Football 2025 Roster Reload: James Madison

James Madison football is a team with high standards. When it’s been over two decades since
your program has had a losing season, you can understand why.

None of that changed when the Dukes made the jump to FBS starting in the 2022
season.

In 2022 and 2023 under Curt Cignetti, JMU went 8-3 and 11-2 respectively. Both years
they would end up nationally ranked and win the Sun Belt East title, even if they could not
represent the east in the championship game.

After the 2023 season, Cignetti would take himself and a large chunk of JMU’s production to Indiana
in 2024. It would then fall to Bob Chesney to continue the lofty standards set by the program.
Depending on who you ask, not only were those standards met, but many see bright things
moving forward in Harrisonburg. The former Holy Cross head coach led the Dukes to a 9-4
record and a program first bowl win.

Heading into 2025, JMU is the heavy favorite in the Sun Belt East and have playoff aspirations.
With a program and fan base like the one in Harrisonburg, there is no grace period for
rebuilding. Their expectation is to reload. So, even with meaningful losses in the portal,
Chesney and the staff were expected to fill much needed positions, and possibly upgrade.

The Dukes might have done just that.

Departures

Eric O’Neill was one of the best defensive ends in the country in 2024. He posted 13 sacks for
the Dukes last fall and will be playing at Rutgers, hoping to continue the trend of a seamless
transition for JMU talent to the Big Ten. Another player that will be joining O’Neill at Rutgers is
Darold Ngohe, a talented freshman who played well for JMU when given opportunities last year
recording 28 tackles.

They also lost Nick Reulas in the spring to UCF. His big leg is a hit for the Dukes special teams
as competing for titles and postseason play requires precision in every facet.

While Chauncey Logan’s career at JMU had been setback by injuries, there was no denying his
impact when he was on the field and healthy. He was expected to be a key part of JMU’s pass
defense but will instead be playing at Memphis. The Dukes also lost veteran DB Kalin Jean
and CB Evan Spivey, with each not seeing much time on the field.

Yamir Knight was likely to be the starting slot receiver for the Dukes after posting 53 catches for
605 yards and four touchdowns last year. Knight will be joining SMU, a program that has not been
this positive about their potential since the days of the Pony Express in the 1980s.

Overall the Dukes lost six receivers, most of them looking for more playing time. But they added a
ton of talent to help bolster the depleted room.

The team in total had 33 players enter the portal.

Additions

With Alonza Barnett III out for the beginning of the season, finding the right quarterback would
be key. Chesney went down South on highway 81 (and East on 64) to find a quarterback in Camden Coleman
out of Richmond. The rising junior ran for six touchdowns and threw for 13 with just five interceptions.

Adding in a respectable 65% pass complete percentage, his dual threat ability is undeniable.

Say what you will about Matthew Sluka’s UNLV tenure– under Chesney at Holy Cross, he was a
force to be reckoned with. In 44 games and 40 starts, he threw for 6,214 yards, and 65
touchdowns while running for 3,832 yards and 39 touchdowns. He also helped Holy Cross push
eventual FCS champions South Dakota State to uncomfortable places in the second round of
the 2023 FCS playoffs. He will compete with Coleman while Barnett recovers.

Either quarterback will be more than serviceable for James Madison, and each provides a slightly different
skillset that Chesney and the offense can have some fun with.

Xavier Holmes has an opportunity to be the next great DE coming out of JMU. The Dukes get
him from a Maine program that prides itself on great defensive line play in their own right. In his
2024 season in Orono, Holmes posted 72 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 12.5 TFLs. Don’t be surprised
if he ends up with All-Sun Belt honors in 2025.

If he can remain healthy, another DE Aiden Gobaira, transfer from Notre Dame, will be an
absolute menace on the line for JMU in the Sun Belt. The highly recruited Gobaira had most of
his Notre Dame career beset with injuries. This is another defensive end for the Dukes that will
be eyeing All Sun Belt honors at the end of the year.

Despite losing their top producer at defensive end and an up and coming talent, JMU might be even better at the position given the depth and incoming transfers.

Another former Holy Cross Chesney product, Curtis Harris-Lopez will look to play significant
time in a defense that prides itself on hard hitting and sound tackling. These are things the Holy
Cross transfer excels at. James Madison added five players in total to the secondary and all will look to
immediately contribute.

According to 247Sports, James Madison’s recruiting class ranked 104th, ninth in the Sun Belt. However
some standouts will be potentially expected to contribute immediately.

Michael Scott was a three-star wide receiver prospect with multiple P4 offers, and even decommitted
from Arizona State to join JMU. He may not start right away in the slot, but he will likely be right
there on the depth chart and make an immediate impact.

Another player with P4 offers, Jerald James chose JMU and, like Holmes, will look to have an
immediate impact on the edge of the defense. There will be room for him to stand out as well,
given some of the losses JMU had at that position at the end of 2024.

The interior of the defense is riddled with upperclassmen for JMU, but don’t be surprised if
freshman Cole Webster finds himself in the rotation as well. Chesney, and Cignetti before him,
has shown he is not shy about playing young talent.

James Madison will also be adding former JMU/Holy Cross linebacker Jacob Dobbs to the coaching staff.
Adding a former player like Dobbs to the coaching staff is massive for Chesney and his
program. Wherever he has played, Dobbs has shown to be a menace on the gridiron and has
shown to be an even better young man outside the lines. Both current players and staff will
welcome him to the locker room with excitement.

Overall, the team welcomes 36 new players to Harrisonburg.

James Madison is no stranger to preseason expectations and 2025 has no shortage of them.
With games against ACC contenders Louisville and Conference USA champion hopefuls Liberty looming
in September, we’ll get a sense of where the Dukes are right away.