Ah February. Football maybe over but with all of the bells and whistles put in to make the offseason seem a lot shorter, it seems okay that we already begin talking about next season now.
To start off, JMU coach Mickey Matthews (above) has decided to stay in Harrisonburg. There were rumors floating around that he was leaving to help the University of South Alabama build up its team. Reports were that he was offered substantially more money than JMU was willing to give him but that JMU struck a deal to keep him. I am not sure how true this is but I am glad to hear that he will be sticking with the Dukes for the forseeable future. Article from JMU’s newspaper here.
Here’s a great way to start too: the fact that the 2008 college football schedules and signees have been released. Here’s JMU’s:
| Sat, Aug 30 | Duke | at Durham, N.C. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Sep 06 | North Carolina Central | Harrisonburg, Va. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Sep 13 | Massachusetts * | Harrisonburg, Va. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Sep 20 | Appalachian State | Harrisonburg, Va. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Sep 27 | Maine * | at Orono, Maine | TBA | ||
| Sat, Oct 04 | Hofstra (Family Weekend) * | Harrisonburg, Va. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Oct 11 | Richmond * | at Richmond, Va. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Oct 18 | Open Date | . | |||
| Sat, Oct 25 | Villanova * | at Villanova, Pa. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Nov 01 | Delaware (Homecoming) * | Harrisonburg, Va. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Nov 08 | Open Date | . | |||
| Sat, Nov 15 | William & Mary * | Harrisonburg, Va. | TBA | ||
| Sat, Nov 22 | Towson * | at Towson, Md. | TBA |
It is definitely the toughest schedule JMU has had that I can remember. Opening against an ACC opponent (although one could argue that Duke should be a I-AA program) and home games against the two national championship contenders last year and UMass? That’s insane not to mention we have to go to Villanova and Richmond as well. Keep in mind that tickets do go on sale March 1st so get them while you can.
Also, JMU announced that 14 high schoolers/transfers have signed with the squad.
Acker, Corwin – Fr. – RB – 5-10 – 199 – Landover, Md. – James Hubert Blake
Akuak, Lue – Fr. – DL/OL – 6-3 – 270 – Fort Belvoir, Va. – Hayfield/Fork Union
Barlow, Brian – Fr. – TE – 6-4 – 215 – Stephens City, Va. – Sherando
Beaver, Chris – Fr. – LS/TE – Mooresville, N.C. – Mooresville
Cuffee, Taveion – Fr. – DB – 5-11 – 180 – Virginia Beach, Va. – First Colonial/Fork Union
Harper, Aaron – Fr. – RB/LB – 6-2 – 228 – Fredericksburg, Va. – Courtland
Johnson, Josh – Fr. – LB – 6-2 – 220 – Forestville, Md – St. Johns/Fork Union
Reed, Aaron – Fr. – OL – 6-5 – 310 – Linville, Va. – Broadway
Reynolds, Lee – Fr.- RB – 5-10 – 190 – Baltimore, Md. – Baltimore Poly Tech
Thorpe, Justin – Fr. – QB – 6-2 – 208 – Richmond, Va. – Varina
Veney, Jamie – Fr. – LB – 6-3 – 215 – Kilmarnock, Va. – Lancaster/Fork Union
Watford, Earl – Fr. – OL – 6-5 – 275 – Philadelphia, Pa. – Simon Gratz
Williams, Chase – Fr. – LB – 5-11 – 215 – Gaithersburg, Md. – Northwest
Williams, Richard – Fr. – OL – 6-3 – 290 – Danville, Va. – George Washington
Mickey is apparently very high on Thorpe from Richmond (“He was our No. 1 quarterback target from the time he attended our summer camp.”) which translated in Mickey terms means Rodney Landers is on a tight leash this year. If he starts throwing the ball the way he did last year, Mickey will not hesitate to bench him and I will be the first to bless that decision. Thanks to JMUSports.com for both the schedule and signees listings.
Filed under: FCS, JMU/CAA | Tagged: 2008, Football, JMU, Matthews, Mickey, Schedule, Signees
