JMU Newbill
February 5th, 2009, 07:15 AM
Its early in the morning, I don't want to be at work... if someone already posted this, sorry... I didn't see it after my 5 second, first cup of coffee, glancing of the board.
HARRISONBURG, Va., Feb. 4, 2009 James Madison football coach Mickey Matthews has announced that 18 players have signed JMU football scholarship offers as part of the programs 2009 recruiting class as the NCAAs football signing period began on Wednesday.
The list of newcomers includes 10 players from Virginia, two apiece from Maryland, New Jersey and California, and one each from North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
We had a great year recruiting, said Matthews of his 2009 group. We battled a lot of really good football programs for these guys. Were recruiting the best weve ever recruited because I have the best group of recruiters that Ive ever had.
We wanted to work on our secondary and get a lot of secondary guys. We run a 4-2-5 alignment with five defensive backs, so were going to play a lot of defensive backs over the course of the game. So we really felt that after losing Marcus Haywood, Evan McCollough, and Darrieus Ramsey, that we really needed to make a move in our defensive backfield. I thought we accomplished that. We like to sign a quarterback every year and we did that. We signed two running backs that we like.
JMU is coming off of a 12-2 season during which the Dukes competed in the NCAA playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons, advancing to the national semifinals with all three postseason contests played on their home field. JMU was ranked first nationally in the Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls for much of the 2008 season.
2009 JAMES MADISON FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
Name El. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown High School/College
Allen, Daniel Fr. RB 5-10 170 Ashburn, Va. Stone Bridge
Anderson, Jordan Fr. RB 5-11 200 Chantilly, Va. Westfield
Cavanaugh, Adrian Fr. LB 6-0 215 Ashland, Va. Patrick Henry
Gann, Will Fr. P/PK 5-10 160 Greensboro, N.C. Eastern Guilford
Harvey, Arlandis Fr. WR 6-0 180 Oakton, Va. Flint Hill
Jackson, Jakarie Fr. WR/DB 5-11 175 Frederick, Md. Tuscarora
Jones, Leavander Fr. WR/DB 5-10 165 Atlantic City, N.J. Atlantic City
Jones, Scott Fr. OL 6-4 260 McLean, Va. Langley
Krout, Matt Fr. OL 6-5 265 Fredericksburg, Va. Riverbend
ONeil, Sean Fr. DE 6-4 230 River Edge, N.J. River Dell
Robertson, Stephon Fr. LB 5-11 200 Alexandria, Va. Edison
Robinson, Renard Fr. WR 6-0 185 Baltimore, Md. Mt. St. Josephs
Scott, DaeQuan Fr. WR 5-9 170 Staunton, Va. Robert E. Lee
Seaton, Kavon Fr. QB 5-11 190 Murrieta, Calif. Vista Murrieta/Navy Prep
Sharp, Jonathan Fr. TE 6-3 225 Pittsburgh, Pa. Plum Senior/Fork Union
Snow, Tyler Fr. LB 6-3 225 Vinton, Va. William Byrd
Stanton, Jordan Fr. DE 6-4 260 Fairfax, Va. Robinson
Wilson, Richard Jr. DB 6-2 195 Santa Rosa, Calif.. Dunbar (Md.)/San Mateo
Daniel Allen, RB, 5-10, 170, Ashburn, Va., Stone Bridge
Finished his career at Stonebridge High School, rushing for 1,349 yards and scoring 24 touchdowns. First-team All-Liberty District running back and received recognition as an all-region and all-state running back. Named to the Washington Post All-Loudon County Extra Team and also was a first-team selection at running back by Virginia Preps.
Jordan Anderson, RB, 5-11, 200, Chantilly, Va., Westfield
Gained more than 2,000 yards rushing and scored 31 touchdowns as a senior. First-team selection at the district and regional levels and garnered all-state and all-metro recognition. Recognized by Gameday magazine as a first-team selection and selected to the Washington Post Fairfax All-Extra Team.
Adrian Cavanaugh, LB, 6-0, 215, Ashland, Va., Patrick Henry
Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com as a linebacker. Was the 2008 defensive player of the year in the Colonial District and the Central Region co-defensive player of the year and all-state at linebacker. An all-academic selection in the district, region and state.
Will Gann, P/Pk, 5-10, 160, Greensboro, N.C., Eastern Guilford
Finished his football career as one of the top scholastic specialists in North Carolina. Two-time all-district, all-conference and Burlington Times all-area selection.
