JMU preseason practice notebook: Day 4

HARRISONBURG – Hykeem Brodie was back at football practice at James Madison on Thursday, though wasn’t working out. Brodie – who is academically ineligible this season – returned to Harrisonburg after dealing with a death in his family, a part of what he called a, “really tough week.”

Wednesday, JMU coach Mickey Matthews announced that Brodie – a former scholarship running back at Old Dominion who was a walk-on at Penn State last year – was academically ineligible for the 2011 season.

Thursday, Brodie wanted to make sure people knew he worked hard in the classroom. Brodie said he had solid grades both at Penn State and since transferring to JMU in the spring, something Matthews confirmed.

“I put forth the effort,” Brodie, crestfallen over being unable to play this year, said. “And I’m going to keep working. I got two A’s [at JMU]. I’ve got a 3.1 [GPA]. Not a lot of football players have 3.1s.”

So why is Brodie – originally projected as a potential starter at running back – ineligible? Matthews said that NCAA transfer rules require an athlete to be eligible at the institution he was leaving. Penn State requires athletes to complete 26 credit hours a year, two more than the NCAA requirement.

So even though Brodie was eligible by NCAA standards and had a strong first semester at JMU, he did not meet Penn State’s standards during his time there, Matthews said.

“It was an institutional rule,” Matthews said. “He had very good grades up there and he has very good grades here. It’s very unfortunate.”

Even more unfortunate, Brodie said he believes this year will count against his eligibility, even though he’s not playing and that he will have just one year to play at JMU. That remains to be seen.

A setback: Former Turner Ashby High School standout Kyle Linn had a setback in his rehab from surgery to create a torn labrum in his hip flexor. Linn traveled back to Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., this week – where his surgery was done – for a follow-up. He said the doctor told him he should not resume running until after Labor Day. Linn had hopes to be ready to play early this season for the Dukes.

Hit of the day: Redshirt freshman safety Dean Marlowe drilled sophomore running back Jordan Anderson during the scrimmage portion of Thursday’s practice, colliding at full speed with Anderson, upending the ball carrier and sending him flying to the ground.