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JMU Adds Three FBS Transfers for 2017 Season
6/13/2017 10:30:00 AM | Football
HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison Head Coach Mike Houston announced Tuesday the addition of three transfers players to the football program in defensive lineman Ron'Dell Carter, wide receiver David Eldridge and linebacker Landan Word.
All three come to Harrisonburg after spending last season at Football Bowl Subdivision programs, and each will be eligible to play immediately. Eldridge will have two years of playing eligibility remaining, while both Carter and Word will have three years.
Name: Ron'Dell Carter
Year: R-So.
Position: Defensive Lineman
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 275
Hometown / High School: Baltimore, Md. / Long Reach
Previous School: Rutgers (Big Ten)
Highlights: Carter transfers to JMU after spending the previous two seasons, including a redshirt year, at Rutgers from the Big Ten. He appeared in five games last season, making two tackles, including a 0.5 tackle for loss and 0.5 sack. He recorded his first collegiate tackle at Ohio State and later registered his half-sack in the regular-season finale at Maryland. After the season, Carter was named to the Academic All-Big Ten list. Prior to Rutgers, Carter was a three-star recruit and top-30 player out of the state of Maryland while playing for Long Reach High School. Carter is the younger brother of JMU rising redshirt junior linebacker Robert Carter Jr.
Coach Houston's Take: "Ron'Dell is just a really outstanding young man. He's the younger brother of Robert Carter, which carries a lot of weight for us because of the kind of young man Robert is. Ron'Dell is a very talented athlete, and he is going to be a great addition to our defensive line."
Name: David Eldridge
Year: Jr.
Position: Wide Receiver
Height / Weight: 6-1 / 180
Hometown / High School: Bealeton, Va. / Kettle Run
Previous School: Virginia (ACC)
Highlights: Eldridge comes to JMU after playing two seasons at Virginia from the ACC. He appeared in 18 career games, making two starts for the Cavaliers. During his time in Charlottesville, he made 10 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-long 84-yard catch as a sophomore. Last season, Eldridge had eight catches for 177 yards and a pair of scores, averaging 22.1 yards per reception. His 2016 campaign included a career-high 112 receiving yards at Duke. He also tallied a pair of catches for 88 yards in 2015, including a season-best 45-yard reception versus Duke. His first career catch came on a 43-yard pick-up against William & Mary. As a prep, Eldridge was a three-star recruit at Kettle Run High School where he was a receiver, defensive back and returner.
Coach Houston's Take: "David is a very talented wide receiver and fits an area of need for our returning skilled players on offense. He has done a really good job since getting here of trying to fit in with the returning offensive players."
Name: Landan Word
Year: So.
Position: Linebacker
Height / Weight: 6-5 / 245
Hometown / High School: Vienna, Va. / Bishop O'Connell
Previous School: Virginia (ACC)
Highlights: Word spent one season at Virginia out of the ACC, appearing in 11 games with two starts as a freshman. He tallied 21 total tackles (14 solo), to go with 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one fumble recovery and a pass breakup. In his first collegiate start against No. 5 Louisville, he recorded five tackles, as well as a tackle for loss and pass breakup. Word made a season-best six tackles, to go with a sack and fumble recovery, at Virginia Tech, and also made four stops with his first career sack against No. 22 North Carolina. Prior to UVa, Word was a three-star recruit out of Bishop O'Connell High School who played both linebacker and tight end.
Coach Houston's Take: "I'm excited to have a talented young player to grow in our defense, and we expect really big things from Landan in the future."
The Dukes open the 2017 season, presented by CarMax, on Saturday, Sept. 2 when they travel to Greenville, N.C., to face East Carolina. Kickoff is set for a 6 p.m. start on ESPN3. To purchase season tickets for the 2017 JMU football season, visit JMUTickets.com, call 540-568-3853 or visit the JMU athletics ticket office at the Convocation Center.
"I'm really excited about our roster," Houston said. "We were able to have some players available who fit some needs to strengthen our depth and add to the returning players we have. I feel really, really good about where our roster is at this point in the summer. They're training extremely hard. We are in a different place from where we were at this point a year ago with the way our guys are preparing for the season. It makes me really excited for fall camp and to see what the 2017 Dukes are going to be."
