HARRISONBURG — When opposing offenses scout James Madison’s defense, the athleticism of one Dukes defender always stands out.

“Number 93,” Albany offensive tackle Kevin Malloy said last month at Colonial Athletic Association Media Day, referring to JMU defensive end Andrew Ankrah. “He is a great player and he has really long arms. Once he gets his arms on you, he’s locked on for good. You have to hand fight him a little bit longer than you do other players.”

As an outside linebacker in 2015, Ankrah racked up 10.5 sacks to go along with 56 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.

“He’s the one that is easy to scout and point out that he’s good, but then still hard to go block,” said Delaware offensive tackle Connor Bozick.

Through a week of preseason camp, Ankrah — a junior — is adjusting his game to become even more disruptive. For the last two seasons under the previous coaching staff, Ankrah said he was coached to stand up in a two-point stance before the snap.

Ankrah said he will still line up occasionally in a two-point stance, but at times this fall the new JMU staff will have him begin the play in a three-point stance.

“The best way to get to the quarterback is by being like a sprinter running off the blocks,” JMU defensive line coach Jeff Hanson said. “We need Andrew to get off the football and go from a low plane to a high plane. By doing that he can get on the offensive lineman quicker and that’s what it’s all about. Or else an 100-meter sprinter would start in a two-point stance.”

Defensive coordinator Bob Trott said he plans to move Ankrah from outside linebacker to defensive end and back within the course of a game, depending on the situation and the opponent’s personnel.

A STATS FCS preseason All-American, Ankrah said he already noticed an increase in his explosiveness.

“You definitely get more explosion out of the three-point stance,” Ankrah said. “Coming out of a two-point stance you can be explosive, but you always have to remember not to take false steps. You want to roll off your feet in a two-point stance to avoid false steps, so that three-point stance also helps you really eliminate the chance of a false step because you’re already learning forward when you break out of your stance.”

To be able to withstand the physical nature of play on the defensive line, Ankrah also added weight over the summer. According to John Williams, the team’s director of strength and conditioning, Ankrah weighs in at 250 pounds, which is up from 235 pounds last year.

Williams said Ankrah didn’t sacrifice any speed to put on the weight.

“He has functional strength now. He can put his foot in the ground and covert it into power in his hands. That’s not easy to teach,” Williams said.

In order to reach his full potential as a defensive linemen Ankrah said he has to adapt to playing on the line of scrimmage.

“I have to be a gap sound player,” Ankrah said.