Rodney Landers
Encyclopedia
Rodney Landers is an American football
player. He played college football
as the starting quarterback
for the James Madison Dukes
of James Madison University
(JMU). He was not selected in the 2009 NFL Draft
, where due to his speed and flexibility he had been considered a potential defensive back
, running back
, wide receiver
, or quarterback prospect. He spent time with the Richmond Revolution
as a back-up Quarterback, Receiver and Return Specialist. He is currently signed with the Richmond Raiders of the Southern Indoor Football League
.
, where he attended Tallwood High School
. He played as a quarterback and as senior threw for 815 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for 644 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was twice named second-team all-district as a junior and senior, and, as a senior, was named the first-team All-Tidewater
quarterback. He also participated in the Virginia state all-star game.
. In 2005, he saw action in eight games where he completed five of seven pass attempts for 47 yards and a touchdown and ran for 212 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. He also played a role on special teams where he recorded tackles against Massachusetts
and Delaware. In 2006, Landers saw action in eight games as a back-up quarterback, wide receiver, and running back. He completed four of six pass attempts for 29 yards, ran for 222 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, and caught six passes for 61 yards.
In 2007, Landers was named a team captain and a starter. He started in all of JMU's games. He completed 130 of 205 pass attempts for a 0.634 completion rate, 1,678 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Landers set the JMU single-season quarterback rushing record with 1,273 yards. At Rhode Island
, he set a school record with 408 yards of total offense (166 rushing and 242 passing yards). Landers was named the Colonial Athletic Association
(CAA) Offensive Player of the Week after the games against Rhode Island and Villanova
, the team co-Most Valuable Player, first-team all-state by the Roanoke Times, and second-team All-CAA. He was one of only two quarterbacks ranked in the top-65 rushers for the season. Landers helped lead JMU to an 8–4 record, and an appearance in the Division I FCS playoffs
, where they lost to Appalachian State
in the first round, to finish ranked number-12 in the nation.
In 2008, Landers returned as the Dukes' starting quarterback. That season, he completed 112 of 177 passes for 1,534 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. During the 2008 season
, Landers helped lead the Dukes to a 12–2 record, including a semifinals loss to Montana
, and a number-three final ranking. He was named an Associated Press
Division I FCS second-team All-American, first-team All-CAA, the CAA Offensive Player of the Year, and the Eastern College Athletic Conference
Player of the Year. Landers also won the Dudley Award
, which is awarded to the most outstanding Division I college football player in the state of Virginia. It was the first time since 1998 that it had gone to a player not from one of the two Division I FBS teams in the state, Virginia
or Virginia Tech
. He was also finished second among three finalists for the Walter Payton Award
, awarded to the most outstanding player in Division I FCS football, which eventually went to Armanti Edwards
of Appalachian State
.
, but was unable to run the 40-yard dash due to an injury sustained in the FCS championship semi-finals. At the James Madison University Pro Day, Landers performed position drills as a defensive back
, running back
, and wide receiver
. After going undrafted, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
invited him to try out as a quarterback at their rookie mini-camp. There, the coaching staff was impressed by Landers' performance, and noted his potential as a cornerback, special teams player, or quarterback in the wildcat formation.
, an expansion team in the Indoor Football League. He was released after the 2010 season on December 13, 2010 with much of the team
for the 2011 season
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
as the starting quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the James Madison Dukes
James Madison Dukes football
The James Madison Dukes football team, founded in 1972, plays at Bridgeforth Stadium. Originally called JMU Stadium, it was renamed for William E. Bridgeforth in 1990. The JMU football team was rarely the centerpiece of JMU sports until the hiring of Mickey Matthews in 1999...
of James Madison University
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
(JMU). He was not selected in the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
, where due to his speed and flexibility he had been considered a potential defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, or quarterback prospect. He spent time with the Richmond Revolution
Richmond Revolution
The Richmond Revolution were a professional indoor football team based in Richmond, Virginia that began play in the Indoor Football League in the 2010 season. For the 2010 season they played their home games at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center...
as a back-up Quarterback, Receiver and Return Specialist. He is currently signed with the Richmond Raiders of the Southern Indoor Football League
Southern Indoor Football League
The Southern Indoor Football League was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in...
.
Early years
Landers was born in Bethesda, Maryland and grew up in Virginia Beach, VirginiaVirginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
, where he attended Tallwood High School
Tallwood High School
Tallwood High School is a secondary school located in southwest Virginia Beach, Virginia. Tallwood was built on the site of an old colonial plantation whose manor house was Tallwood, hence the name of the school...
. He played as a quarterback and as senior threw for 815 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for 644 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was twice named second-team all-district as a junior and senior, and, as a senior, was named the first-team All-Tidewater
Tidewater region of Virginia
The Tidewater region of Virginia is the eastern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia formally known as Hampton Roads. The term tidewater may be correctly applied to all portions of any area, including Virginia, where the water level is affected by the tides...
quarterback. He also participated in the Virginia state all-star game.
College career
Landers spent his first year at JMU, 2004, as a redshirtRedshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
. In 2005, he saw action in eight games where he completed five of seven pass attempts for 47 yards and a touchdown and ran for 212 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. He also played a role on special teams where he recorded tackles against Massachusetts
UMass Minutemen
The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst in NCAA Division I sports competition. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure. Strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and...
and Delaware. In 2006, Landers saw action in eight games as a back-up quarterback, wide receiver, and running back. He completed four of six pass attempts for 29 yards, ran for 222 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, and caught six passes for 61 yards.