Arlandis Harvey, WR, 6-0, 180, Oakton, Va., Flint Hill
First-team all-conference for four consecutive years. All-state three consecutive years and an all-state punt returner once. As a senior was named captain by the coaches and players, and he rushed for 1,350 yards and scored 17 touchdowns.
Jakarie Jackson, WR/DB, 5-11, 180, Frederick, Md., Tuscarora
Played quarterback, wide receiver, free safety and was the return specialist and led his team to the most-successful season in school history. Selected as the 2008 Baltimore Touchdown Club most valuable player and the 2008 Baltimore Touchdown Club offensive player of the year. First-team all-conference defensive back and wide receiver.
Leavander Jones, WR/DB, 5-10, 165, Atlantic City, N.J., Atlantic City
Finished his scholastic career as one of the top athletes in the programs history. As a senior was an all-star at cornerback, wide receiver and return specialist. All-South Jersey, all-county, and all-conference as a senior.
Scott Jones, OL, 6-4, 260, McLean, Va., Langley
First-team center in the Liberty District, Northern Region, and all-state by the Associated Press. Ranked second in the state as a wrestler. As a junior won his districts title as a heavyweight wrestler.
Matt Krout, OL, 6-5, 265, Fredericksburg, Va., Riverbend
First-team all-district tight end in 2007. Finished his scholastic career as a standout in football and basketball. As a senior was the Free Lance Star defensive player of the Year and was first-team all-district at tight end and defensive end.
Sean ONeil, DE, 6-4, 230, River Edge, N.J., River Dell
Among the top defensive players in New Jersey. As a senior had 82 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, seven fumble recoveries, six forced fumbles, an interception and three blocked punts. All-state and first-team All-Bergen County and received All-America recognition. Standout in the shot put in track and field.
Stephon Robertson, LB, 5-11, 200, Alexandria, Va., Edison
Rated by ESPN.com as a top 150 prospect. In 2008 was district defensive player of the year, first-team all-district at running back and linebacker and first-team all- region at linebacker. Gameday magazine selection as first-team all-region at linebacker. Inducted into the Fairfax County Football Hall of Fame. As a senior he had more than 130 tackles and averaged 10.4 yards per carry and scored 24 touchdowns.
Renard Robinson, WR. 6-0, 185, Baltimore, Md., Mt. St. Josephs
Rated among the top wide receivers in Maryland. As a senior was first-team all-MIAA, first-team All-Baltimore City, first-team-team all-metro (Baltimore) and second-team all-state as a wide receiver. Rated a two-star athlete by Rivals.com.
DaeQuan Scott, WR, 5-9, 170, Staunton, Va., Robert E. Lee
As senior accounted for 47 touchdowns, rushing for 35, throwing for eight, and returning three kickoffs and one punt for scores. Ran 176 times for 2,241 yards, an average of 12.7 per rush, and threw for 703 yards. Daily News-Record player of the year and district and regional player of the year. Selected by the Associated Press and Virginia Preps as a first-team all-state offensive all purpose back.
Kavon Seaton, QB, 5-11, 190, Murrieta, Calif., Vista Murrieta/Navy Prep
The 2008 Naval Academy Preparatory School most valuable player. Compiled a 32-5 record as a three-year starter at Vista Murieta High School. Was a three-time first-team AllSouthwestern League quarterback. Two-time California all-state selection as an athlete while being named the Southwestern League most valuable player. As a senior passed for 2,600 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Jonathan Sharp, TE, 6-3, 225, Pittsburgh, Pa., Plum Senior/Fork Union
Attended Fork Union Military Academy and started at tight end in 2008. Previously was a standout linebacker and tight end at Plum Senior High School. First-team all-conference linebacker and tight end as a junior and senior. Played in the North/South All-Star Game. Scout.com rated him as the No. 65 outside linebacker in the nation his senior year, and Rivals.com rated him as a three-star prospect at tight end while he attended Fork Union.
Tyler Snow, LB, 6-3, 225, Vinton, Va., William Byrd
Named team captain three times. Two-time All-Blue Ridge District, two-time district most valuable player, two-time all-region, two-time region defensive player of the year and two-time all state. Finished his career as William Byrds all time leading tackler.
Jordan Stanton, DE, 6-4, 260, Fairfax, Va., Robinson
As a senior had 84 tackles, four quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and one blocked punt. First-team all-district and all-region and second-team all-state honor by the Associated Press at defensive end.
Richard Wilson, CB, 6-2, 195, Baltimore, Md., Dunbar/San Mateo
Played the last two seasons at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo, Calif. Previously was a first-team All-Baltimore City selection at defensive back and a second-team all-metro and all-state defensive back at Dunbar High School.
