JMU's '21 Targets Feel Impact Of Virus-Altered Cycle

He hasn’t yet stepped foot in Harrisonburg, but Nahjee Adams did already experience a campus tour of James Madison.

The Easton Area High School (Easton, Pa.) running back and a recruiting target of the Dukes for their 2021 class is currently sorting through the 12 scholarship offers he’s earned so far, albeit without the traditional perks normally associated with the process this time of year.

Coaches can’t visit him and he can’t visit the schools he’d like to see due to the coronavirus.

“When I was on FaceTime with [JMU running backs] Coach Matt Merritt,” Adams explained, “he actually asked me if I had time because he wanted to show me around and we did that.

“He showed me the whole athletic center, the locker room, the field, their offices, the position offices for meetings, and all the recruiting stuff. He took me for a ride around where the business school is about to open up in the new building because I want to major in business and be an entrepreneur.”

Adams said he liked the impromptu exploration over FaceTime and added that from what he could see through the screen on his phone, JMU has exceptional facilities.

The virtual tour is becoming a norm for college coaching staffs and prospects around the country adapting to a recruiting cycle unlike any other. FaceTime calls and Zoom meetings have replaced in-person visits and one-day camp evaluations. Some players appreciate it and others still prefer the real thing.

“I’m not going to lie. I don’t like it that much,” Woodberry Forest linebacker Jianni Woodson-Brooks, who holds 20 offers including one from the Dukes, said of the virtual visits he’s taken with numerous programs. “I’m not at that school. I’m not in the state the school is in. I’m not interacting with anyone for real.

“… Guys in my class are starting to commit, but I feel like I’m not going to commit to a school or say I’m going to a school that I have to spend the next four years of my life at if I’ve never even visited it.”

Prince George offensive lineman Jaelin Montgomery, who the Dukes offered last month, echoed what Woodson-Brooks said.

“It’s really hard to make a decision about where I want to go because I haven’t been able to go to the schools and visit,” Montgomery, an all-region 5B second-team choice, said.

The lone commit in JMU’s class to this point is Linganore High School (Frederick, Md.) offensive lineman Scott Hummel. But he took an unofficial visit to JMU when the Dukes beat Morgan State last September and grew up going to games at Bridgeforth Stadium since both of his parents graduated from the school.

“Luckily for me, I’ve always been on JMU’s campus since I was younger,” Hummel told the Daily News-Record last month.

Montgomery said he’d like to see JMU, Villanova and East Carolina. Villanova is a Colonial Athletic Association rival of the Dukes and East Carolina is where former JMU coach Mike Houston holds the same job.

“But the way it’s looking, I may not get that chance,” Montgomery said. “So it’s all about the relationship I have with these coaches.”

Adams, Montgomery, and Woodson-Brooks each said their interactions with coaches is what they’re valuing most until they can get to the schools they want to take a trip to or eventually commit to.

All three said their relationships with JMU are strong.

Adams’ lead recruiters are Merritt and defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. Special teams coordinator Grant Cain and linebackers coach Bryant Haines are leading on Woodson-Brooks, who said he’s also spoken with coach Curt Cignetti. Merritt is leading on Montgomery, too.

“I tell the coaches recruiting me that I would rather build a relationship with you now over the phone or texting rather than them try to sell their team or their program,” Adams, a 2019 Pennsylvania Football Writers and Coaches Class 6A All-State selection, said. “Because I can do that on my own. I can do my own research, so I would rather want to build a relationship with the coaches. When the time comes to visit the campus, I want to be able to feel comfortable where I’m going to visit someone I already know, have a relationship with and have built chemistry with.”

Adams, who has offers from a mix of FBS and FCS programs including four other CAA schools, said to this point JMU has done the best job. He rushed for 1,868 yards and 26 touchdowns as a junior this past fall.

“JMU right now is actually the number one option,” Adams said, “because of the relationship I do have with them. That school alone would give me the best option to succeed later in life down the road, but I have a really good relationship with Coach Merritt. I feel really comfortable with him. And recently I talked to Coach Hetherman, the defensive coordinator, and I already feel comfortable with him.”

Montgomery said he speaks with Villanova coach Mark Ferrante and Wildcats offensive line coach Sean Devine regularly, but that he and Merritt have a strong bond, too.

“We’ve been talking even before I got the offer from JMU,” Montgomery said of Merritt. “I love the relationship we have because when we talk it’s not just about football and I can actually talk to him about life and problems, and he’s like a mentor already.”

Narrowing down the field is tougher for Woodson-Brooks, who said just figuring out the type of school he wants to attend is difficult. The linebacker racked up 77 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and an interception last season.

“There are the military schools,” Woodson-Brooks said. “Then there are schools with really good football, the big-type school like JMU and Kent State. Then there are the Ivys and the Ivy-like schools like Richmond and William & Mary, so there are different types of schools and I feel like in order for me to make a commitment to a school, I’m going to have to visit.

“… But I’ve enjoyed my conversations with JMU, especially the ones with Coach Cain.”