There probably isn’t a position James Madison has recruited as well as the offensive line during the Dukes’ rise into a national power over the last half decade.
JMU has produced All-Americans on the offensive front and some who have gone on to play in the NFL. In that time, the O-Line has provided sturdy pass protection and imposing run blocking, allowing the skill players on offense to have immense success.
This year’s group might not be as deep due to the graduations of two former starting offensive linemen, but it certainly shapes up to be another strong front anchored by the return of star tackle Liam Fornadel.
With that in mind, here’s a closer look at Fornadel and the rest of the Dukes’ offensive linemen:
Returning Starters: sixth-year senior J.T. Timming, r-senior Liam Fornadel, r-sophomore Nick Kidwell, r-freshman Cole Potts
Other Returners On Roster: r-junior Stanley Hubbard, r-sophomore Kyle Smith, r-freshman Tanner Morris, r-freshman Joe Worman, r-freshman Ronald Altman, r-freshman Tyler Stephens, r-freshman Tyshawn Wyatt
Newcomers: freshman Brett Davis, freshman Scott Hummel, freshman Josh Toner, freshman Jaelin Montgomery
Departures: r-senior Raymond Gillespie, r-senior Truvell Wilson, senior Jake Glavin
Position Coach: Damian Wroblewski (third season)
Synopsis: It doesn’t feel like that long ago Fornadel took JMU up on its scholarship offer over a slew of FBS suitors. The Don Bosco (N.J.) alum had Rutgers, Connecticut, Florida Atlantic, San Diego State and others after him, but he was the first recruit to pledge to the Dukes after they won the 2016 national championship.
He’s been in pursuit of his own since, and after missing most of the spring slate with a shoulder injury, enters this fall as, perhaps, the program’s best NFL prospect. Phil Steele’s annual preseason magazine rates Fornadel as the 62nd-best draft-eligible tackle prospect in all of college football.
JMU missed him in the spring, and how coach Curt Cignetti and offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski decide to align their offensive line this fall could impact where Fornadel plays. Because of last week’s departure of Raymond Gillespie, who would’ve been a sixth-year senior, the Dukes have an opening at left tackle.
Fornadel has been a dominant right tackle in recent seasons, starting 31 games since the 2018 season began at that position. But he played other spots as a freshman the year before, even earning two starts at right guard in the playoffs that season. Fornadel, the clear-cut best offensive lineman on the team, is smart enough and versatile enough to make the move to the left side to protect quarterback Cole Johnson’s blindside if that’s what the Dukes decide to do.
Sixth-year senior J.T. Timming is probable to stay slated at center, where he started every game in the spring, and the Dukes also return redshirt sophomore Nick Kidwell and redshirt freshman Cole Potts. Kidwell played guard and eventually bumped over to right tackle in the wake of Fornadel’s injury in the spring. Potts, as a true freshman, impressed during the final five games of the campaign at right guard.
The other opening comes at left guard after the reliable Truvell Wilson graduated.
Wroblewski, though, should be trusted to reconfigure the group appropriately. After all, he guided JMU through the necessary reshuffling of the offensive line following Fornadel’s injury in the spring. JMU has also averaged 239.67 yards on the ground per game over the 24 games since Wroblewski joined the staff as the program’s offensive line coach.
Other options for significant action include redshirt freshman Tyler Stephens, who started one game last spring, and redshirt junior guard/center Stanley Hubbard, who earlier in his career started for Connecticut.
Redshirt freshman Tanner Morris appeared in three games last year.
One newcomer to keep an eye on is 6-foot-3, 317-pound freshman Josh Toner. The Cherokee (Marlton, N.J.) product was rated as the 34th best prospect in the Garden State by Rivals and had offers from 15 other schools including FBS Army, UMass and Temple.