HARRISONBURG, Va., Feb. 4, 2009 James Madison football coach Mickey Matthews has announced that 18 players have signed JMU football scholarship offers as part of the programs 2009 recruiting class as the NCAAs football signing period began on Wednesday.
The list of newcomers includes 10 players from Virginia, two apiece from Maryland, New Jersey and California, and one each from North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
We had a great year recruiting, said Matthews of his 2009 group. We battled a lot of really good football programs for these guys. Were recruiting the best weve ever recruited because I have the best group of recruiters that Ive ever had.
We wanted to work on our secondary and get a lot of secondary guys. We run a 4-2-5 alignment with five defensive backs, so were going to play a lot of defensive backs over the course of the game. So we really felt that after losing Marcus Haywood, Evan McCollough, and Darrieus Ramsey, that we really needed to make a move in our defensive backfield. I thought we accomplished that. We like to sign a quarterback every year and we did that. We signed two running backs that we like.
JMU is coming off of a 12-2 season during which the Dukes competed in the NCAA playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons, advancing to the national semifinals with all three postseason contests played on their home field. JMU was ranked first nationally in the Sports Network and FCS Coaches polls for much of the 2008 season.
2009 JAMES MADISON FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS
Name El. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown High School/College
Allen, Daniel Fr. RB 5-10 170 Ashburn, Va. Stone Bridge
Anderson, Jordan Fr. RB 5-11 200 Chantilly, Va. Westfield
Cavanaugh, Adrian Fr. LB 6-0 215 Ashland, Va. Patrick Henry
Gann, Will Fr. P/PK 5-10 160 Greensboro, N.C. Eastern Guilford
Harvey, Arlandis Fr. WR 6-0 180 Oakton, Va. Flint Hill
Jackson, Jakarie Fr. WR/DB 5-11 175 Frederick, Md. Tuscarora
Jones, Leavander Fr. WR/DB 5-10 165 Atlantic City, N.J. Atlantic City
Jones, Scott Fr. OL 6-4 260 McLean, Va. Langley
Krout, Matt Fr. OL 6-5 265 Fredericksburg, Va. Riverbend
ONeil, Sean Fr. DE 6-4 230 River Edge, N.J. River Dell
Robertson, Stephon Fr. LB 5-11 200 Alexandria, Va. Edison
Robinson, Renard Fr. WR 6-0 185 Baltimore, Md. Mt. St. Josephs
Scott, DaeQuan Fr. WR 5-9 170 Staunton, Va. Robert E. Lee
Seaton, Kavon Fr. QB 5-11 190 Murrieta, Calif. Vista Murrieta/Navy Prep
Sharp, Jonathan Fr. TE 6-3 225 Pittsburgh, Pa. Plum Senior/Fork Union
Snow, Tyler Fr. LB 6-3 225 Vinton, Va. William Byrd
Stanton, Jordan Fr. DE 6-4 260 Fairfax, Va. Robinson
Wilson, Richard Jr. DB 6-2 195 Santa Rosa, Calif.. Dunbar (Md.)/San Mateo
Daniel Allen, RB, 5-10, 170, Ashburn, Va., Stone Bridge
Finished his career at Stonebridge High School, rushing for 1,349 yards and scoring 24 touchdowns. First-team All-Liberty District running back and received recognition as an all-region and all-state running back. Named to the Washington Post All-Loudon County Extra Team and also was a first-team selection at running back by Virginia Preps.
Jordan Anderson, RB, 5-11, 200, Chantilly, Va., Westfield
Gained more than 2,000 yards rushing and scored 31 touchdowns as a senior. First-team selection at the district and regional levels and garnered all-state and all-metro recognition. Recognized by Gameday magazine as a first-team selection and selected to the Washington Post Fairfax All-Extra Team.
Adrian Cavanaugh, LB, 6-0, 215, Ashland, Va., Patrick Henry
Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com as a linebacker. Was the 2008 defensive player of the year in the Colonial District and the Central Region co-defensive player of the year and all-state at linebacker. An all-academic selection in the district, region and state.
Will Gann, P/Pk, 5-10, 160, Greensboro, N.C., Eastern Guilford
Finished his football career as one of the top scholastic specialists in North Carolina. Two-time all-district, all-conference and Burlington Times all-area selection.
Arlandis Harvey, WR, 6-0, 180, Oakton, Va., Flint Hill
First-team all-conference for four consecutive years. All-state three consecutive years and an all-state punt returner once. As a senior was named captain by the coaches and players, and he rushed for 1,350 yards and scored 17 touchdowns.
