James Madison Dukes
Sun BeltHarrisonburg, VABridgeforth Stadium
2026: 7–0 (4–0 Sun Belt). Last: beat Georgia State 49–22 at home. Next: at App State, Thursday, Oct 22, 7 p.m. ET.
- W 20–13Liberty
- W 87–3Wagner
- W 26–13at San Diego State
- W 46–20at Old Dominion
- W 45–17Marshall
- W 27–24at Georgia Southern
- W 49–22Georgia State
- Oct 22at App State
- Oct 29Troy
- Nov 5at Southern Miss
- Nov 14at UConn
- Nov 28Coastal Carolina
- Outfitted by Nike
- Sudler Trophy, 1994
James Madison has played football since 1972 and is officially 395–226–4; 320 of its 625 games are in our file. Their best finish in the final AP poll is No. 19, in 2025. They have won six Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference titles (the last in 2021), plus two Atlantic 10 Conference titles, one Sun Belt Conference title, one Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association title, counting shared titles. Since 1986, the NFL Draft has taken 12 players from here in its first seven rounds, 0 of them in the first round. The College Football Hall of Fame holds 1 player from James Madison. Bob Chesney (2024–2025) won more games here than any other coach: 21. The most-played rival is William & Mary: 24 meetings, James Madison leads 16–8. This season, under Billy Napier, they’re 7–0.
- Cooper’s takeLets talk JMU
From the numbers
- James Madison is one of six FBS teams that are unbeaten this season, with BYU, Miami, Texas Tech, UCLA and Utah.Share
Computed from every game through Oct 17 and the score after every scoring play; a note appears only when few teams share it. All the numbers.
On this date in 2024James Madison lost to Georgia Southern 28–14 on the road.
Résumé
- All-time record
- 395–226–4 official; 224–96 on file; how we count
- Postseason
- 9–6 bowls, title games, playoff
- AP No. 1 finishes
- 0
- Weeks at No. 1
- 0 of 13 ranked
- Elo now
- 1732 6th of 138 FBS
- Computer rankings
- Massey No. 31 · Composite No. 30 in FBS, Oct 17; up 3 since Oct 11. From Massey Ratings
- Conference titles
- 10 last in 2025
- Bowl record
- 1–1 official, bowls only
- Seasons
- 39 since 1978, 320 games
Identity
- Fight song
- JMU Fight Song
- Mascot
- Duke Dog
- Student section
- Student Duke Club
- Apparel
- Nike
- Band
- Marching Royal Dukes since 1972
2026 season 7–0
RosterFull 2026 season| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs Liberty | W 20–13 | 82% |
| Sep 12 | vs Wagner | W 87–3 | 95% |
| Sep 19 | at San Diego State | W 26–13 | 64% |
| Sep 26 | at Old Dominion | W 46–20 | 63% |
| Oct 3 | vs Marshall | W 45–17 | 80% |
| Oct 10 | at Georgia Southern | W 27–24 | 75% |
| Oct 17 | vs Georgia State | W 49–22 | 87% |
| Oct 22 | at App State | Preview | 77% |
| Oct 29 | vs Troy | Preview | 85% |
| Nov 5 | at Southern Miss | Preview | 87% |
| Nov 14 | at UConn | Preview | 69% |
| Nov 28 | vs Coastal Carolina | Preview | 90% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
This season, game by game
Future schedule
2027–34- 20284 games: 2 home, 2 away, non-conference only
- 20294 games: 2 home, 2 away, non-conference only
- 20303 games: 2 home, 1 away, non-conference only
- 20313 games: 1 home, 2 away, non-conference only
- 20332 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
- 20342 games: 1 home, 1 away, non-conference only
James Madison’s announced games beyond the seasons on our schedule, the next 8 seasons (5 more listed), as its Wikipedia article lists them (announced schedules as of May 22, 2026). Schedules change; a season shows only the games named so far, and many articles list non-conference games only. Future schedules: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
On the 2026 team
- George Pettaway767 rushing yards, 7 TD (No. 8 in FBS in rushing yards)
- D.J. Kelly14 tackles, 4 INT (No. 3 in FBS in interceptions)
- Camden Coleman1,336 passing yards, 13 TD (leads James Madison in passing yards)
- Nakian Jackson49 tackles, 2.5 sacks
- J.T. Hooten43 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT (leads James Madison in sacks)
- Jayon Harvey49 tackles (leads James Madison in tackles)
Program greats See all
Heisman finalists, College Football Hall of Famers, consensus All-Americans, national award winners and first-round picks, for what they did at James Madison.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
Around the program
- Apparel
- Nike · Official source
- James Madison University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Mascot
- Duke Dog · Official source
- James Madison University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- College Sports Network; read 2026-10-10
- James Madison University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Student section
- Student Duke Club · Single source
- James Madison University Duke Club; read 2026-10-10
- Athletic director
- Matt Roan · Single source
- James Madison University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Offensive coordinator
- Cam Aiken · Official source
- James Madison University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
- Defensive coordinator
- Robert Bala · Single source
- James Madison University Athletics; read 2026-10-10
Found by several AI researchers searching the web, then kept only where the page loads and says so in words naming the program; every quote is checked again each time the data is rebuilt. Official source: the school’s own page. All of them.
