James Madison was arguably the best Group of Five team in 2023, despite being in just its second year in the FBS.
The Dukes went 11-1 in the regular season, with their only loss being to App State in overtime. Due to NCAA rules for teams transitioning to the FBS, JMU couldn’t play for the Sun Belt Championship. But the Dukes were able to make an appearance in their first ever bowl game, which resulted in a loss to Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl.
However, things could be much different in 2024. Former head coach Curt Cignetti went to Indiana and took several of JMU’s star players with him. Now former Holy Cross head coach Bob Chesney is in charge of continuing the success of the program.
JMU Football’s Sun Belt Title Odds
JMU’s odds to win the Sun Belt are +725, via BetMGM. Those are the fourth-best odds in the conference.
JMU Football’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
JMU’s win total Over/Under is 8.5, with Under 8.5 at -160 and Over 8.5 at +135.
JMU Football’s 2024 Schedule
8/31 @ Charlotte
9/7 vs. Gardner-Webb
9/21 @ North Carolina
9/28 vs. Ball State
10/5 @ ULM
10/10 vs. Coastal Carolina
10/19 @ Georgia Southern
10/26 vs. Southern Miss
11/9 vs. Georgia State
11/16 @ Old Dominion
11/23 @ App State
11/30 vs. Marshall
Bold indicates Sun Belt contests
Key JMU Football Returners
2023 All-Sun Belt 2nd Team
P Ryan Hanson
Honorable Mention
DB Chauncey Logan
JMU Football Seeking To Rebuild With New Coaching Staff
JMU was of course loaded last year. But of the 17 all-conference players the Dukes had in 2023, only two are back this season.
However, JMU did well in the transfer portal, as its transfer class is ranked fourth in the Sun Belt by 247Sports. And one of its most important additions was at the most important position.
Dylan Morris transferred to JMU after spending the previous five seasons at Washington. He played in 27 games and started in 15, but he most recently was the backup for Michael Penix Jr.
While at Washington, Morris threw for 3,721 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions on a 60.6% completion rate. He also rushed for 56 yards and five scores. In 2020, he made the All-Pac-12 honorable mention list. Alonza Barnett III, who started a game at QB for JMU last season, is also back.
After losing multiple good running backs, JMU bolstered that position group by adding standout players through the transfer portal.
George Pettaway is going to JMU after starting his collegiate career at North Carolina. He only played in four games and didn’t have any carries last season but ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 20 attempts in 11 games in 2022. He’s also caught six passes for 21 yards the past two years.
Ayo Adeyi was one of the top remaining players in the transfer portal before he made his commitment to JMU. He was a second-team All-AAC running back in 2023. He ran for 1,017 yards and six touchdowns this past season.
Tyler Purdy followed Chesney from Holy Cross to JMU after making the All-Patriot League second team in 2020. Jobi Malary is joining JMU after rushing for 676 yards and 12 touchdowns while at Portland State in 2023.
The Dukes lost their top six receivers from last season, including leading receiver Elijah Sarratt who is now at Indiana. But they added wideouts like Cam Ross, who caught 44 passes for 552 yards and two touchdowns for UConn last year, and Brionne Penny, who tallied 290 yards and a touchdown on 24 receptions for San Diego State in 2023.
JMU was top three in the Sun Belt in scoring offense (34.1 points per game) and scoring defense (19.5 points per game allowed). And the Dukes will certainly look different on both sides of the ball.
Cornerback Chauncey Logan, who made the all-conference honorable mention list in 2023, totaled 45 tackles, four tackles for loss, one interception, and six pass breakups last year and is among JMU’s returners. Safety Jacob Thomas, JMU’s leading returning tackler with 54 last year to go with six pass breakups, is also returning.
JMU did add several transfers who could contribute immediately. And the return of punter Ryan Hanson, who was first-team all-conference last year after averaging 40.6 yards per punt and landing 29 punts inside the 20-yard line, should help as well.
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2024 JMU Football Season Prediction
I predict JMU will not win the Sun Belt Championship in 2024 but will go Over 8.5 wins.
I don’t think it’s fair to Chesney and the rest of the Dukes to assume they’ll be in contention for a conference title in 2024 just because of the recent success of the program, especially because of all the players JMU lost. That said, the Dukes also added quite a few talented transfers as well, and I think Chesney is a good coach, so I also don’t expect them to drop off, either.
And looking at their schedule, there should be plenty of winnable games. In their non-conference slate alone, I think the Dukes will go 3-1 with wins over Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, and Ball State – and I also don’t count them out against North Carolina either.
In Sun Belt play, the only clearly losable contest to me would be against App State – which beat JMU last year – on the road. I’m also expecting the Dukes to deal with a letdown game at some point, perhaps against Coastal Carolina or at Georgia Southern. But I think JMU should be capable of victories over Southern Miss, Georgia State, and Marshall at home and wins against ULM and Old Dominion on the road.
A 6-2 conference record might leave JMU short of a Sun Belt title game berth, especially if it loses to App State. But a 9-3 overall record would still be fantastic considering all the turnover the team has seen this offseason.
