JMU Snags Transfer CB From Mississippi

Yesterday Matthew Stoss broke the news that Abdul Bangura had transferred from Mississippi to JMU. Bangura is a cornerback who originally went to Ole Miss as a preferred walk-on, but earned a partial scholarship once he got there. He will have three years of eligibility left for the Dukes and can play right away.

Bangura is listed as 5’10 and 176 pounds and has good speed. In addition to playing both offense and defense in football, he ran track in high school and posted a personal best 10.67 in the 100 yard dash. He wanted to transfer to a FCS program so he could play immediately, and chose JMU over Towson among others. His older brother, Dauda also played for JMU in the early 2000’s. If you’re the type of person who likes to watch high school kids run around cones on a football field, you can see Abdul’s highlights from the JMU football camp he attended in 2009.

This is a welcome development for JMU. The team lacks depth in the defensive secondary, since dismissal of Corey Davis and Xavier Crocker. Ideally, he’ll follow the blueprint that Titus Till set last season. Till transferred to JMU from Maryland, another FBS program (sort of) and immediately made an impact on the field. Bangura has good, and possibly even great speed. He also prides himself on his cover skills and willingness to play physical. The CAA has a number of top quality receivers, including guys like William & Mary’s Tre Mcbride and Richmond’s Shane Savage and Ben Edwards, who should cause trouble for defenses. Dean Marlowe is a stud who’ll anchor the Dukes backfield from the safety position, but JMU needs more guys who can cover. Bangura could fit the bill.