Inside James Madison’s football roster: How JMU built 2025 College Football Playoff underdog originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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James Madison is one of two non-power conference teams to make the 12-team College Football Playoff field. The Dukes, in their first-ever CFP appearance, will represent the Sun Belt Conference and take on the No. 5 seed Oregon Ducks.
JMU finished 12-1 on the season, with its lone loss coming against Louisville. The Dukes are led by second-year head coach Bob Chesney and will look to prove they are worthy of a CFP berth.
Let’s take a look at JMU’s roster this season.
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James Madison football roster 2025
Offense
| POS | Player | Year |
| QB | Alonza Barnett III | Redshirt Junior |
| WR | Landon Ellis | Junior |
| WR | Nick DeGennaro | Redshirt Senior |
| WR | Jaylan Sanchez | Senior |
| TE | Lacota Dippre | Redshirt Sophomore |
| RB | Wayne Knight | Redshirt Junior |
| RB | Jobi Malary | Redshirt Senior |
Defense
| POS | Player | Year |
| LDE | Sahir West | Redshirt Freshman |
| LDT | Andrew Taddeo | Redshirt Senior |
| RDT | Terry Lockett Jr. | Redshirt Senior |
| RDE | Amar Thomas | Redshirt Junior |
| WLB | Drew Spinogatti | Junior |
| MLB | Trent Hendrick | Senior |
| LCB | Elijah Culp | Redshirt Senior |
| SS | Jacob Thomas | Senior |
| FS | Tyler Brown | Sophomore |
| RCB | Justin Eaglin | Redshirt Junior |
| NB | DJ Barksdale | Junior |
James Madison recruiting classes
JMU’s move up to the FBS just a few seasons ago means the program is still finding its footing on the recruiting trail. That said, there has been significant improvement in that area over the past few cycles.
The Dukes’ 2024 class under Chesney finished ranked 113th overall. His 2025 class checked in at 103rd overall, and the most recent 2026 class ranked 76th overall. JMU’s 2023 class, assembled as Chesney was just arriving, finished 149th overall. While things are not yet ideal, they are clearly trending upward.
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Key James Madison transfers
JMU has a few big names that were successfully brought over from the transfer portal. The biggest haul from the portal came at wide receiver.
Leading receiver Landon Ellis, who has 541 yards receiving with five touchdowns, started his career at FCS Richmond. JMU’s second-leading receiver, Nick DeGennaro started his career at Maryland before spending three seasons at Richmond before finally landing at JMU. Jaylan Sanchez played three seasons at Villanova.
Running back Jordan Fuller, who has 415 rushing yards and five scores on the ground, played at Holy Cross from 2021-2024 before getting to JMU. His fellow running back Jobi Malary played three seasons at FCS Portland State before transferring in 2024.
On defense, defensive lineman Xavier Holmes, who has six sacks on the year, started his career at Maine before transferring to JMU. Aiden Gobaira, who has four sacks with 38 total tackles this season, played at Notre Dame for two seasons before going to JMU in 2024.
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James Madison QB depth chart
Here’s a look at JMU’s quarterback depth chart. The starter is junior Alonza Barnett, who has 2,533 yards passing with 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions, including 544 yards with 14 scores on the ground.
| QB | Player | Year |
| No. 1 | Alonza Barnett III | Junior |
| No. 2 | Matthew Sluka | Redshirt Senor |
| No. 3 | JC Evans | Redshirt Freshman |
Who is James Madison’s coach?
James Madison’s coach is Bob Chesney, who is in his second season at JMU. Over two seasons, he has compiled a 21-5 record.
Prior to arriving at JMU, he was the head coach at Holy Cross, where he compiled a 44-21 overall record over six seasons. He led his teams to five straight Patriot League titles for the first time in school history while there.
Last month, Chesney accepted the head coaching job at UCLA, and he will be working both jobs during the Dukes’ playoff run. Chesney, just 48 years old, is originally from Kulmpont, Penn.
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