What To Watch For As JMU Begins Spring Practice
HARRISONBURG — And so it begins again.
Reigning FCS national champion James Madison opens its 2017 campaign with the first spring practice today at 4 p.m. Over the next six weeks, JMU will practice 15 times, which includes the spring game on Saturday, April 8 at 1 p.m.
The Dukes return more than they lost from the championship-winning squad, but have plenty to address over the next month and a half, as the quest to repeat might prove to be more difficult than winning it all for the first time since 2004 last season.
“We went from the team that hadn’t won a playoff game in four or five years with the underdog mentality to all of a sudden, everyone has a bull’s-eye on us,” James Madison coach Mike Houston said. “I promise you New Hampshire, Richmond, William & Mary and Villanova all have our game circled on their schedule and we have to understand that.
“Now it’s a deal where we’re preparing for all contenders. Anyone that’s coming after us, we’ve got to make sure we’re prepared.”
With drills set to start today, here’s what to watch for over the 15 practices:
Impact Newcomers
There are three newcomers enrolled on campus this semester — Georgia Tech transfer running back Marcus Marshall, Maryland transfer linebacker Gus Little and true freshman defensive tackle Marcus Hawkins.
Houston said he “optimistically” expects all three to see game action this fall.
Marshall, who led Georgia Tech in rushing each of the past two years, joins a crowded group of running backs. Immediately, he’ll compete for carries with Trai Sharp and Taylor Woods. Cardon Johnson isn’t expected to be healed from an Achilles injury until June. JMU quarterback Bryan Schor said just from the team’s workouts with strength coach John Williams that he can tell Marshall is an “explosive” athlete.
When Marshall made the decision to transfer to JMU, he said he felt Madison’s offensive system fit him better than Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense.
Little and Hawkins will compete for jobs, too. At linebacker, JMU must replace Gage Steele,who led the team in tackles in 2016. At defensive tackle, the Dukes are tasked with finding someone to fill the void left by Martez Stone, who played extremely well during the stretch run of the regular season and in the postseason.
JMU cornerbacks coach Tripp Weaver recruited Hawkins out of Freedom High School in Morganton, N.C. Hawkins is the only freshman of the 2017 signing class enrolled early.
“Spring practice is going to be something totally new for him,” Weaver said. “He’s going to be playing the three-technique, getting double-teamed by two 300-pound kids who are both really strong instead of two 250-pound kids.
“But it’ll give him a chance to develop his body, learn how to play college football and in turn, give him a chance to really compete for playing time in the fall.”
Reloading O-Line
It isn’t a complete rebuild for James Madison’s offensive line, which loses three starters from the 2016 team to graduation, but position coach Jamal Powell must find a new right tackle, a new right guard and a new center.
The good news is that JMU won’t be looking to fill those roles with players who haven’t seen any significant playing time.
When All-American right tackle Mitchell Kirsch got hurt in the regular-season finale, then-redshirt freshman Tyree Chavious was forced into a starting role for the duration of the playoffs. Starting center Kyle Rigney’s injury during the Dukes’ win at North Dakota State forced then-freshman Mac Patrick to play three quarters of the national semifinal.
Chavious and Patrick likely get the first shot to impress at their respective positions, but right guard isn’t as simple, where multiple players have an opportunity.
Starters set to return are left tackle Aaron Stinnie and left guard A.J. Bolden.
‘Interchangeable’ Safeties
Houston and defensive coordinator Bob Trott were given a gift late last fall, when JMU learned standout safety Raven Greene would have a fifth year of eligibility to play out in 2017.
Greene led JMU with six interceptions last year and fellow safety Jordan Brown is back also after a 92-tackle junior season.
With both Greene and Brown back, Houston said the defense could evolve and enable Greene to play all over the field.
“The big thing now is that [Greene] not only understands his position, but he understands the whole defense,” Houston said. “We’re going to work throughout the spring and summer to make him and Jordan interchangeable between the safety and rover position.
“And the sky is the limit for him, but his maturation for understanding the entire defense is really going to be the thing that’s going to benefit his play on the field.”
More Tight End
It’s going to be tough for James Madison’s offense to improve drastically on what it did in 2016.
The Dukes had the nation’s second-ranked scoring offense (46.7 points per game), third-ranked total offense, (507.5 yards per game) fourth-ranked rushing offense (275 yards per game) and scored at least 80 points in a game twice under offensive coordinator Donnie Kirkpatrick.
He had to mold together some of what Houston wanted, some of what run-game coordinator Bryan Stinespring wanted and some of his own principles to initially create the offense, so he isn’t going to stop innovating just because the system worked last fall.
Kirkpatrick said he wants to get the ball to tight end Jonathan Kloosterman more frequently this time around. Kloosterman caught five of his team-best seven touchdowns in the postseason. All five postseason touchdowns came in the red zone.
Schor said he also wants to throw to Kloosterman more this season and that the spring gives the two time to work on it.
“He got highlighted in the red zone a lot this year and it’s funny how it worked out,” Schor said. “But I definitely want to get him the ball as much as possible.
“He’s a really good weapon for us to have. I think he’s difficult for people to guard everywhere on the field.”