JMU Football returned to practice on Friday to begin the 2018 season. The Dukes were forced onto the surface at Bridgeforth Stadium by Thursday’s downpours which left the practice fields soaked. The Dukes were lively and energetic for the start of what is hoped to be a season that ends with a National Championship in January. Here are a few observations from the first practice:

Quarterbacks-

I feel pretty confident in saying no quarterback separated from the others on Friday. Cole Johnson, Ben DiNucci, & Gage Moloney each looked crisp, were giving their Wide Outs, Tight Ends, and Running Backs chances to catch the ball and showed good accuracy down field. All 3 fit the pigskin into tight windows and had good connections in the different periods of practice. So the competition continues.

Running Backs-

We got our first look at Cardon Johnson since week 3 of last season, and physically he looks so much bigger. He looked the part he always has and still with that million-dollar smile. We also got our first look at Jawon Hamilton, the transfer from UCF. It didn’t take long to see that he has an explosion about him when he runs.

Receivers and Ends-

Whoever is throwing the ball for JMU has a nice deep pool of guys to choose from in these two groups. Senior David Eldridge showed an even quicker first step, and twists and turns to free himself. Riley Stapleton made several terrific catches along the sidelines in traffic. Newcomer EJ Morgan, and Jake Brown also displayed some nice plays.

O-Line-

Big numbers, big guys, and big upside. The coaching staff used several different versions of the O-Line on Friday, and as long as their health stays strong, depth shouldn’t be an issue. This group was challenged to more physical and seemed to respond.

Defensive Line-

Ron’Dell Carter was getting to the football; you could tell he missed this. Carter is ready to help lead this unit to the dominance of last year.  And he’s got nice pieces to work with, Wake Forest Transfer Paris Black, John Daka, Mike Green, Adeeb Atariwa, Matt Terrell and Darrious Carter are a few names that fans should know if they don’t already.

Linebackers-

They’re bigger for sure. Dimitri Holloway, Landon Word, and Bryce Maginley were visibly bigger from a distance. Tabb Patrick had a nice interception and was very active. Curtis Oliver worked with the outside backers which should give him a chance to be on the field more, and if the past has proven anything, that will be good for JMU.

Cornerbacks and Safeties

At CB, the usual players were patrolling the outside. Jimmy Moreland with a couple of really nice reads that led to INT’s, and Rashad Robinson breaking up passes headlined the play on Friday.

At Safety, the coaches used a blend of several guys as there’s a true competition at that spot. Ohio State transfer Wayne Davis, Grant Westbrook, D’Angelo Amos and Adam Smith were in the rotation on the back end.

Now, I’ve highlighted some good plays, and several players, but it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. There were dropped passes, missed reads, freshman looking lost at times and lots of encouragement at high volumes from the coaching staff throughout the day. But overall, there was effort, and as Cardon Johnson told me after practice, you can fix the X’s and O’s if guys are giving effort. The effort was there for practice #1. I’ll update soon, and we’ll see if 2018 JMU Football can maintain that level.