Four Former Dukes Begin Play in 2023 USFL Season this Weekend

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Four former James Madison football student-athletes are set to compete in the USFL 2023 season, which kicks off this weekend.

The list of Dukes includes defensive lineman Ron'Dell Carter (2017-19), wide receiver Rashard Davis (2013-16), wide receiver Ishmael Hyman (2017-19) and quarterback Vad Lee (2014-15).

Carter and Hyman will be teammates on the Michigan Panthers, while Davis will play for the Memphis Showboats and Lee will suit up for the Philadelphia Stars.

Carter is debuting in the USFL after spending three seasons in the NFL for six different teams. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020 by the Dallas Cowboys and was a 53-man roster member for the Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. Carter was a 2019 All-American, runner-up for the Stats Perform Buck Buchanan Award and voted CAA Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.

Davis is in his second season with the league, having played the 2022 season on the Tampa Bay Bandits. A member of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl LII championship team, Davis competed for five NFL teams (2017-20, 2022), which included being an active roster member of the Tennessee Titans. He also was part of the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2021. While at JMU, Davis was a 2016 All-American and CAA Special Teams Player of the Year, setting a JMU single-season record with four punt returns for a touchdown.

Hyman is back with the USFL's Panthers for the second straight season. He's played in three different professional leagues, beginning his career with the Alliance of American Football's Orlando Apollos (2019) before appearing with four different NFL squads (2019-22). In 2019, Hyman was activated to the 53-man roster with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At JMU, Hyman went over 1,000 career receiving yards and scored 11 touchdowns.

Lee is also returning for his second season of USFL football after quarterbacking the Pittsburgh Maulers a year ago. He has competed for the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders (2016) and the BC Lions (2023) while also being an offseason member of the DC Defenders in XFL 2.0 in 2020. Lee additionally has played for the Columbus Lions (2018), an indoor football team and the TSL Alphas (2021) of The Spring League. Lee was a two-time Bill Dudley Award winner and a 2014 All-American for the Dukes.

Games will be played at four locations during the season, including Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn., Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, and Ford Field in Detroit, Mich.

The 2023 USFL season features 10 regular-season games for every teams. Throughout the spring and summer, fans can catch the USFL on FOX, NBC, Peacock, USA and FS1.

This year's opener features Lee and Davis on opposite sides, as the Stars face the Showboats in Memphis on Saturday, April 15 at 4:30 p.m. on FOX. On Sunday, April 16, Carter and Hyman will also play in Memphis, as the Panthers take on the Houston Gamblers.

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