All three come to Harrisonburg after spending last season at Football Bowl Subdivision programs, and each will be eligible to play immediately. Eldridge will have two years of playing eligibility remaining, while both Carter and Word will have three years.
Name: Ron'Dell Carter
Year: R-So.
Position: Defensive Lineman
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 275
Hometown / High School: Baltimore, Md. / Long Reach
Previous School: Rutgers (Big Ten)
Highlights: Carter transfers to JMU after spending the previous two seasons, including a redshirt year, at Rutgers from the Big Ten. He appeared in five games last season, making two tackles, including a 0.5 tackle for loss and 0.5 sack. He recorded his first collegiate tackle at Ohio State and later registered his half-sack in the regular-season finale at Maryland. After the season, Carter was named to the Academic All-Big Ten list. Prior to Rutgers, Carter was a three-star recruit and top-30 player out of the state of Maryland while playing for Long Reach High School. Carter is the younger brother of JMU rising redshirt junior linebacker Robert Carter Jr.
Coach Houston's Take: "Ron'Dell is just a really outstanding young man. He's the younger brother of Robert Carter, which carries a lot of weight for us because of the kind of young man Robert is. Ron'Dell is a very talented athlete, and he is going to be a great addition to our defensive line."
Name: David Eldridge
Year: Jr.
Position: Wide Receiver
Height / Weight: 6-1 / 180
Hometown / High School: Bealeton, Va. / Kettle Run
Previous School: Virginia (ACC)
Highlights: Eldridge comes to JMU after playing two seasons at Virginia from the ACC. He appeared in 18 career games, making two starts for the Cavaliers. During his time in Charlottesville, he made 10 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-long 84-yard catch as a sophomore. Last season, Eldridge had eight catches for 177 yards and a pair of scores, averaging 22.1 yards per reception. His 2016 campaign included a career-high 112 receiving yards at Duke. He also tallied a pair of catches for 88 yards in 2015, including a season-best 45-yard reception versus Duke. His first career catch came on a 43-yard pick-up against William & Mary. As a prep, Eldridge was a three-star recruit at Kettle Run High School where he was a receiver, defensive back and returner.
Coach Houston's Take: "David is a very talented wide receiver and fits an area of need for our returning skilled players on offense. He has done a really good job since getting here of trying to fit in with the returning offensive players."
Name: Landan Word
Year: So.
Position: Linebacker
Height / Weight: 6-5 / 245
Hometown / High School: Vienna, Va. / Bishop O'Connell
Previous School: Virginia (ACC)
Highlights: Word spent one season at Virginia out of the ACC, appearing in 11 games with two starts as a freshman. He tallied 21 total tackles (14 solo), to go with 3.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, one fumble recovery and a pass breakup. In his first collegiate start against No. 5 Louisville, he recorded five tackles, as well as a tackle for loss and pass breakup. Word made a season-best six tackles, to go with a sack and fumble recovery, at Virginia Tech, and also made four stops with his first career sack against No. 22 North Carolina. Prior to UVa, Word was a three-star recruit out of Bishop O'Connell High School who played both linebacker and tight end.
Coach Houston's Take: "I'm excited to have a talented young player to grow in our defense, and we expect really big things from Landan in the future."
The Dukes open the 2017 season, presented by CarMax, on Saturday, Sept. 2 when they travel to Greenville, N.C., to face East Carolina. Kickoff is set for a 6 p.m. start on ESPN3. To purchase season tickets for the 2017 JMU football season, visit JMUTickets.com, call 540-568-3853 or visit the JMU athletics ticket office at the Convocation Center.
"I'm really excited about our roster," Houston said. "We were able to have some players available who fit some needs to strengthen our depth and add to the returning players we have. I feel really, really good about where our roster is at this point in the summer. They're training extremely hard. We are in a different place from where we were at this point a year ago with the way our guys are preparing for the season. It makes me really excited for fall camp and to see what the 2017 Dukes are going to be."
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