OL Wyatt Pledges To JMU
Tyshawn Wyatt didn’t have to look further than the particularly relevant example.
The Henrico (Richmond) offensive lineman, who announced his commitment to James Madison on Monday evening via Twitter, went to the same high school and plays the same spot across the front as Dukes rising senior left guard Truvell Wilson.
“To see him go to the next level, do the same thing and not skip a beat,” Wyatt said of Wilson, “it’s been great to see that. So I’m a lot more confident with it and of myself becoming a better player knowing I’m going to have the same coaches he had as a guy playing the same position also.”
Wilson was a third-team All-Colonial Athletic Association choice this past fall, starting all 16 games at left guard for JMU. Wyatt earned Virginia High School League Class 5 second-team all-state honors as an offensive lineman and first-team all-region 5B honors as an offensive lineman and defensive lineman as a senior for Henrico.
The 6-foot-4, 320-pounder said he selected the Dukes’ scholarship offer from a final four that also included East Carolina, Kent State and Old Dominion.
“It’s not only a winning environment,” Wyatt said. “But it’s a fun environment and it’s not often you have a spot like JMU that mixes the culture, a winning program, the students and great fans. It’s rare that you have all those things in one, unless you go to Clemson. So that’s one of the things I’m really looking forward to when I get there.”
He said throughout his decision-making process no recruiter from any other school, including East Carolina where the Dukes’ former staff currently resides, had anything bad to say about JMU.
“I had [former East Carolina defensive line coach Jeff] Hanson there,” Wyatt said. “And he was like, ‘I know it’s going to be a tough fight’ because he knew [ECU] and JMU were in the mix and that it was an uphill battle for him after coming from JMU.”
Hanson retired from coaching earlier this month. And while East Carolina lost its lead recruiter in Wyatt, former Dukes safeties coach Ryan Smith was Wyatt’s lead recruiter for JMU. That was up until Smith left for a job at Virginia Tech in the days following the Dukes’ national championship game loss to North Dakota State earlier this month.
“[Smith] was an amazing recruiter,” Wyatt said. “When he left, it was sad, but you know that didn’t affect my decision or opinion, honestly.”
That’s because Wyatt said he had already established connections with JMU coach Curt Cignetti and offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski prior to Smith’s departure.
“And Truvell told me Coach Wrobo knows what he’s doing,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt profiles as a guard, but he said he’s willing to play anywhere on the offensive line and has the necessary experience to do so.
During his time with Henrico, he played guard, center, and tackle.
“It helps out a lot,” Wyatt said. “And my main thing is probably my athleticism. Playing inside at guard, you know you have a little help at the center position, but then playing tackle you’re really out there playing on an island so I really feel like that helped my footwork a lot and my mental game, too. I know if I don’t have help out here, I got to widen out and kick out, and just stuff like that. It’s the little things.”
The commitment of Wyatt marks the first for JMU in the class of 2020 since the early signing date in December and ahead of the traditional signing date on Feb. 5.
The Dukes inked 14 prospects last month and added Minnesota transfer defensive lineman Abi N-Okonji earlier this month, so Wyatt is the 16th commitment in the class and fourth offensive lineman in the group - joining signees Connecticut transfer Stanley Hubbard, Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach) product Tyler Stephens and St. Francis Desales’ (Columbus, Ohio) Cole Potts.
Wyatt said he’s anxious to play in an offense that allows its linemen to play downhill. The Dukes finished 10th nationally for rushing in the FCS, averaging 242.9 rushing yards per game in Cignetti’s first season as coach.
“That’s another thing that really drew me to ‘em,” Wyatt said. “Coach Cignetti’s mind is to run the ball and you can’t stop us. And that being said, I just really love that style of play. They run a lot of powers and counters and that really gets the guard moving.”