{"id":3559,"date":"2012-02-01T23:17:53","date_gmt":"2012-02-02T04:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=3559"},"modified":"2012-02-02T21:51:47","modified_gmt":"2012-02-03T02:51:47","slug":"jmu-signs-top-class-in-the-fcs-nation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmusportsblog.com\/?p=3559","title":{"rendered":"JMU Signs Top Class in the FCS Nation!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, it’s a day full of bullshit and we’ve always tried to avoid getting into recruiting discussions.\u00a0 It’s just slimy.\u00a0 But the longer we’ve done this and the more college sports types we’ve followed on Twitter, the more we have to admit that National Signing Day is actually pretty damn exciting.\u00a0 And when your hoops team is lost in the wilderness like this year’s Dukes squad, it really is a beacon of hope in the long, not-so-cold winter.\u00a0 Plus Rob’s signing day posts seemed to be a hit the last couple of years so here we go.<\/p>\n

Today’s signing day from a JMU standpoint was like none other we can remember in recent years!\u00a0 First of all, Craig Haley and The Sports Network immediately rated <\/a>JMU as the top-ranked recruiting class in the nation at the FCS level!\u00a0 That’s pretty damn cool regardless of accuracy and\u00a0actual meaning.\u00a0 It’s even cooler when you consider that a) \u00a0JMU lost three total recruits, and two of their highest rated, to FBS-bound and possibly felonious UMass at the last minute (is the Victor Cruz effect that<\/em>\u00a0 big on these NY kids?) and b) Craig Haley and the Sports Network usually hate on JMU like nobody’s business.\u00a0 We realize most of you can be grateful for having lives and leave the uberdork business to us, but trust us when we say that the national FCS sites (Sports Network and Any Given Saturday) almost always save favorite son status on rankings like these for the golden children in Boone, Missoula, Statesboro, and – gag – Newark.<\/p>\n

Here’s the JMU Sports story on the class and a link <\/a>to Mickey’s presser.\u00a0\u00a0Apparently, when talking to the print media, he barely made an effort to hide his disdain and suspicion for the Minutemen.\u00a0 As usual, he did not disappoint in the quote department today: (credit to @MikeABarber and @CurtDudley for these – love you guys):<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>– Recruiting is like shaving, if you don’t do it every day, you look like a bum<\/p>\n

– I heard a coach say a kid’s not committing anymore, he’s makin’ a reservation<\/p>\n

– There has been more late offers and negative recruiting than anytime I can remember.\u00a0 Totally stunning to us, UMass took three kids away from us at the end.\u00a0 They had all been committed to us for a long time.<\/p>\n

– We really needed to make sure we got a good QB out of this group, if not two.\u00a0 That’s why we took three.<\/p>\n

As for the recruits we got, here’s what we know:<\/p>\n

3 QB’s signed.\u00a0 One of them, Taylor Reynolds of one Newark, Delaware, had started to look like he might choose the hometown Blue Chicks, but apparently decided competition doesn’t scare him.\u00a0 MM says he reminds him of Rodney.\u00a0 This means the Dukes will have at least 5 QB’s on board next year, but with Thorpe being a senior, the rest will presumably all get their shot to prove themselves soon.<\/p>\n

The thing that likely puts this class in the upper echelon nationally is unquestionably the enormous assist from Randy Edsall!\u00a0 The Titus Till (Safety) and Jeremiah Wilson (CB) transfers from Maryland seriously fill the one true hole the Dukes might have had going into next season.<\/p>\n

Another nice thing this year is the Dukes signed a number of D Linemen, arguably one of the biggest weaknesses this past season.\u00a0 Unfortunately they’re all DE’s but hopefully a few of them will discover Dave’s Express delivery next year and bulk up for a move inside.<\/p>\n

Our one real concern was that only one OL signed, but with another couple of scholarships still available after the UMass defections, a late signee or two seems possible.\u00a0 Not to mention, the youngest spot on the team last year was along the line, where nearly every underclassmen in the program got serious playing time and development last year after all the injuries.\u00a0 With so much experience coming back, cracking that starting group may be a tough order for a couple of seasons.<\/p>\n

Who knows what it all means, but I know our expectations for 2012 remain sky-high and it’s hard to deny New Bridgeforth has given the Dukes quite a bit more leverage in the recruiting circus.<\/p>\n

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