James Madison Head Coach Curt Cignetti announced the addition of seven student-athletes for the 2022 football roster in transfers Andrew Adair, Antoine Booth, Sam Clark, Jamree Kromah, Troy Lewis and Nehki Meredith, as well as incoming freshman Brent Austin.
Of the seven, three are cornerbacks, while the rest include an offensive lineman, a defensive lineman, a wide receiver and a punter.
Adair comes to Harrisonburg with three years of eligibility after spending the 2021 season at Liberty. He appeared in nine games as a true freshman, which included playing in the Flames' LendingTree Bowl victory against Eastern Michigan. He was previously a letterwinner at Kettle Run High School in Warrenton where he helped his team to a pair of playoff appearances.
Booth joins the program after transferring from Michigan State, where he spent the 2021 season. He redshirted last season and retains four years of eligibility with the Dukes. Prior to MSU, Booth was a standout at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland where was a First Team All-WCAC Capital Division selection as a junior. Booth is the son of JMU Hall of Famer Tony Booth (1995-98), who was a two-time First Team All-American and a 1999 seventh round draft pick to the Carolina Panthers.
Clark will cap off his career with the Dukes in 2022 after beginning his collegiate career at Sacramento State (2019-21). In 25 career games at punter, he averaged 41.9 yards per punt on 97 attempts, which included 12 over 50 with a career-long 73 yarder in 2019. He was named Third Team All-Big Sky after averaging 44.4 yards per punt in 2021 with eight boots over 50 yards and 21 inside the 20. A native of Lilyfield, Australia, Clark first attended Melbourne University and played semi-professional Australian Rules Football for the Canberra Demons.
Kromah joins JMU after transferring from Rutgers, where he spent the previous four seasons (2018-21). Appearing in 23 career games for the Scarlet Knights, Kromah tallied 17 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and a half sack. This past season, he played in 12 games, making 10 total stops with 1.5 TFL. Kromah will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Lewis returns to his home state after spending one season at ECU (2021) where he redshirted last fall. Prior to college, Lewis was a standout receiver at Matoaca High School in Chesterfield where he was a two-time All-Region 5B selection and the team's 2019 Offensive Player of the Year. He was also a state indoor meet qualifier as a sprinter for the track & field team.
Meredith also makes his return to the Commonwealth after two seasons at NC State (2020-21). He didn't see any action during the 2020 season while appearing in three games for the Wolfpack in 2021, redshirting to retain four seasons of eligibility at JMU. Prior to NC State, Meredith was a team captain at Catholic High School in Virginia Beach and was ranked as the #8 recruit in Virginia and #31 athlete nationally, according to ESPN.
Austin will make a cross-country trek to join the program's secondary as a freshman in the fall. He was a First Team All-Citrus Belt League selection as a senior at Cajon High School in San Bernardino, Calif. Austin was also First Team All-Ambassador League as a junior and Second Team as a sophomore, as he helped Cajon to a 2019 CIF regional title.
JMU begins its first season as a transitioning program to the Football Bowl Subdivision and as a member of the Sun Belt Conference on Saturday, Sept. 3 against Middle Tennessee at Bridgeforth Stadium
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