The apparel deal
Nike, from June 2019. Five-year agreement. A five-year term began June 1, 2019, through BSN Sports. The current term hasn't been published.
- JMU Athletics, Jul 18, 2019: Five-year Nike agreement through BSN Sports, commenced June 1, 2019
Apparel deals: Field Drip. Terms as the outlets reported them; checked Oct 3, 2026.
Program strength since 1978
Best seasons everOn Bluesky
Six undefeated teams remain after a chaotic Week 7. - 3 in the Big 12 - 2 in the state of Utah - 2 with current/former James Madison head coaches - 1 in Big Ten (UCLA) - 1 in ACC - 0 in SEC
Read on BlueskyJames Madison's last three coaches are still undefeated. Is it #CFB's modern Cradle of Coaches? "Maybe the baton starts to be passed. A lot of it speaks to the institution ..." www.cbssports.com/college-foot...
Read on BlueskyIt's just obvious that James Madison is the new cradle of quick turnaround coaches, and whoever in the SEC has an opening this year should hire the current James Madison coach, whoever that may be.
Read on Bluesky
From reporters and writers who cover college football, linked to their posts on Bluesky.
More coverage
- James Madison moves to 7-0 with 49-22 win over Georgia State, winnipegfreepress.com,
- How James Madison joining the American Conference impacts FAU, upressonline.com,
- James Madison accepted into American Conference, will leave Sun Belt by 2028, 29news.com,
- James Madison joining American Conference, ktop1490.com,
- James Madison leaving Sun Belt Conference for American Conference in 2028, capitalgazette.com,
- James Madison leaving Sun Belt Conference, joining American, wsaz.com,
- Suffolk's George Pettaway has big game as unbeaten James Madison ends Georgia Southern jinx, dailypress.com,
- Coleman, Evans lead James Madison to bowl eligibility with 27-24 win over Georgia Southern, winnipegfreepress.com,
Found through the GDELT Project, which indexes news sites worldwide. Each link opens the story on the outlet’s own site; each picture is that outlet’s own preview of its story, shown from its site and credited to it.
Head coaches
| Coach | Years | Record |
|---|---|---|
 Billy Napier | 2026 | 7–0 |
 Bob Chesney | 2024–2025 | 21–6 |
| Damian Wroblewski | 2023 | 0–1 |
 Curt Cignetti | 2022–2023 | 19–4 |
Most-played series
All rivalries- William & Mary
16–8 in 24
- 2012 W 27–26
- 2013 L 7–17
- 2014 W 31–24
- 2015 L 41–44
- 2016 W 31–24
- 2017 W 46–14
- 2018 W 51–0
- 2019 W 38–10
- 2020 W 38–10
- 2021 W 32–22
Won the last six.
- Richmond
13–8 in 21
- 2012 L 29–35
- 2013 W 38–31
- 2014 W 55–20
- 2015 L 49–59
- 2016 W 47–43
- 2017 W 20–13
- 2018 W 63–10
- 2019 W 48–6
- 2020 W 23–6
- 2021 W 19–3
Won the last six.
