Anyone who has ever scrutinized James Madison University’s offense knows about the exotic formations the Dukes have hit teams with. The unorthodox system has hit opponents with a concoction of RPO (run-pass option) and spread offense looks, as head coach Curt Cignetti has piled up 41 wins at JMU.
But as the Dukes elevated to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) ranks last season after consistently being a major player for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) national title, JMU now faces question marks at one of the more pivotal parts of its multiple offenses: The wide receivers. With only two seniors on the 2023 roster, Cignetti provided an update on Monday as fall camp pressed on.
JMU Wide Receivers: Competition Starting to Surface With Younger Group of Wideouts
Last season’s Dukes saw a pair of seven-touchdown leaders in Kris Thornton and Devin Ravenel; both are gone.
Including redshirts, the Dukes will feature seven freshmen on the perimeter this fall when JMU heads into the Sun Belt Conference, making them already one of the younger groups of wideouts in the “Fun Belt.”
MORE: Sun Belt WR Rankings, 2023
Cignetti, however, didn’t really look at the youth of the position, but rather how they’ve made the WR room one of the more competitive ones during fall camp.
“The good thing about that room is that we have competition,” Cignetti said. “And when you have competition, it brings out the best in everyone. So, I see good things going on out there.”
Cignetti is so impressed by the competitive nature of the WR room that he admits, “I wish we had more competition at a couple of other positions. You know, but maybe we’ll develop it.”
Who Has Stood Out in Harrisonburg?
Again, by losing Thornton and Ravenel in their wide-open attack, the Dukes not only lose two targets who collaborated for 14 touchdowns but additionally lose their 1,000-yard WR in the former, and the latter averaged more than 13 yards a catch last season.
Cignetti, though, has been impressed with one returner from the vaunted attack: Reggie Brown, who finished second on the team in receiving yards with 401.
“I think Reggie’s done a nice job,” Cignetti said. “But you expect him to.”
The veteran coach added how Brown has beaten coverages plenty of times in practices but hasn’t always been fed the football.
“You know, he’s been open a few times and we haven’t gone to him. But he’s the veteran of the group,” Cignetti said.
Brown isn’t the only one who’s won praise from Cignetti. A non-receiver but one heavily involved in the offense has impressed Cignetti so far and is another veteran.
“I like what Vanhorse has done,” Cignetti said, referencing versatile running back Solomon Vanhorse, who caught six passes for 86 yards last season. “He’s a veteran who was on the team in ’18 (Vanhorse is one of at least five players who were at JMU before Cignetti’s arrival).”
Who’s New at JMU This Fall?
Here’s who’s helping get the Dukes to reload in the aerial attack this season:
Max Moss: Starred at Archbishop Spalding in Brooklyn Park, Maryland. Earned First-Team All-Metro honors by the Washington Post in 2022 after catching 72 passes for 1,416 yards and 21 touchdowns his senior season.
The 6’0″, 180-pounder was also offered by Navy (parents served for their military service) and Ohio of the FBS, according to 247Sports.
Ibrahim Barry: He’s another Maryland star, but ended with All-State honors out of North County High in Baltimore. Was also a three-time Most Valuable Player at his high school. Scored a combined 19 touchdowns in his final two prep seasons and brings astonishing size at 6’5″, 200-pounds.
Taji Hudson: He brings past FBS experience via East Carolina — where he was mostly a special teamer. Also has a past background as a quarterback and brings towering size at 6’4″.
Phoenix Sproles: He’s gotten a taste of the FCS level — but with renowned powerhouse North Dakota State. Sproles leaves the Bison with 61 career catches for 888 yards and five touchdowns.
The 5’11” option additionally delivered 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns playing in a near identical RPO attack.
Rykin Maxwell: Star from “Queen City,” the Charlotte, North Carolina native earned MVP honors at his alma mater North Mecklenburg. The 6’2″ option additionally was a track and field sprinter.
Chris Lofton: An All-Region selection from Columbia, South Carolina, the 5’10”, 173-pound potential slot option led A.C. Flora High to the 2020 State 4A title game, then the 4A semifinals two seasons later.
Along with catching 59 passes for 904 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns, he broke up eight passes on defense per MaxPreps.
Yamir Knight: The 5’8″, 182-pound option out of Smyrna, Delaware was the 2022 Class 3A Offensive Player of the Year after scoring 26 combined touchdowns running and receiving, plus threw three touchdowns. Furthermore, JMU is getting the state of Delaware’s Gatorade Player of the Year from the 2022-23 season.
