HARRISONBURG — Rashad Robinson made the decision “really easy” for his position coach Tripp Weaver.
The sophomore cornerback put together a solid three weeks of preseason camp at James Madison to earn the starting role opposite of senior preseason All-American Taylor Reynolds.
“In camp, he leads the position group in interceptions,” Weaver said before JMU finished its two-a-days last week. “I know Rashad has twice as many interceptions as anyone else and also twice as less the blown assignments as anyone else. He really tries to do what we tell him to do everyday. He’s a guy that we hang our hat on.”
Robinson – a product of Hermitage High School in Richmond – started to gain traction for the job late in the spring, but still had to hold off competition, in order to claim it for Saturday’s opener against Morehead State, Weaver said.
Fellow sophomores Curtis Oliver and Charles Tutt both had their moments during the preseason, too. Plus, Oliver made seven starts last year.
“All of us knew what we were getting into when we came in as three freshmen all on full scholarship last year,” Robinson said. “We knew we’d all be competing.”
To win the job, Robinson said he focused on his technique and added 10 pounds of weight during the summer.
Despite not earning starting jobs, Oliver and Tutt will play. Madison will begin the season with a rotation of four cornerbacks, according to Weaver. When the Dukes have three corners on the field, Reynolds will slide to the nickel spot and Tutt will take one of the boundary positions.
Tutt improved his stock within the group toward the end of camp. He had one of his best practices last week when recorded two pass breakups against first-team wide receivers John Miller and Brandon Ravenel.
Coming off of a broken left leg, Tutt had to prove to Weaver and the rest of the coaching staff that he was capable of contributing after not having the opportunity to do so during the spring.
“In the spring, I didn’t feel like myself because there was still some pain,” Tutt said. “I had a metal plate and six screws, so there was aggravation going on. I actually got the plate and screws taken out before the spring ended, so I missed the last two weeks of practice then.”
The injury occurred during JMU’s 59-49 loss to Richmond last season — Tutt rehabbed to be able to play this season. He said at times he leaned on his roommate, Robinson, to help get him past the months when he couldn’t play.
“Waking up was the toughest part for me because I knew I had to get on crutches, crutch to class, watch practice and go through rehab, but Rashad was great,” Tutt said. “He always picked me up.”
As the season goes on, Weaver said he hopes to keep adding depth at the position.
Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Moreland rejoined the team after he was dismissed in June of 2015 for a violation of team rules by former coach Everett Withers.
Moreland was allowed back on a “trial basis” by new coach Mike Houston during the spring, Weaver said.
A two-time Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week in 2014, Moreland had 47 tackles, three interceptions and two touchdowns as a freshman. He enters the season as a special teamer and the fifth-best corner on the Dukes roster.
“Jimmy is probably the most athletic, but also the most undisciplined,” Weaver said. “His eye discipline and his footwork are little things that sometimes when he’s on the field that he forgets. He’s continued to battle that and hopefully will keep making progress, so we can start seeing him more and more as the year goes on.”
