New Voice, Same Standard: Billy Napier Inherits a Sun Belt Powerhouse in Harrisonburg
James Madison completed a remarkable rise in 2025, going 12-2 and running the table in Sun Belt play at 8-0 before winning the conference championship and reaching the College Football Playoff in just its fourth season as an FBS program. The Dukes' first-round trip ended with a 34-51 loss at Oregon, but the larger question this offseason was who would run the program. Bob Chesney left for UCLA and took a number of Dukes with him, and James Madison answered by hiring Billy Napier, who arrives with a 62-35 record over parts of eight seasons and a reputation built on dominating this same league during his time at Louisiana before a difficult stretch at Florida.
Offense
For the first time in years, James Madison is not searching for a quarterback so much as choosing one. A four-man competition carried through the spring without a clear answer. Transfers Arrington Maiden (Memphis) and Davi Belfort (UCF) each arrived after playing sparingly as freshmen, both drawn by the chance to start. Camden Coleman, who sat out last season, brings the most starting experience dating to his time at FCS Richmond, and one projection installs him as the early front-runner. JC Evans, now in his third year in the program, has thrown only 21 career passes but was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2024 Boca Raton Bowl and handled the opening drive of a rain-shortened spring game. The staff sounds comfortable with all four, which is both a luxury and a source of uncertainty entering the opener.
This is a deep and experienced group, and it may be the strength of the offense. Braeden Wisloski is a productive slot returner coming off a strong close to 2025, when he found the end zone four times over the final six games. Michael Scott gives the Dukes a second reliable option inside. On the perimeter, West Florida transfer Corey Scott arrives as a two-time Division II All-American. New coordinator Cam Aiken brought two of his own from East Tennessee State in wideout Jeremiah Harrison and tight end Cole Keller, both of whom should factor immediately. It is a room built to make life easier on a first-year starter under center.
George Pettaway heads the backfield after spending last season behind Wayne Knight, who departed for UCLA. Pettaway is no unknown, having rushed for 980 yards back in 2024, and he now steps into the lead role with a chance to reestablish himself as a workhorse.
Despite replacing four starters, James Madison feels good about its front. Center Zach Greenberg anchors the group, and Tyler Brown, a Colorado transfer in his eighth year of college football, settles in at right guard. The Dukes' coaches believe the unit is further along than the turnover would suggest, a critical development given the youth and inexperience at quarterback.
Defense
The defense should be at its best up front. Amar Thomas returns as a proven pass rusher at defensive end and headlines a line that also leans on tackle Kells Bush and Mychal McMullin. Beyond Thomas, though, there is real competition for the edge spots, and the coaching staff dug into the lower levels of college football to restock. Western Kentucky transfer Chukwunedu Okeke is expected to start, while Division II and FCS additions such as Kevin Roberts, Jakolbi Wilson and Mason Purham (Emory and Henry), along with Lamar transfer Kei'Trone Simpson and Danny Royster, will get long looks. New coordinator Robert Bala followed Napier from Florida and has installed a four-down base designed to take advantage of the depth up front.
The middle of the defense looks like a strength. Gannon Weathersby is back in a larger role after piling up 57 tackles and a sack, and he is paired with Nevada transfer Nakian Jackson, a potential star nicknamed "Bam." Jackson, a 6-1, 237-pounder who began his career at Sacramento State, finished fourth on the Wolf Pack with 54 tackles a year ago and flashed his instincts with a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown against San Jose State. Together they give the Dukes a potentially dominant inside tandem.
The secondary is the biggest question on defense. KJ Flowe returns at safety after a strong late run as a sophomore, capped by a pick-six against Coastal Carolina, and he leads a group that also counts on returning safeties TJ McGill and Seth Gathers. The concern is experience and cohesion, as there is little proven depth at safety and the back end as a whole will be learning to play together. At corner, veteran Ken Willis and Toledo transfer DJ Kelly are the likely starters, with Kelly capable of stepping straight into a first-team role.
Both specialists are back after transferring in a year ago and immediately claiming the jobs. Kicker Morgan Suarez recovered from a slow start to finish 14 of 19 on field goals, including a perfect 10 of 10 from inside 40 yards. Punter Patrick Rea averaged 41.0 yards on 48 attempts with a long of 61 and dropped 16 inside the 20-yard line. Wisloski adds value as a kick returner.
Overview and Prediction
The schedule opens with Liberty, Wagner and a trip to San Diego State before the league slate, and it keeps the Dukes mostly within reach of a division race that runs through Old Dominion, Marshall, Georgia State, Appalachian State, Troy and a late home date with Coastal Carolina. The preseason consensus is bullish. James Madison is pegged to sit atop the Sun Belt again, a clear pick to win its division and challenge for another conference crown. That expectation holds even after heavy roster turnover, because the Dukes retained a strong core and, in this program, winning the league has become the standard rather than the goal.
Our verdict lines up with the optimism, if a touch more cautiously. The receiving corps, the interior offensive line, the front seven and Napier's track record in this conference form a high floor. The make-or-break is the two spots with the least certainty: settling the quarterback competition quickly and getting a brand-new secondary comfortable before the schedule tightens. Sort those out, and another Sun Belt title run is very much on the table.