Guest Post: JMU Spring Game Wrap-Up
JMUSB resident recruiting and personnel guru, @Michael_2Clutch, made the trip to the ‘burg for the spring game and agreed to share his thoughts. Take it away Mike.
Hello everyone! Thank you to the guys at the JMU Sports Blog for giving me the opportunity to write once again to the JMU Nation! I really enjoy writing to you all, and I imagine that I am not the only one itching for football season to begin and to see our Dukes dominate on the field.
After seeing the Dukes first-hand this past Saturday, I thought I’d share my two cents from the 2015 JMU Football Winter … I mean Spring … Game.
Bryan Schor shows promise: For what it’s worth, Bryan Schor (our #2QB) was my personal MVP during the scrimmage. While the back-up QB position has been a topic of interest given our lack of depth over the past few years, Schor showed some moxie and potential manning the helm. The former Miami (OH)-commit showed off an improved throwing motion and confidence running the offense for a majority of the scrimmage. Per Brett Elliott’s tweet, Schor finished with an 88% grade: completing 21 passes out of 35 attempts for 199 yards and 3 touchdowns. In addition to showing good touch, he displayed a much more live arm than I had originally thought and good mobility – he reminded me a bit of Drew Dudzik in the Montana game when he came in for an injured Rodney Landers. Vad Lee played on a limited basis during the scrimmage, which I believe is a result of Coach Withers trying to figure out what type of depth he has at the position going into the summer.
OL is a work in progress: From what I saw on Saturday, the offensive line is an area that will be under the microscope until kick-off against Morehead State. Austin Lane and Mitch Kirsch are two known commodities up-front, but the remaining three positions are an unknown for the Dukes. Aaron Stinnie looks like the prototypical left tackle with his long arms and quick feet (he was an effective defensive lineman last year as an rFR) but is still green at the position. Coach Powell got in his face a few times on Saturday, which is to be expected since he is still learning how to play the role at the college level. Kyle Rigney and Casey Kroll both split time at the center position – while Kroll has more size, it looks like Rigney had more snaps with the ones. It would be great to see A.J. Bolden claim the guard position after going down with an injury last year versus Maryland. The former Toledo transfer has potential to be a mauler in the run game, and with former tight end, Dominick Richards, and journeyman, Matt Frank, as his competition, I can imagine it’s his position to lose.
DB’s look good: During Mickey Matthews’ last year at JMU, the biggest question mark on the team was the defensive backfield, minus the talents of Dean Marlowe. After Saturday, I think Withers and co. did a good job replenishing the secondary with size and potential. While we will mourn the loss of Jimmy Moreland (hopefully he gets reinstated), Marcel Johnson and Raven Greene both look like studs at the safety positions. Withers showcased the one-high safety look throughout the scrimmage, with Greene playing back while Marcel acted as an alley defender in the run/pass game … no, this is not the 4-2-5, people. Taylor Reynolds is a lock at one of the corner positions and should be a leader for the team this year. Jordan Brown was moved from safety to corner and did an awesome job against Ishmael Hyman with his physical play. With Coach Withers’ demand for jamming receivers on the LOS, Brown looks to be in good position at corner with his size and strength. Florida-bred Rasheed Jiles played a lot of nickel, but I can see the freshmen (Tutt, Branch, Robinson and Oliver) getting plenty of chances to contribute during their first year.
All in all, the Dukes look a lot better this spring than they did last year. The offense looks more confident in their motions and I think that the defense is growing into Withers’ attacking scheme. One last piece to mention is that there were a ton of recruits on campus in addition to the 2015 recruiting class – we are definitely going to be taller, longer and bigger next year. My girlfriend and I were also able to spend some time in the renovated Plecker center, and we came away quite impressed (it was our first time there). There was a definite buzz in the facility, and I am optimistic that we will have some big-time talent joining the JMU nation in the near future.
While it is difficult to assess a team in the spring, it certainly looks like our Dukes are going in the right direction. As summer comes around and a new influx of players are integrated into the fold, we can look forward to seeing a more physical and explosive Dukes team come fall.
Photo courtesy of jmusports.com
