CB Tutt Out For Season

Austin Bachand/DN-R

HARRISONBURG – James Madison will be without one of its projected contributing cornerbacks for the entire 2017 season.

Second-year Dukes coach Mike Houston said junior Charles Tutt tore his ACL and is out for the year. Houston said Tutt will take a medical redshirt this season, so he can retain junior-eligibility status for the 2018 season.

Tutt, a product of Centreville High School, played in all 15 games and made one start last season for JMU. He had 32 tackles, four pass breakups and three fumble recoveries – the third most in all of the FCS.

Before the injury, Tutt was competing with fellow juniors Jimmy Moreland, Curtis Oliver and Rashad Robinson for a starting role.

Moreland, Oliver and Robinson are still competing for two starting positions, but all three will play extensively.

JMU plans to fill Tutt’s void with a pair of true freshmen. One is expected to play and the other will add depth for the Dukes.

“We expect Wesley McCormick to be in the two-deep, travel and play at corner,” Houston said. “And I would think Taurus Carroll will be on the travel team. We’ll see whether he plays or not, but he’s had a solid camp.”

McCormick played at Northwest High School (Germantown, Md.). Carroll is out of Fork Union Military Academy and received interest during the recruiting process from FBS programs like Maryland and Toledo before selecting JMU.