In 2007, Landers was named a team captain and a starter. He started in all of JMU's games. He completed 130 of 205 pass attempts for a 0.634 completion rate, 1,678 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Landers set the JMU single-season quarterback rushing record with 1,273 yards. At Rhode Island
Rhode Island Rams
The Rhode Island Rams are the athletic programs of the University of Rhode Island, based in Kingston, Rhode Island, USA. The school sponsors 18 athletic programs , most of which compete in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. The football team, however, competes in the Colonial Athletic...
, he set a school record with 408 yards of total offense (166 rushing and 242 passing yards). Landers was named the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
(CAA) Offensive Player of the Week after the games against Rhode Island and Villanova
Villanova Wildcats football
The Villanova Wildcats football program represents Villanova University in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision . The Wildcats play at Villanova Stadium with capacity of 12,500.-History:...
, the team co-Most Valuable Player, first-team all-state by the Roanoke Times, and second-team All-CAA. He was one of only two quarterbacks ranked in the top-65 rushers for the season. Landers helped lead JMU to an 8–4 record, and an appearance in the Division I FCS playoffs
2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of the college football season, began on August 25, 2007 and concluded on December 14, 2007 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the Appalachian State Mountaineers defeated the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens to win the NCAA Division I Football...
, where they lost to Appalachian State
2007 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
The 2007 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the college football season of 2007–2008. The team was coached by Jerry Moore and the Mountaineers played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina.The football team competes in...
in the first round, to finish ranked number-12 in the nation.
In 2008, Landers returned as the Dukes' starting quarterback. That season, he completed 112 of 177 passes for 1,534 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. During the 2008 season
2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of the college football season, began on August 28, 2008 and concluded on December 19, 2008 in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the 2008 NCAA Division II National Football Championship game, where the Richmond Spiders defeated the Montana Grizzlies to...
, Landers helped lead the Dukes to a 12–2 record, including a semifinals loss to Montana
Montana Grizzlies football
The Montana Grizzlies football program represents the University of Montana in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football. The Grizzlies have competed in the Big Sky Conference, where it is a founding member, since 1963...
, and a number-three final ranking. He was named an Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Division I FCS second-team All-American, first-team All-CAA, the CAA Offensive Player of the Year, and the Eastern College Athletic Conference
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...
Player of the Year. Landers also won the Dudley Award
Dudley Award
The Dudley Award, named after former Virginia running back Bill Dudley, is presented annually by the Richmond Times-Dispatch to one NCAA Division I football player in the Commonwealth of Virginia....
, which is awarded to the most outstanding Division I college football player in the state of Virginia. It was the first time since 1998 that it had gone to a player not from one of the two Division I FBS teams in the state, Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
or Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
. He was also finished second among three finalists for the Walter Payton Award
Walter Payton Award
The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports information directors...
, awarded to the most outstanding player in Division I FCS football, which eventually went to Armanti Edwards
Armanti Edwards
Armanti Fredrico Edwards is an American football player for the Carolina Panthers. He was the starting quarterback for the Appalachian State Mountaineers football team from 2006–09. He was drafted by the Panthers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft...
of Appalachian State
Appalachian State Mountaineers football
The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team is the college football team at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. The Mountaineers have competed in the Southern Conference since 1972, and are currently a Division I Football Championship Subdivision member of the National...
.
College statistics
| James Madison | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | GS | Rating | Cmp | Att | % | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2005 | 8 | – | 174.97 | 7 | 5 | 71.4 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 224 | 8.5 | 2 | ||
| 2006 | 8 | – | 107.27 | 4 | 6 | 66.7 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 222 | 9.2 | 1 | ||
| 2007 | 12 | 12 | 148.21 | 130 | 205 | 63.4 | 1,678 | 13 | 5 | 223 | 1,273 | 5.7 | 12 | ||
| 2008 | 14 | 14 | 170.73 | 112 | 177 | 63.3 | 1,534 | 21 | 4 | 268 | 1,770 | 6.6 | 16 | ||
| Totals | 42 | 26 | 159.52 | 253 | 393 | 64.4 | 3,288 | 35 | 9 | 540 | 3,489 | 6.5 | 31 | ||
Professional career
He was considered a prospect at several skill positions for the 2009 NFL Draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
, but was unable to run the 40-yard dash due to an injury sustained in the FCS championship semi-finals. At the James Madison University Pro Day, Landers performed position drills as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, and wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
. After going undrafted, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
invited him to try out as a quarterback at their rookie mini-camp. There, the coaching staff was impressed by Landers' performance, and noted his potential as a cornerback, special teams player, or quarterback in the wildcat formation.
Richmond Revolution
In the fall of 2009, Landers was signed to the Richmond RevolutionRichmond Revolution
The Richmond Revolution were a professional indoor football team based in Richmond, Virginia that began play in the Indoor Football League in the 2010 season. For the 2010 season they played their home games at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center...
, an expansion team in the Indoor Football League. He was released after the 2010 season on December 13, 2010 with much of the team
Richmond Raiders
Landers was signed to the Richmond Raiders of the Southern Indoor Football LeagueSouthern Indoor Football League
The Southern Indoor Football League was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in...
for the 2011 season