they’ve continued to workout — Ankrah in Harrisonburg and Hyman in New Jersey.

“An NFL team can always call,” Ankrah said. “So I’ve just been working out and getting my body in great shape for that opportunity because you never know when it’s going to come.

“Stay ready so you never have to get ready.”

The 10-week AAF season starts Feb. 9 and the league already has CBS and CBS Sports Network as its television partners. Orlando will play its home games at Spectrum Stadium, the on-campus venue at the University of Central Florida.

“I’m very excited,” Hyman said.

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