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Fornadel Picks Madison

Liam Fornadel (shown earlier this year) has committed to James Madison.
Liam Fornadel (shown earlier this year) has committed to James Madison. (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

HARRISONBURG — Winning a national title on the field didn’t take long to pay dividends for James Madison off the field.

Over the weekend, the football program landed its first commitment on the recruiting trail since beating Youngstown State 28-14 earlier this month at the FCS championship game in Frisco, Texas.

Offensive lineman Liam Fornadel, out of Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J., gave his verbal pledge to Madison coaches about 24 hours after taking in the Dukes’ championship parade in downtown Harrisonburg on Saturday.

Fornadel, some committed prospects and some uncommitted prospects were on campus for a jam-packed recruiting weekend.

“That’s the first championship parade I’ve ever been a part of,” Fornadel said. “Being able to witness it, it was a fun experience.”

National Signing Day is Feb. 1 and Fornadel said he plans to sign his national letter of intent then.

The 6-foot-4, 274-pounder said he has 10 offers in total, which included eight from FBS programs. Buffalo, Charlotte, Colorado State, Connecticut, Florida Atlantic, Monmouth, Old Dominion, Rutgers and San Diego State offered scholarships before he picked James Madison.

Fornadel said the school originally offered when Everrett Withers was still the coach but following Withers’ departure to Texas State, JMU didn’t forget about him.

Dukes wide receivers coach Drew Dudzik made Fornadel a priority.

“Dudzik was huge in my commitment,” Fornadel said. “He was one of the better coaches I’ve ever been around. He was a real genuine guy.

“I had been offered by the old staff. But he talked with me through Twitter and all that. He came for a couple games as well. He was just very energetic.”

During the recruitment, Dudzik introduced the prospect to offensive line coach Jamal Powell, who helped fortify Fornadel’s pledge to JMU.

“The No. 1 thing was the family atmosphere,” Fornadel said. “They made you feel like you belong and that you’re a part of something that is much more than just football. You knew you’d be part of their family.”

As for how Fornadel fits in with the Dukes, he said Dudzik and Powell view him as a better fit at guard than at tackle.

It is against NCAA rules for coaches to comment on unsigned prospects.

“He’s a tough guy,” Rivals.com Mid-Atlantic recruiting analyst Adam Friedman said of Fornadel. “He probably needs to fill out his frame, but he’s a tough kid that does a good job driving defenders off the ball. He isn’t a great pass blocker yet, but he’s strong with the physical tools that can be developed into a good pass blocker. He’s got good athleticism and can move laterally pretty well, too.

“I think he probably could be a guard. That’s where he’ll see the field faster. As he develops, maybe he could move to tackle, it’ll just depend on how they want to work with him.”

Friedman added Fornadel should be able to handle the transition to college smoothly because of the high school program and coach he played for.

Don Bosco Prep is not only a power in the state of New Jersey, but has a national reputation as well. The Ironmen play a national schedule and under coach Greg Toal, the Ironmen have won six non-public state titles in the last 10 seasons.

“They’re more mentally ready for the workload of college,” Friedman said.

Fornadel said he also couldn’t help but to notice the similarities between his high school coach and JMU coach Mike Houston.

“That’s the first thing that comes to mind,” Fornadel said. “Both of them are tough. Just following through the postseason and hearing Coach Houston’s pregame speeches, it’s all about the ability to keep going after the other guy, so it’s similar in that aspect.”

The runner-up in Fornadel’s recruitment was Connecticut. The deterrent from joining the Huskies was the firing of former coach Bob Diaco, he said.

“It made my decision much easier to commit and come to JMU,” Fornadel said.

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