| Time | Name | Pos. | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown/High School | Highlights | Withers |
| Spring | Vad Lee | QB | R-Jr. | 6-1 | 215 | Durham, N.C./Hillside (Georgia Tech) | Link | |
| Spring | Rob Nittolo | QB | Fr. | 6-2 | 200 | Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough | Link | Link |
| 8:22 a.m. | K.J. Ford | DT | Fr. | 6-1 | 280 | Bluffton, S.C./Bluffton | Link | Link |
| 8:28 a.m. | Abraham “AB” Rhodes | LB | Fr. | 6-3 | 230 | Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin | Link | Link |
| 8:47 a.m. | Tyler Thrasher-Walker | RB | Fr. | 6-3 | 200 | Chantilly, Va./Westfield | Link | |
| 8:52 a.m. | Richard Xu | OL | Fr. | 6-5 | 280 | Ashburn, Va./Stone Bridge | Link | Link |
| 9:29 a.m. | David Ezeagwu | DE/LB | Fr. | 6-3 | 225 | Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge | Link | Link |
| 9:37 a.m. | Kapri Doucet | LB | Fr. | 6-2 | 220 | Williamsburg, Va./Bruton | Link | Link |
| 9:45 a.m. | Marcell Johnson | LB | Fr. | 6-2 | 195 | Knightdale, N.C./Knightdale | Link | Link |
| 9:54 a.m. | John Miller | RB/ATH | Fr. | 5-10 | 175 | Columbia, S.C./Spring Valley | Link | Link |
| 10:02 a.m. | Jimmy Moreland | DB | Fr. | 5-10 | 180 | Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Royal Palm Beach | Link | Link |
| 10:13 a.m. | Aaron Peak | DB | Fr. | 5-9 | 175 | Blythewood, S.C./Blythewood | Link | Link |
| 10:21 a.m. | Taylor Woods | RB | Fr. | 5-9 | 180 | Havelock, N.C./Havelock | Link | Link |
| 10:24 a.m. | Cornell Urquhart | DE | Fr. | 6-4 | 255 | Richmond, Va./Benedictine Prep | Link | Link |
Everett Withers Signs 14 to His First JMU Recruiting Class
Today is National Signing Day. It’s an exciting day for college football fans, albeit one that often serves as evidence that they hype surrounding the game can sometimes overshadow the game itself. With that being said, like most of you, we were very anxious to see what sort of recruits Coach Withers and his staff could sign in their first year. While it’s impossible to really evaluate any recruits until after they played, there are a few general things about the class that we find encouraging.
Of the 14 recruits who make up this class, 8 are from states other than Virginia. Coach Withers said that he’d like to consistently get about 50% of his recruits from Virginia, depending on the depth of talent in any given year. The majority of the 8 out of state recruits are from the South, with only QB Rob Nittolo coming from up North (New Jersey). JMU’s other recruits are from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. Many fans assumed that the hiring of Withers would result in a shift to a more Southeastern-based recruiting class. Early indications are that might be true. And considering the Southeast is filthy with football talent, that might be a good thing.
The other thing that jumped out at us was the fact that JMU appeared to make successful pushes for a few of the recruits real late in the game. In particular, we noticed that the Rivals profiles for John Miller and Jimmy Moreland, didn’t even list JMU under their college choices. Considering Withers and his staff have only been in place for a few months, they were going to be late recruiting a lot of guys. The fact that they pulled a few in who apparently didn’t even JMU on their radar speaks to their ability to sell the program.
And if you’re one who cares about Rivals stars and rankings, you’ll be pleased to know the class includes 4 players with 2 stars (Jimmy Moreland, John Miller, Taylor Woods, and Cornell Urquhart) and one with 3 stars (Vad Lee). Personally, we think way too much is made about stars and what recruiting “experts” say. We’re excited to have these guys join the Dukes, but fully expect some of the guys without stars to have just as big an impact as some of those who do.
It’s also worth noting that Withers has a much different philosophy than his predecessor Mickey Matthews when it comes to redshirting. History showed us that Matthews almost redshirted everyone by default and would rarely play true freshmen. Withers on the other hand said “We have no plans to redshirt anybody. If a guy is ready, we’ll put him on the field.” That doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see all these recruits making plays in the fall, but it’s possible. And that seems perfectly in line with Withers general philosophy that he wants competition for every spot on the field with the best guy getting the snaps.
The table below from jmusports.com includes the full 2014 recruiting class.
Matthew Stoss ?@MatthewStoss 6m
Withers’ response to a starting QB question: “I don’t know this team. I can’t tell you who’s starting at left guard.”
I like this quote a lot. Open minded approach to the entire team. Best players at each position play. Lots of competition. Going to be a very interesting and important Spring
Wasn’t KJ Ford a 3 star/2 star (depending on where you looked)?
John miller is a class act watched him for 4 years A spring valley…he will not disappoint ..hard worker underated congrats to the dukes I am a new fan
A philosophy that does not include massive red-shirting … good! Kids are awarded scholarships to play ball, not to sit on the bench.
@Lee you are correct about KJ Ford. I simply overlooked it while writing the post. Thanks for pointing it out.
@rick It’s always nice to hear good things about recruits and have some new fans jump on board. Welcome!
With regards to not redshirting players I had a theory about this:
It makes me believe he thinks 1A is around the corner so why redshirt them if they won’t be able to compete for bowls or national championships for 3 of the years they are at JMU so let them compete for championships now. My theory anyway
Just Win, baby.
..or you’re fired.
I’d like an order of 8 WINS, plus a side of HOME PLAYOFF GAMES, please.
And, hold the gold jerseys!
Did you get that?
Okay. Thank you.
I UNDERSTAND A LOT OF FORMER PLAYERS ARE JUMPING SHIP DO TO THE CALIS REMARKS BEING MADE BY THE NEW COACHING STAFF. YOU KNOW IT’S A PROBLEM WHEN YOU ASK FOR RECRUITS FROM THE STUDENT BODY. OH WELL, I THINK MICKY WILL BE MISSED WITH ALL THE THUGS IN TOWN. NOT THE JMU I HAVE KNOWN FOR THE PAST 40 YEARS.
*due* *callous* *mickey*
I try not to correct grammar and spelling on this blog but this comment left me wondering if Gerald Ford had returned from the grave and spouted off randomly at the mouth again?
I don’t think former players care who is coaching as long as the team consistently win games, goes to the playoffs, and the offense stops embarassing the university.
Thugs are all ready here buddy. You should fill the team with a whole bunch of white boy and see how that works out for you .