- Villanova
11–7 in 18
- 2011 W 34–10
- 2012 L 20–35
- 2013 W 31–21
- 2014 L 31–49
- 2015 W 38–29
- 2016 W 20–7
- 2017 W 30–8
- 2018 W 37–0
- 2019 W 38–24
- 2021 L 27–28
Lost the last one.
| Opponent | Games | JMU record |
|---|---|---|
| William & Mary | 24 | 16–8 |
| Richmond | 21 | 13–8 |
| Villanova | 18 | 11–7 |
| Delaware | 14 | 9–5 |
| Towson | 13 | 12–1 |
| New Hampshire | 12 | 7–5 |
| Maine | 11 | 9–2 |
| App State | 9 | 3–6 |
Rivals the program names: Old Dominion, Liberty, Richmond.
The trophy it holds: Royal Rivalry Trophy (Old Dominion). Who holds each comes from the games on file; the trophies from Wikipedia.
Every opponent (86)
Every program James Madison has played, A to Z, with James Madison’s record against it. Each links to the series, game by game.
- Air Force 0–1
- Akron 0–1
- Alcorn State 1–0
- App State 3–6
- Arkansas State 1–0
- Ball State 1–1
- Bloomsburg 1–0
- Bucknell 1–0
- Campbell 1–0
- Central Connecticut 3–0
- Charleston Southern 1–0
- Charlotte 3–0
- Chattanooga 1–0
- Coastal Carolina 5–1
- Colgate 0–2
- Delaware 9–5
- Delaware State 1–0
- Duke 0–1
- East Carolina 1–0
- East Tennessee State 2–2
- Eastern Kentucky 1–0
- Elon 7–1
- Furman 0–1
- Gardner-Webb 1–0
- Georgia Southern 3–2
- Georgia State 6–0
- Hofstra 4–1
- Lehigh 3–0
- Liberty 6–1
- Lock Haven 2–0
- Louisiana 1–0
- Louisville 0–2
- Maine 9–2
- Marshall 3–2
- Maryland 0–3
- Massachusetts 4–3
- Middle Tennessee 1–0
- Monmouth 1–0
- Montana 1–0
- Morehead State 5–0
- Morgan State 1–0
- Navy 2–1
- NC State 0–1
- New Hampshire 7–5
- Norfolk State 3–0
- North Carolina 1–3
- North Carolina Central 1–0
- North Dakota 1–0
- North Dakota State 1–4
- Northeastern 2–1
- Northern Iowa 1–0
- Old Dominion 5–2
- Oregon 0–1
- Rhode Island 9–0
- Rhodes 1–0
- Richmond 13–8
- Robert Morris 2–0
- Saint Francis 4–0
- Sam Houston 1–1
- San Diego State 1–0
- SE Louisiana 1–0
- SMU 1–0
- South Alabama 1–0
- South Dakota State 1–0
- South Florida 0–1
- Southern Miss 1–0
- Stony Brook 5–1
- Texas State 2–0
- Towson 12–1
- Troy 2–0
- UAlbany 3–0
- UConn 1–0
- UL Monroe 0–1
- Utah State 1–0
- Villanova 11–7
- Virginia 2–2
- Virginia Tech 1–6
- VMI 5–0
- Wagner 1–0
- Washington State 1–0
- Weber State 4–0
- West Virginia 0–3
- Western Kentucky 1–0
- William & Mary 16–8
- Wofford 1–0
- Youngstown State 1–1
Conference titles
10, counting shared titles- Sun Belt Conference 1
- 2025
- Virginia Collegiate Athletic Association 1
- 1975
- CAA South 1
- 2020
- A-10 South 1
- 2006
- Yankee Mid-Atlantic 1
- 1994
As the program counts them in its Wikipedia article, shared titles included, and listed under each conference’s current name (a Western Conference title of the 1900s counts as a Big Ten title); season pages use the name the conference had that year. A title the article files under a conference the team wasn’t in that season is listed under the one it was. Division titles include years the team tied for its division.
