Vad Lee Finalist For Dudley Award As State's Top Division I Player

HARRISONBURG, Virginia - James Madison redshirt-junior quarterback Vad Lee (Durham, N.C./Hillside (Georgia Tech)) has been named a finalist for the Bill Dudley Award, the Richmond Times-Dispatch announced today. The award will be given to the best Division I football player in Virginia by The Touchdown Club of Richmond and the Richmond Times-Dispatch at a banquet Wednesday night (Dec. 10).

A Second Team All-Colonial Athletic Association pick and fourth in the Walter Payton Award balloting as the FCS outstanding player, Lee had a record-setting season after transferring in the spring to JMU and leading the most prolific offense in the league. Lee set new single-season school records in passing completions (282), attempts (465), yards (3,462) and touchdowns (30) as well as total offense (4,288 yards). A three-time CAA Offensive Player of the Week pick, he set the single-game passing record twice this year, becoming the first-ever JMU player to surpass the 400-yard mark with 406 at Villanova Sept. 20 before extending it with 433 yards in the 55-20 victory at then No. 14-Richmond, Nov. 15. Lee threw for more than 300 yards in five contests and had a streak of six games with at least 250 passing yards. Lee also did it on the ground, ranking ninth in the league at 63.5 yards per game and a team-high nine rushing touchdowns on the season. He set a personal collegiate career-best with 174 rushing yards against Saint Francis, also the team season-high mark. He led the Dukes to a 9-4 record overall, 6-2 and third place in the CAA and the program's first berth in the FCS playoffs since 2011.

Lee is joined as a finalist by quarterback Taylor Heinicke of Old Dominion and cornerback Kendall Fuller of Virginia Tech. Last year's winner was former JMU linebacker Stephon Robertson.

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