Birdsong considering return to JMU
HARRISONBURG — Former James Madison quarterback Michael Birdsong has one season of college eligibility remaining.
The Marshall University rising senior, who threw for 2,728 yards and 22 touchdowns at JMU in 2013, has left the door open for a return to Harrisonburg.
In a text message this week, Birdsong said he’s considering JMU as a potential landing spot should he leave the Thundering Herd. He transferred out of Madison in the spring of 2014.
“I’m still battling it out for the starting job at Marshall with a talented young QB who stepped in after my injury last year but yes I am exploring my options and JMU is one of them,” Birdsong wrote in a text message.
Birdsong — a Matoaca High School graduate who sat out the 2014 season due to NCAA transfer rules — suffered a shoulder injury in Marshall’s 2015 season opener against Purdue. He played through the injury the next week in a loss to Ohio, the Huntington, W.Va., Herald-Dispatch reported, but was benched in favor of freshman Chase Litton for the remainder of the year.
Birdsong and Litton competed for the quarterback job again this spring, though Litton is expected to be the starter this fall, Marshall coach Doc Holliday recently told reporters, according to the Charleston Gazette-Mail.
The 6-foot-5, 241-pound Birdsong — who was recruited to Madison by ex-coach Mickey Matthews — would be eligible to play immediately for an FCS program. He left Madison after the conclusion of spring practice in 2014, months after former Georgia Tech quarterback Vad Lee transferred to JMU. The Dukes went on to win 18 games and made back-to-back playoff appearances with Lee as a two-year starter.
Ex-JMU coach Everett Withers — who bolted for Texas State in January — initially blocked Birdsong from transferring to several lower-level FBS programs; Marshall was not on that list. Birdsong appealed the restrictions, and a committee of James Madison faculty members overruled several of Withers’ blocked schools.
It is unclear whether there are still hard feelings between Birdsong, who never played a game under Withers, and James Madison’s administration after how the quarterback’s departure unfolded.
Birdsong did not respond to an interview request seeking further comment.
New JMU coach Mike Houston was hired in January.
When asked Wednesday about adding Birdsong or any other transfer quarterbacks, Houston said he’s been contacted by “several” QBs, but did not speak about specific players. Houston also did not say if Madison is interested in bringing in a quarterback to bolster its depth at the position.
The Dukes went through the spring with just one scholarship quarterback — rising junior Bryan Schor. Three other quarterbacks are expected to join the team this summer: junior-college transfer Mack Waldman and incoming freshmen DJ Daniels and Cole Johnson.
In his four starts last year, Schor completed 63 percent of his 111 attempts for 847 yards and seven touchdowns, with only one interception. The Dukes went 2-2 in those games. A functional runner, he tallied 276 yards and four scores on 78 carries as well.
“I think each year you’ve got to take a look at what your needs are and take a look at what’s available,” Houston said of transfers in general. “If you can find someone that fits what you need, I think that you can use guys like that to a degree.
“If you find the right guy, he can make an impact. I’m not saying we’re going to have any this year; I’m not saying that we’re not. I think every year you’ve got to evaluate and you’ve got to look.”
As JMU's full-time starting quarterback under Matthews in 2013, Birdsong set several school passing records, including yards in a game (355), yards in a season (2,728), touchdowns in a game (five) and touchdowns in a season (22). Lee went on to tie or break all of those marks.
Though his JMU statistics were impressive, Birdsong was also erratic at times as a passer. He set the JMU record for single-season interceptions with 15 while the Dukes went 6-6 overall and 3-5 in the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013 to miss the FCS playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
Matthews was fired after the season.
In his brief time at Marshall, Birdsong completed 52.4 percent of his 82 passes while throwing four interceptions. He appeared in six games and threw two touchdowns. In Marshall’s St. Petersburg Bowl appearance, Birdsong — a big-bodied, physical runner — converted four first downs on four rushing attempts out of a special short-yardage package.
In February, Towson added Oregon transfer quarterback Morgan Mahalak. JMU, Richmond and other FCS powerhouses have found instant success with transfer quarterbacks in recent seasons.
“You have to be careful, not only with the quarterback, but any position,” Houston said. “Obviously with quarterback, it’s a very spotlighted position naturally because of the way the game’s played. That guy, you’ve got to be careful with and make sure you’ve got the right person if you take one of those.”
Houston said his decision-making process for taking a transfer is thorough. He said he evaluates why the player is transferring, if there were any off-the-field issues and how the addition could affect locker-room chemistry.
“We just got to make sure of what we need and where we want to go and how we want to progress before we commit to anything,” Houston said.