Jakarie Jackson, WR/DB, 5-11, 180, Frederick, Md., Tuscarora
Played quarterback, wide receiver, free safety and was the return specialist and led his team to the most-successful season in school history. Selected as the 2008 Baltimore Touchdown Club most valuable player and the 2008 Baltimore Touchdown Club offensive player of the year. First-team all-conference defensive back and wide receiver.
Leavander Jones, WR/DB, 5-10, 165, Atlantic City, N.J., Atlantic City
Finished his scholastic career as one of the top athletes in the programs history. As a senior was an all-star at cornerback, wide receiver and return specialist. All-South Jersey, all-county, and all-conference as a senior.
Scott Jones, OL, 6-4, 260, McLean, Va., Langley
First-team center in the Liberty District, Northern Region, and all-state by the Associated Press. Ranked second in the state as a wrestler. As a junior won his districts title as a heavyweight wrestler.
Matt Krout, OL, 6-5, 265, Fredericksburg, Va., Riverbend
First-team all-district tight end in 2007. Finished his scholastic career as a standout in football and basketball. As a senior was the Free Lance Star defensive player of the Year and was first-team all-district at tight end and defensive end.
Sean ONeil, DE, 6-4, 230, River Edge, N.J., River Dell
Among the top defensive players in New Jersey. As a senior had 82 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, seven fumble recoveries, six forced fumbles, an interception and three blocked punts. All-state and first-team All-Bergen County and received All-America recognition. Standout in the shot put in track and field.
Stephon Robertson, LB, 5-11, 200, Alexandria, Va., Edison
Rated by ESPN.com as a top 150 prospect. In 2008 was district defensive player of the year, first-team all-district at running back and linebacker and first-team all- region at linebacker. Gameday magazine selection as first-team all-region at linebacker. Inducted into the Fairfax County Football Hall of Fame. As a senior he had more than 130 tackles and averaged 10.4 yards per carry and scored 24 touchdowns.
Renard Robinson, WR. 6-0, 185, Baltimore, Md., Mt. St. Josephs
Rated among the top wide receivers in Maryland. As a senior was first-team all-MIAA, first-team All-Baltimore City, first-team-team all-metro (Baltimore) and second-team all-state as a wide receiver. Rated a two-star athlete by Rivals.com.
DaeQuan Scott, WR, 5-9, 170, Staunton, Va., Robert E. Lee
As senior accounted for 47 touchdowns, rushing for 35, throwing for eight, and returning three kickoffs and one punt for scores. Ran 176 times for 2,241 yards, an average of 12.7 per rush, and threw for 703 yards. Daily News-Record player of the year and district and regional player of the year. Selected by the Associated Press and Virginia Preps as a first-team all-state offensive all purpose back.
Kavon Seaton, QB, 5-11, 190, Murrieta, Calif., Vista Murrieta/Navy Prep
The 2008 Naval Academy Preparatory School most valuable player. Compiled a 32-5 record as a three-year starter at Vista Murieta High School. Was a three-time first-team AllSouthwestern League quarterback. Two-time California all-state selection as an athlete while being named the Southwestern League most valuable player. As a senior passed for 2,600 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Jonathan Sharp, TE, 6-3, 225, Pittsburgh, Pa., Plum Senior/Fork Union
Attended Fork Union Military Academy and started at tight end in 2008. Previously was a standout linebacker and tight end at Plum Senior High School. First-team all-conference linebacker and tight end as a junior and senior. Played in the North/South All-Star Game. Scout.com rated him as the No. 65 outside linebacker in the nation his senior year, and Rivals.com rated him as a three-star prospect at tight end while he attended Fork Union.
Tyler Snow, LB, 6-3, 225, Vinton, Va., William Byrd
Named team captain three times. Two-time All-Blue Ridge District, two-time district most valuable player, two-time all-region, two-time region defensive player of the year and two-time all state. Finished his career as William Byrds all time leading tackler.
Jordan Stanton, DE, 6-4, 260, Fairfax, Va., Robinson
As a senior had 84 tackles, four quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and one blocked punt. First-team all-district and all-region and second-team all-state honor by the Associated Press at defensive end.
Richard Wilson, CB, 6-2, 195, Baltimore, Md., Dunbar/San Mateo
Played the last two seasons at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo, Calif. Previously was a first-team All-Baltimore City selection at defensive back and a second-team all-metro and all-state defensive back at Dunbar High School.