Picture courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications
By Bennett Conlin
When D'Angelo Ponds entered the switch window, JMU's secondary grew to become a obtrusive concern. Head coach Bob Chesney and the JMU workers labored shortly to fill the place group voids, with 50 p.c of the staff's spring switch being defensive backs.
As of June 5, JMU added 10 gamers by the spring switch portal window. 5 of them are defensive backs. Clearly, Chesney noticed the necessity for enchancment within the place.
The Dukes added three FCS/D2 transfers – Ja'Kai Younger from Gardner-Webb, Jordan Taylor from Tusculum (D2) and Ray Williams from Howard. In addition they added two FBS transfers in Chris Shearin from UConn and Rayquan Adkins from Cincinnati.
Seemingly roles
On paper, Younger, Williams and Shearin appear the almost certainly to earn speedy taking part in time.
Younger earned All-Convention honors in 2023, recording 41 tackles and a pair of interceptions. With Ponds gone, Younger has a transparent path to taking part in time. He's a stable athlete who is smart as a possible beginning cornerback. JMU's cornerback room has no confirmed returners outdoors of junior Chauncey Logan.
Shearin was extraordinarily productive at UConn when wholesome, recording 82 tackles and 4 interceptions over the previous two seasons. He’s a stable participant with a number of seasons of FBS expertise.
Like Shearin and Younger, Williams involves JMU with a confirmed historical past of success in school soccer. He was a key participant for Howard when wholesome, recording 47 tackles final season. He confirmed up in opposition to FBS foes, posting eight tackles in opposition to Northwestern and grabbing an interception in opposition to Japanese Michigan.
All three gamers come to JMU of their closing yr of eligibility, that means they possible determine to see the sector.
Taylor has velocity on the monitor—actually, he competed for Tusculum in each soccer and monitor—however his contributions could also be most evident on particular groups. He's able to cracking the secondary rotation, however possible has his work reduce out for him in opposition to elevated competitors and given the opposite confirmed switch additions.
Adkins may begin in his first yr with JMU, however with three years of eligibility remaining and minimal taking part in time in Cincinnati, he's possible a aggressive depth piece in 2024 with a sensible objective of beginning in 2025.
May a kind of 5 gamers, all of whom have cornerback expertise, make it to security? The Dukes now seemingly have considerable depth at cornerback, however an absence of expertise at security.
Of the 5 gamers, Williams appears like essentially the most pure match at security. He tracks the ball nicely and tackles nicely, and a few of his greatest highlights come when he reads a quarterback's eyes in zone protection.
Potential beginning unit
Let's check out the potential beginning secondary for JMU with some doable defensive appears in thoughts.
4 defensive backs:
CB – Chauncey Logan
CB – Chris Shearin
S – Jacob Thomas
S – Ray Williams
5 defensive backs:
CB – Chauncey Logan
CB – Chris Shearin
CB/Rover – Ja'Kai Younger
S – Jacob Thomas
S – Ray Williams
At security, redshirt freshman Evan Spivey and true freshmen Chase Regan and KJ Flowe ought to be within the combine for beginning roles. There ought to be ample defensive again competitors throughout fall camp, with the place group maybe essentially the most intriguing getting into the season.
JMU's protection was probably the greatest statistically in school soccer final season, however the secondary was the one clear weak point. JMU allowed 14 passing video games of 40 or extra yards in 2023, tied for 120th nationally. The Dukes struggled to cease explosive passing video games final fall, and the secondary might want to step up for JMU to make the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
Fortuitously for JMU followers, Chesney revamped the secondary by the spring portal session. A gaggle seemingly missing in aggressive depth a month in the past has grow to be one of the crucial aggressive on the whole roster getting into fall camp.