2012 OUTLOOK XX Preseason Personnel Breakdown Players listed by 2011 positions 2011 Starters in Bold
Lettermen Returning (46) Offense (21) Wide Receiver
Tight End Tackle Guard Center Quarterback Fullback Tailback
Renard Robinson, Daniel Brown, Andre Coble, Ryan Dixon, Arlandis Harvey, Quintin Hunter #, De’Andre Smith Brian Barlow A.J. Scott, Josh Wells, Matt Cunningham, Earl Watford, Scott Jones #, Austin Lane, Matt Williams None Justin Thorpe None Dae’Quan Scott, Jordan Anderson, Ron Gordon, Jauan Latney, Dejor Simmons
Defense (22) Tackle End
Linebacker Cornerback Safety
Jordan Stanton, Josh Hogan, Bingham Togia Tyler Snow, Adrian Cavanaugh, Sage Harold, Aaron Harper, Brandon Lee, Sean O’Neill # Stephon Robertson, Chad Byers, Chase Williams Leavander Jones, Daniel Allen, Corey Davis, Marquis Woodyard Jakarie Jackson, Dean Marlowe, Eric Magruder, Peter Rose, Ryan Smith, Isaiah Wright
Specialists (3) Punter Kickoffs Long Snapper
David Skahn Cameron Starke Chris Beaver
Lettermen Lost (17) Offense (8) Wide Receiver Tight End Quarterback Tailback Tackle Center
Kerby Long, Kavon Seaton # Jonathan Sharp Jace Edwards Lee Reynolds Matt Krout, Drew Holmes Roane Babington
LINEBACKERS The linebacking corps is anchored by redshirt-junior and two-year starter Stephon Robertson. A Third Team Preseason All-American by The Sports Network, Robertson led the Dukes in tackles last year with 113 and earned First Team All-CAA honors. This year, he is expected to continue making an impact for JMU and on opponents in every game. “Stephon is going to be a four-year starter by the time he finishes and just makes a lot of plays for us,” Matthews said. “He doesn’t have the best numbers in terms of tackles because, with the quality players surrounding him, we don’t ask him to make every play and tackle like some other teams ask of their linebackers. He is the premier linebacker in the nation, in my opinion, because of the things he does game in and game out.” Chase Williams is slated to start at the other linebacker position following the graduation of four-year starter Pat Williams. Williams will battle with redshirt-senior Jamie Veney and redshirt-freshman Kevin Byrne for the weakside slot, while redshirt-senior Chad Byers and redshirt-freshman Ascene Jacques will be behind Robertson. “Chase played well this spring and we will see how he does, as we have been waiting to see how he comes on this year. We are anxious to get Jamie back in the mix this year, as he has been injured for most of the last two seasons. He is healthy now, going into his senior year, and has a lot of potential that we hope to see come out this year. “Ascene played better each day as the spring drills went on,” Matthews continued. “He could be a great linebacker for us over the years if he continues to progress like he did in the spring. Kevin will also be in the mix for playing time after a solid off season, while Chad has also been a solid contributor both as a linebacker and special teams player and we look forward to that continuing in his senior year. It wouldn’t surprise me, though, if one of our true freshmen works their way into the mix during the fall workouts heading into the season.”
SAFETIES
Defense (9) Tackle End Linebacker Cornerback Safety
at defensive end and is very solid on the outside, doing everything right as a good football player does,” Matthews continued. “The two young defensive ends, Sage Harold and Brandon Lee, both have tremendous potential and improved over the spring drills. We also need Adrian Cavanaugh and Christian Norton to step up and contribute at defensive end to give us the depth we want throughout the year.” At tackle, the Dukes will look to redshirt-juniors Sean O’Neill and Jordan Stanton to anchor the outside of the line. Stanton was fourth among defensive linemen with 29 tackles, while O’Neill suffered a season-ending injury in the home opener but has returned to his previous form. Several others will look to work into the mix, as Matthews would like to find a good rotation to keep them fresh and effective throughout the game. “We lost Sean O’Neill in the second game to an ACL injury and that really hurt us, but he has worked hard to get back into playing condition and could be a major factor in the fall,” Matthews said. “Jordan Stanton can be as good as he wants to be at 6-6, 280 Cameron Starke pounds and running in the 4.6 on the 40-yard dash. He is a great prospect and could be a force on the line this fall. Alex Mosley really grew as a true freshman on the scout team, earning the team’s Defensive Scout Player of the Year award, and he continued that development in the spring. He will be in the mix for action from the start, as will Bingham Togia. Isaiah Hamlette is a transfer from Virginia Tech and we are interested to see how he could fit on the line.”
Lamar Middleton, Anthony McDaniel D.J. Bryant Vidal Nelson, Pat Williams Mike Allen, Taveion Cuffee, RIcky Nichols Jon Rose
Specialists (0) # 2010 Letterman Without 2011 Letter: OG Scott Jones, WR Quintin Hunter, WR Kavon Seaton, DE Sean O’Neill
JMU returns two starters among the safeties as senior Jakarie Jackson is back at weak safety and redshirt-sophomore Dean Marlowe will once again be the free safety. The pair made impact plays as Jackson was fifth on the team with 49 tackles, while Marlowe led the squad and tied for sixth in the CAA with four interceptions. The duo will again be the anchors in the deep part of the secondary for Madison. “Our returning safeties are definitely among the top in the conference if not the nation, as Jakarie is in his fourth year as a starter and Dean started as a redshirt freshman and was All-CAA,” Matthews said. “Jakarie hasn’t gotten the recognition I think he deserves, as I think he is underrated for what he does for our defense. He has battled through some injuries from time-to-time, which has limited some of his productivity. However when we grade the tapes on Sunday, he always is one of our
2012 2011 JMU JMU Football Football -- 10 10
Jakarie Jackson