Out of the Spotlight and Back Again: Meet Vad Lee, the Face of the FCS

This is not the college football story we typically write—not with our everlasting thirst for spotlight and fame. And besides that, there just really aren’t many chances to write it, anyway.

When a player rises from the unwatchable depths and is fairly or unfairly hyped as a superstar—the Vernon Adams Effect—he is worshipped and celebrated accordingly.

But what about the player who chooses to do the exact opposite? What about the young man who forgoes the limelight without an ounce of concern for public response in favor of the sheer comfort of his own soul?

These moments in the college football world are uncommon. Players rise and fall all the time, although rarely does this come by choice.

Welcome to the life and journey of James Madison quarterback Vad Lee, who, after relinquishing his robust stage at Georgia Tech for something more, suddenly has been unexpectedly tossed back onto it yet again at James Madison.

“My mind was never focused on the spotlight,” Lee told Bleacher Report. “It wasn’t focused on things like College GameDay. It was more about being at a place where they used my talents and we could work together toward something special.”

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Harrisonburg, Virginia, a place unfamiliar to the national stage, will be college football’s epicenter this Saturday. Having spent the last Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan, ESPN’s College GameDay will do its live three-hour broadcast from James Madison, an FCS program most casual fans couldn’t pick out of a lineup.

The undefeated Dukes take on 5-1 Richmond in Week 8. The Spiders’ lone loss came against Maryland in the opening weekend. It’s a momentous game for the Colonial Athletic Association conference and one of the most impactful FCS games all season.

For those whose football interests exist at this level, they don’t get much bigger than this.

Led by its do-everything quarterback, James Madison has developed into one of the nation’s most potent offenses. Through seven weeks, JMU is averaging 48.7 points per game, which is second in the FCS. This is in large part due to the work of Vad Lee, who has evolved into much more than an athlete in a diabolical offensive scheme.

Lee’s 1,896 passing yards are currently No. 4 in the FCS. His 690 rushing yards are No. 12 nationally and the most for a quarterback. With 19 passing touchdowns, Lee is No. 3 overall. And his 24 touchdowns are second in the nation, just one touchdown behind Grambling State QB Johnathan Williams.

A mix of raw power and speed, the 6’1”, 225-pound senior has exploded since the day he arrived. At any level, there simply aren’t many quarterbacks this size capable of doing things like this.

It was plays like these that had college coaches drooling over Lee back when he quarterbacked Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina. Ranked the nation’s No. 11 dual-threat QB, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, demand was high.

Local programs such as Duke, NC State and North Carolina all wanted Lee. James Franklin wanted him at Vanderbilt. West Virginia made a strong push at the very end. Georgia Tech, with a system seemingly built for his running style, made its interest known.

“I didn’t know if they wanted me to be quarterback or a wide receiver,” Lee recalled about his recruiting. “I really didn’t know who to trust.”

Ultimately, Lee decided on the Yellow Jackets and Paul Johnson. He gave up life as a traditional pocket passer to become a system quarterback. And yes, he took quite nicely to it.

In 2012, despite not logging the majority of the snaps, Lee finished with 13 touchdowns. Given the keys to the Porsche the following season, the buzz on Tech’s next great option quarterback began to build.

In fact, back when the glorious game was still being built, I simulated the 2013 college football season using EA Sports’ NCAA Football 14. Lee, known in that game as “QB No. 2” finished third in the Heisman voting and led the Yellow Jackets to a 13-1 finish.

It was only a video game, of course. But the buzz and interest in Lee was real. You could feel it. He baked up the hype with a solid 19-touchdown, seven-win season. In his final regular-season game with the program, Lee scored four touchdowns in a double-overtime loss to Georgia.

His final touchdown pass at Tech in the team's bowl game was perfect.

Not long after this game ended, Lee announced he was leaving the program. No reasons were provided. It was a clean break; no ill will on either side. Having helped run one of the country’s most well-oiled machines, Lee said farewell to the system and the spotlight without thinking twice.

“I wanted more out of the quarterback position,” Lee said. “It just wasn’t much of a fit for me. I just wanted to learn. I figured that coming to a place like this would allow me to fully develop and be the quarterback that I can be.”

With the helping hand of his high school coach, Antonio King, Lee surveyed his options. He did his research—looking up offensive schemes more suited to his style and offensive lines he could thrive behind.

He wasn’t the least bit concerned with brand power. Having come from a powerhouse school in Georgia, Lee wanted to settle down. He wanted to get comfortable.

On his first visit to James Madison, Lee and King surveyed the campus. As they weaved around the stadium, they just so happened to turn on Hillside Drive, a name deeply familiar and comforting to both.

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

The two glanced at each other, smiled and let out simultaneous laughter. In search of something to signify home, Lee found it before he ever hopped out of the car.

Helping matters further was new James Madison head coach Everett Withers. Although Lee and Withers weren’t exceptionally close before teaming up, their relationship stretched back to high school, when Withers was the defensive coordinator and eventually the head coach at North Carolina.

He recruited Lee to play back then; he was thrilled at the opportunity to coach him again when he took over in 2014.

“When I found out that Coach Withers was coming, that really caught my eye,” Lee said. “I just felt like it was a perfect fit for me schematically on offense.”

By transferring to the FCS, Lee was not required to sit out a season. As a result, he was plugged right in as the JMU centerpiece in 2014.

Playing in a new system that was more pass-oriented, Lee responded by breaking the single-game passing record. Twice.

He finished the year with 39 touchdowns overall and finished fourth overall in voting for the Walter Payton Award.

This early success has carried over to 2015. Against SMU on September 26, Lee delivered a stat line typically reserved for high school or a video game. Although he threw three interceptions, Lee also accounted for five touchdowns, threw for 289 yards and ran for 276 yards. James Madison won by three.

“It was a fun game,” Lee said. “There was a lot of offense. My mindset was to keep plays alive, convert third downs and have some big plays. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a game like that. But even then, I just wanted to continue to get better.”

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Since then, JMU has delivered convincing wins over its next three opponents. Lee, of course, has continued to be an end-zone regular. He’s still growing accustomed to life in the pocket—a transition that will last through his collegiate career—but he’s also completely at ease in his new digs.

After each touchdown at home, James Madison unleashes the purple and gold streamers—a tradition Lee cherishes. Every time he crosses the goal line in front of the home crowd, he looks up to the stands and embraces the flying colors that are tossed to the sky.

It may not come with the same celebratory audio that it once did at Georgia Tech. And more than likely, Lee’s latest score won’t be on display to a national audience—not like it once was. But the streamers satisfy the quarterback’s current appetite. Things are mighty different now.

“There was something inside of me telling me that this was the place for me,” Lee said. “I’m a big believer in my faith. I am exactly where I belong. I’m very grateful to be at James Madison. I’m just happy here.”

The spotlight he once had will return Saturday—even if it’s only lit for three magnificent hours. After that, ESPN will pack up its cameras, stages and talent, and it will take them all to the next campus—most likely a prodigious program familiar with this routine. Things will return to normal.

Lee will be able to settle back into his quiet new life as the face of the FCS. He will continue to win football games with teammates, many of whom will be lifelong friends. He will continue to post enormous box scores and shred defenses without overpowering national fanfare.

The streamers will continue to fall from the sky, which is more than enough.

Unless noted otherwise, all quotes obtained firsthand.