Incoming Safety Eager To Arrive At JMU

HARRISONBURG — With good reason, Chris Chukwuneke was surprised to find out James Madison football coaches liked him better as a safety than a running back.

In a post-graduate season this past fall at The Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J., Chukwuneke rushed for 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns. The year before as a senior at St. John Vianney High School, he carried for 1,300 yards and 15 scores.

“It’s pretty funny. I mostly played running back,” Chukwuneke said over the phone earlier this week. “But I sent [JMU wide receivers coach Drew] Dudzik my safety film and he said they loved it.

“Once that happened, I got offered the next day.”

Chukwuneke signed with the Dukes back in December and said he’ll arrive in Harrisonburg on June 2 to start summer courses and also begin offseason training with the team.

With the voids at safety left behind by graduated All-Americans Jordan Brown and Raven Greene, Chukwuneke — who’s older than the rest of the incoming recruiting class — is an intriguing option.

He doesn’t have the vast experience at the position that some on the current roster like sophomore D’Angelo Amos or junior Adam Smith have, but at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Chukwuneke said the staff views him like it did Greene when coach Mike Houston and defensive coordinator Bob Trott arrived in 2016.

Dudzik was the lead recruiter on Chukwuneke, but Trott assisted when the prospect visited for JMU’s national semifinal matchup with South Dakota State.

“So Coach Trott, he really sold me on the whole defensive back thing,” Chukwuneke said. “He said, ‘I know you’re an offensive guy, but look at our safeties here and how they transitioned to the defensive side.’

“Raven primarily played running back when he was in high school and he showed me Raven’s tape and how he transitioned to defensive back. He said he really envisioned me doing that, and that I could put myself in Raven’s shoes. And when I went to the game, [Trott] told me to watch how Raven plays and to picture me making those plays. That’s what sold me.”

JMU’s defense forced Jackrabbits quarterback Taryn Christion to throw six interceptions that day during the Dukes’ 51-16 romp of SDSU to reach the FCS championship game. Greene had six tackles and a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown to set the school record for career picks.

Chukwuneke said he talks frequently with JMU senior cornerbacks Curtis Oliver and Rashad Robinson. He got to know Robinson during his December visit. The incoming freshman said he spent the last few summers working out with former JMU wide receiver Ishmael Hyman, who recently graduated and tried out with the Tennessee Titans at their rookie minicamp.

Hyman went to St. John Vianney before heading off to Kansas and eventually transferring to JMU.

“He’s another person that played a role in my recruitment,” Chukwuneke said of Hyman. “He told me how he loved the school and how great the coaches were, and not only great as coaches but great people who make it a family environment.

“But I see Ish every summer and train with him. I saw how he got better transferring from Kansas to JMU and he told me it was great. Back in the day, Kansas wasn’t a slouch of an FBS school, so seeing how he enjoyed his time at JMU compared to a big-time Big 12 school like Kansas, it shined a light in how you don’t have to go FBS to enjoy your time as a student-athlete.”

While he was in high school, Chukwuneke initially committed to play at Villanova, but then opted for a year at The Peddie School in order to gain more offers including the one he wanted from JMU.

He said Dudzik recruited him while he was in high school, but never offered until he got to The Peddie School. Villanova offered him again, and he earned offers from fellow Colonial Athletic Association schools Maine and New Hampshire, too. A mix of other FCS and FBS programs showed interest.

“You can’t really beat a school like JMU in my mind,” Chukwuneke said. “JMU ranks above some FBS schools and most FBS schools and I’m really content with where I’m at.

“And that’s all that matters. To me it wasn’t about going to a name brand school like a ‘Bama or Clemson, it was just about finding a fit and coaches that you feel comfortable with in an environment that you enjoy and love to be at.”

With total comfort and anxiousness to get on campus next month, Chukwuneke said he’s ready to show he can compete for one of those wide-open safety jobs.

“Not many people can get on the field as a freshman,” he said. “So having two open slots and having the coaches see you as sort of a JUCO player with an extra year, I’m older than everyone in this class, so they view me as more mature.

“But no one really puts more pressure on me than I do myself, so I think if I go there and do what I got to do, everything will work out how it’s supposed to work out.”

If the Dukes still feel they need to add more competition to the mix at safety, they could bring in an FBS transfer before August training camp or slide one of their three senior cornerbacks over to safety once practice begins.