Vad Lee (2026) - JMU Athletics Hall of Fame - James Madison University Athletics

Vad Lee

Induction:
2026
Class:
2015

One decade after its 2004 national title (and multiple other playoff appearances), JMU football was seeking a jolt to elevate its program further to a consistent higher echelon of college football. That spark came in the form of quarterback Vad Lee, a starter at Georgia Tech whose arrival with JMU football ignited a rise to national relevance that continues to present day. With Lee at the helm, JMU went 18-7 in two seasons while putting up prolific offensive numbers not seen previously in program history. A dual-threat talent, Lee was 446-705 passing for 5,652 yards and 51 touchdowns while also rushing 292 times for 1,640 yards and another 17 touchdowns. An All-American in both JMU campaigns, Lee finished fourth in voting for the Walter Payton Award as national offensive player of the year as a junior. He was Third Team All-American by both the Associated Press and Sports Network. As a senior, he was CAA Offensive Player of the Year and a College Sporting News Honorable Mention All-American. He became the first player ever to repeat as winner of the Bill Dudley Award as best Division I football player in Virginia. Lee posted perhaps the best single-game performance in JMU history when the FCS Dukes defeated FBS SMU on the road in 2015 with Lee compiling 276 yards on the ground and 289 through the air. He became the first player in Division I history to surpass 275 yards rushing and passing in the same game and earned a feature profile from ESPN's Big Man on Campus segment. The 276 yards rushing were a JMU record by any player, not just a quarterback. The achievement and JMU's overall offensive fireworks earned ESPN's attention as the Dukes were selected to host the program's first appearance on ESPN's College GameDay on Oct. 24, 2015. Lee owns four of the top seven marks for total offense in a game in school history and set the JMU record for season total offense with 4,288 in 2014. He may have topped his own record in 2015 if not for an injury suffered during the College GameDay matchup that kept him from four games but didn't prevent him from still earning the CAA's top offensive honor. While playing just two JMU seasons, including one injury-impacted, he ranks third in career passing touchdowns, third in total yards of offense (7,292), sixth in passing yards and sixth in pass completions. Lee and the Dukes made the playoffs each season in 2014 and 2015, starting a streak that still stands through 2025 of either making the FCS playoffs or earning an FBS bowl appearance in every season eligible. Lee's professional pursuits included stints with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in 2016, the DC Defenders of XFL in 2020 and the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League in 2022. He has continued his involvement in college football as a broadcast analyst, a touring speaker and a leader with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.