19 to Join JMU Football
February 4, 2010 • By Matt OToole, Contributing Writer
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Think two is better than one? JMU football coach Mickey Matthews thinks so, as two quarterbacks from Texas headline the 2010 recruiting class on National Signing Day, which includes 19 commits.
“I think the overriding issue, we felt like, going on during recruiting and throughout the season was the play at quarterback, and we really think we got two guys that attract us.”
Matthews said that in mid-November he and his staff didn’t have many prospects at quarterback, so he picked up the phone and called down to his home state of Texas.
“I contacted my friends in Texas and got a list and went through their film, and these two guys really jumped off the page in terms of athletic ability,” Matthews said. “We got some evaluations from the summer camps they had been to and decided to go after them.”
Jace Edwards (Midland, Texas, Robert E. Lee) is a dual-threat quarterback that started three years at Robert E. Lee. He was All-District his senior year, scoring 26 touchdowns, 14 on the ground and 12 by air.
“Jace is a guy that can run and throw,” Matthews said. “The more you watch him, the more comfortable he is in the shotgun.”
Edwards is from the west Texas area, just 30 miles outside of Matthews’ hometown Andrews, Texas.
“People don’t recruit West Texas like they used to,” Matthews said. “We were amazed that Jace was not heavily recruited which was good for James Madison.”
The other quarterback, Henry Hunter (Garland, Texas, Sachse High).
Matthews was able to lock down two heavily recruited players, running back Dejor Simmons (Virginia Beach, Va., Green Run) and wide receiver Anthony Rose (Amherst, Va., Amherst).
Simmons was first team all-region, all-district and all-Tidewater, while racking up 1,600 yards and 25 touchdowns his senior season.
“He’s a guy that can run and make you miss,” Matthews said. “He actually came to our campus, and we knew he was heavily recruited, but at the end of the day he was positive with us, signed with us.”
Also heavily recruited and familiar to the program is Anthony Rose, brother of JMU football players Jon and Peter Rose.
“Most people think he’s a defensive player, but he wants to play wide receiver which is fine with us,” Matthews said. “He’s a top-10 looking guy with a great physical stature.”
The Dukes were able to recruit one standout hometown player, defensive back Kyle Linn from Turner Ashby. Weighing only 185 pounds, Matthews credits his worth ethic and hard play.
“Kyle can make tackles,” Matthews said. “He is real thin, but we have already seen progression and his ability to get stronger in the weight room.”
The Dukes totaled up10 state players and others from Texas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
contact Matt O’Toole at otooleee@gmail.com
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