Conferences
- Independent 1972–1973
- Virginia Collegiate Athletic Conference 1974–1975
- Independent 1976–1992
- Yankee Conference 1993–1996
- Atlantic 10 1997–2006
- CAA 2007–2021
- Sun Belt Conference since 2022
- 1997Joined the Atlantic 10 from the Yankee Conference in football. Source
- 2007Joined the CAA from the Atlantic 10 in football. Source
- 2022Joined the Sun Belt Conference from the CAA in football. Source
James Madison’s football conferences by season, from CollegeFootballData.com’s memberships (renamed conferences keep the name of the time). The moves and their announcement dates from Wikipedia’s lists of NCAA Division I conference changes; the year is the first season in the new conference. Conference realignment: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the Hall of Fame
Every inductee- Players
- 1
- Coaches
- 0
| 2011 | Charles Haley DE/LB |
In the NFL Draft
By college- Drafted, rounds 1–7
- 12 since 1986
- First-round picks
- 0
Who came and went in the 2026 transfer portal, and every portal year.
The school
James Madison University- Enrollment
- 22,740 20,973 undergraduates, fall 2024
- Where
- Harrisonburg, Virginia
- Public or private
- Public Research 2
- Founded
- 1908
- Graduates’ median earnings
- $69,954 10 years after starting
Enrollment, place and Carnegie research tier from the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS, public domain). Earnings from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard (CC BY 4.0): the median for students who received federal aid and were working, not in school. Founding year from Wikidata. Every school’s in the data.
Official accounts
- Football
- X @JMUFootballInstagram @JMU_FootballFacebook jmufootball
- Athletics department
- X @JMUSportsInstagram @jmusportsFacebook JMUSports
Official accounts: the schools’ athletics websites: the ones jmusports.com lists for its football program and athletics department, as of Oct 12, 2026.
Season by season
National champions| Season | Record | Conf. | AP pre | AP final | Coach | Elo | SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7–0 | 4–0 | Billy Napier | 1732 | 9.4 | ||
| 2025 | 12–2 | 8–0 | 19 | Bob Chesney | 1731 | 12.3 | |
| 2024 | 9–4 | 4–4 | Bob Chesney | 1624 | 7.5 | ||
| 2023 | 11–2 | 7–1 | Curt Cignetti, Damian Wroblewski | 1670 | 11.8 | ||
| 2022 | 8–3 | 6–2 | Curt Cignetti | 1596 | 6.5 | ||
| 2021 | 12–2 | 7–1 | 1613 | ||||
| 2020 | 7–1 | 1575 | |||||
| 2019 | 14–2 | 8–0 | 1643 | ||||
| 2018 | 9–4 | 7–2 | 1563 | ||||
| 2017 | 14–1 | 9–0 | 1664 | ||||
| 2016 | 14–1 | 9–0 | 1644 | ||||
| 2015 | 9–3 | 6–2 | 1447 | ||||
| 2014 | 9–4 | 6–2 | 1439 | ||||
| 2013 | 6–6 | 3–5 | 1355 | ||||
| 2012 | 7–4 | 5–3 | 1402 | ||||
| 2011 | 8–5 | 5–3 | 1446 | ||||
| 2010 | 5–5 | 2–5 | 1414 | ||||
| 2009 | 6–5 | 4–4 | 1466 | ||||
| 2008 | 11–1 | 8–0 | 1579 | ||||
| 2007 | 9–4 | 6–2 | 1510 | ||||
| 2006 | 9–3 | 7–1 | 1526 | ||||
| 2005 | 7–4 | 5–3 | 1438 | ||||
| 2004 | 10–2 | 7–1 | 1439 | ||||
| 2003 | 6–6 | 4–5 | 1280 | ||||
| 2000 | 0–1 | 1263 |
Every season back to 1978 (14 more)
Officially 395–226–4 since 1972 (per Wikipedia, through the 2026 season); game by game here, 224–96 (320 of its 625 games are on file). Our file starts in 1978; the program began in 1972. Some games are missing from our source.
No season on file for 1984–87, 1993–96, 2001–02: the program may not have played, or our source may be missing them.
Records are computed from every game on file at CollegeFootballData.com, whose coverage of the earliest seasons can be incomplete. Elo is this site’s own rating; see how it works on the records page.