TIGHT ENDS
2011 outlook xx
The tight ends may be one of the deepest positions for the Dukes starting 2011, with a pair of starters returning. Redshirt junior Brian Barlow and junior Jonathan Sharp both started extensively during the 2010 season, though Barlow was injured for part of the season, while Sharp was injured during the spring. If the pair can stay healthy, along with Chris Ferguson who shifted sides of the ball during spring drills, Matthews figures the trio to be a significant part of the offense, “Brian, going into the fall, is our best football player,” Matthews said. “The only thing keeping Brian away from being a [big time] player is health. He got injured last year and that really hurt us with our blocking. He can catch the ball in a crowd and he’s a tough guy. We’re going to move him around to try to get him some more touches because he’s really a load to bring down if he catches the ball. He’s very intelligent, has a good feel for the game and is a very good football player. “Jonathan was dinged up all spring, but had a great spring when he did play and is a big strong guy that can run,” Matthews continued. “We moved Chris Ferguson, the walk-on, from defensive tackle to tight end, and it was the move of the spring. When you move guys, sometimes it never takes, and you’ve gone backwards, but he immediately made an impact on our football team playing at tight end. He has put on 60 pounds since he walked on so he’s 6-6 and 255 pounds and really can run. He really is an excellent blocker and his pass catching ability has done nothing but get better. We’re really excited with what he can do this fall.”
WIDE RECEIVERS The wide receiving corps has several question marks going into the season, mainly due to injuries. Three potential cogs in junior Quintin Hunter and redshirt sophomores Dae’Quan Scott and Kavon Seaton were all injured in the spring, with Hunter battling to overcome an Achilles injury. That group is one that Matthews believes in the potential of and just is waiting to see what it can do this year. “Dae’Quan can really catch the ball and run with it,” Matthews said. “He’s a good player and I think he’ll have three really good years and turn into an excellent wide out. He also is so versatile that we are going to work with him some at quarterback in the Wildcat formation as well, as he showed he can handle the ball and decision making late last fall. “I think Quintin has some work to do to come back from his Achilles tendon surgery,” Matthews continued. “He’s a great player and a great blocker, and really knows how to get open.” With those injuries, some younger players got more action in the spring workouts, adding to the position depth. After watching the group on film during and after the spring, the head coach saw several who he believes could work their way into the rotation. “Renard Robinson really had a good spring, as did Ryan Dixon, though he was dinged up a bit,” Matthews said. “Daniel Brown earned a scholarship this spring, as at 6-4 he‘s a great target. In the last week of spring, he really was arguably our best receiver, showing his ability to run after being a high school quarterback. (Freshman) Andre Coble was really practicing well, as he has great speed and really improved throughout the spring. He just has a ton of ability, the more he plays receiver the better he’ll get. We have a great group of receivers, but we just need to stay healthy and have a good training camp.”
RUNNING BACKS The ground game has been a key to success for the Dukes during Matthews’ tenure, and this year, while there is a lot of potential, there are also question marks about who is going to take the majority of carries. Four are gone from last year’s roster, covering more than 90 percent of the running-back attempts. This year’s crew will look to fill that void, as redshirt junior Lee Reynolds and redshirt sophomore Jordan Anderson are the only returners with game experience. “Running back is wide open, as I would change my mind every day in the spring as to who I thought was the best one,” Matthews said. “Lee Reynolds has great speed and certainly had his moments in the spring. Jordan got hurt on the first day of spring and missed the entire spring. It’s still up in the air on where he is. (Redshirt freshman) Dejor Simmons had a good spring and showed some good signs. He’s the fastest guy on the team and did some really good things in the spring until he was injured. The guy who had the best spring scrimmage was (redshirt-freshman) Jauan Latney., as he was much improved in the spring. Roane Babington
2011 JMU Football - 9
Preseason Depth Chart Offense LT LG C RG RT TE WR WR WR FB TB QB
71 76 70 69 55 62 53 59 74 72 84 81 86 10 18 94 82 34 33 35 29 5 7 17
Josh Wells* R-So. A.J. Scott R-Fr. Earl Watford** R-Jr. Matt Cunningham R-Fr. Roane Babington*** R-Sr. Andrew Baumgardner Fr. Matt Williams R-Fr. Casey Kroll Fr. Matt Krout* R-So. Erik Buchholz R-Fr. Brian Barlow** R-Jr. Jonathan Sharp** Jr. Renard Robinson* R-So. Daniel Brown R-Fr. Arlandis Harvey* R-So. Bryce Dillon R-Fr. Ryan Dixon R-Fr. Amir Waller Fr. Austin Hersh R-Fr. Nick Fornadel R-Fr. Lee Reynolds** R-Jr. Dejor Simmons R-Fr. Justin Thorpe* R-Jr. Billy Cosh R-Fr.
6-5 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-3 6-6 6-5 6-6 6-3 6-3 5-11 6-4 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-1 5-10 5-10 5-8 6-1 6-2
245 272 280 260 300 240 255 265 280 240 260 240 180 195 185 200 180 185 235 225 185 170 215 215
Defense DE 95 Tyler Snow* 50 Brandon Lee DT 98 Sean O’Neill** 56 Jordan Stanton DT 49 Nick Emmons 58 Anthony McDaniel DE 13 D.J. Bryant*** 39 Aaron Harper* MLB 3 Stephon Robertson* 54 Chad Byers* SLB 2 Jamie Veney** 25 Chase Williams** SS 6 Vidal Nelson*** 24 Pat Williams*** CB 8 Leavander Jones** 14 Taveion Cuffee*** FS 26 Ryan Smith* 15 Jakarie Jackson** WS 16 Dean Marlowe 42 Isaiah Wright CB 1 Mike Allen*** 32 Corey Davis
R-So. 6-3 245 R-Fr. 6-2 215 Jr. 6-4 265 R-So. 6-4 255 R-Sr. 6-4 260 R-Fr. 6-0 265 R-Sr. 6-3 245 R-Jr. 6-1 230 R-So. 5-11 215 R-So. 6-0 215 R-Jr. 6-2 225 R-So. 5-11 210 R-Sr. 5-11 215 R-Sr. 6-0 220 Jr. 5-11 165 Sr. 5-11 180 R-Jr. 5-9 185 Jr. 5-11 180 R-Fr. 6-2 180 R-Jr. 6-1 205 R-Sr. 6-0 180 R-Fr. 5-9 160
Specialists K or P LS
68 46 41 77 44 63
Graham Sharples Cameron Starke* David Skahn** Michael Goodman Chris Beaver Thomas Hughett
* JMU Letters
R-Fr. R-So. R-Jr. R-Fr. R-So. R-Fr.
5-10 5-10 6-2 5-10 6-2 n/a
150 155 175 165 240 n/a