Johnson and Ratke Selected to 2021 FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team

CLEVELAND – James Madison football seniors Cole Johnson and Ethan Ratke were both selected to the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team, as announced by the organization this week.

Additionally, Johnson was honored as one of nine finalists for the 21st annual FCS ADA $5,000 Postgraduate Scholarship, which will be granted to a pair of student-athletes. This is the second straight season Johnson has been a finalist for that award.

They were two of 50 student-athletes from the FCS to earn Academic All-Star status for the 2021 season out of a pool of 113 nominees.

Johnson completed his cyber intelligence postgraduate program in December with a 3.427 GPA, and Ratke holds a 3.712 GPA while pursuing his master's degree in public administration.

JMU now has seven all-time FCS ADA Academic All-Star honors, and this is the second straight season two Dukes have been recognized in the same season after Johnson and J.T. Timming earned accolades in the spring.

Football players from all FCS institutions are eligible for the award. Each of the nominees were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or key player with legitimate athletics credentials.

They must have reached their second year of athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. They also must have participated in 50 percent (50%) of the games played at their designated position.

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