CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2023 James Madison

11–⁠2 (7–⁠1 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Curt Cignetti, then Damian Wroblewski (interim, bowl game).

Schedule and results

James Madison in 2023, game by game: won vs. Bucknell 38–3; won at Virginia 36–35; won at Troy 16–14; won at Utah State 45–38; won vs. South Alabama 31–23; won vs. Georgia Southern 41–13; won at Marshall 20–9; won vs. Old Dominion 30–27; won at Georgia State 42–14; won vs. UConn 44–6; lost vs. App State 23–26; won at Coastal Carolina 56–14; lost vs. Air Force 21–31+42−10Won 38–3 vs. Bucknell+35BucknellWon 36–35 at Virginia+1VirginiaWon 16–14 at Troy+2TroyWon 45–38 at Utah State+7Utah StateWon 31–23 vs. South Alabama+8South AlabamaWon 41–13 vs. Georgia Southern+28Georgia SouthernWon 20–9 at Marshall+11MarshallWon 30–27 vs. Old Dominion+3Old DominionWon 42–14 at Georgia State+28Georgia StateWon 44–6 vs. UConn+38UConnLost 23–26 vs. App State-3App StateWon 56–14 at Coastal Carolina+42Coastal CarolinaLost 21–31 vs. Air Force-10Air Force
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsBucknellW 38–⁠393%
Sep 9atVirginiaW 36–⁠3563%
Sep 16atTroyW 16–⁠1441%
Sep 23atUtah StateW 45–⁠3860%
Sep 30vsSouth AlabamaW 31–⁠2365%
Oct 14vsGeorgia SouthernW 41–⁠1368%
Oct 19atMarshallW 20–⁠952%
Oct 28vsOld DominionW 30–⁠2782%
Nov 4atGeorgia StateW 42–⁠1457%
Nov 11vsUConnW 44–⁠692%
Nov 18vsApp StateL 23–⁠2674%
Nov 25atCoastal CarolinaW 56–⁠1459%
Dec 23Bowls & playoffvsAir ForceArmed Forces BowlL 21–⁠3170%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Air Force 31–⁠21 in the Armed Forces Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for first in the Sun Belt Conference.

In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 39 on file).

AP poll, week by week

  1. Wk 9: 25
  2. Wk 10: 23
  3. Wk 11: 21
  4. Wk 12: 18
  5. Wk 13: 24
  6. Wk 14: 24
  7. Wk 15: 24

SBC East champions7–⁠1 in the conference

Record
11–⁠2
Conference
7–⁠1 shared first in Sun Belt Conference
AP final
Unranked peak No. 18
Points
443–⁠253
Coach
Curt Cignetti, then Damian Wroblewski (interim, bowl game)
Elo
1670 +106 this season
SP+ rating
11.8 No. 20 of 133; offense No. 19, defense No. 43, special teams No. 40
SRS
6.9 No. 37 of 133 in FBS
Returning
11% of last season’s EPA, No. 127 of 131
Recruiting class
No. 149 roster talent No. 130 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Mike Shanahan
Defensive coordinator
Bryant Haines
Offense
Spread
Defense
4–⁠2–⁠5

How good, play by play

  • Offense33rd of 133
  • Defense12th of 133
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted32nd of 133
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted19th of 133
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1846%1.2533rd of 133
Defense-0.0335%1.4612th of 133
Opponent-adjusted0.17 off
0.01 def		45% off
36% def		—32nd off
19th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.9own 3318% allowed
Defense2.9own 2724% caused

CORE rating 17.0, 16th of 133 (offense 6.6, defense -10.3).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsJordan McCloud QB3,670 yds
Passing touchdownsJordan McCloud QB35 TD
Rushing yardsKaelon Black RB637 yds
Rushing touchdownsJordan McCloud QB8 TD
Receiving yardsElijah Sarratt WR1,191 yds
Receiving touchdownsReggie Brown WR9 TD
TacklesAiden Fisher LB107 tkl
SacksJalen Green DL15.5 sacks
InterceptionsFrancis Meehan S3 INT

Top recruits in the 2023 class

Josh Phifer TE★★★No. 1862
D’Angelo Ponds CB★★★No. 2070
Ibrahim Barry WR
Jamari Somerville CB
Chris Lofton WR

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2023 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Receivers13.00.834
Defensive backs13.00.826
Whole class23.00.830

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 111

The 2023 roster

111 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2023 line; 53 have a stat line. See the roster

Transfers in 5

The 2023 portal
Trevell Mullen CB★★★from Indiana
Brett Griffis QB★★★from Wake Forest
Jordan McCloud QB★★★from Arizona
Kyi Wright TE★★★from Pittsburgh
Taji Hudson WR★★★from East Carolina

Transfers out 4

Isaac Ukwu DE★★★to Ole Miss
Andrew Adair OL★★★to Charlotte
Antonio Webb CB★★★no new school on file
Zaid Hamdan DL★★to Southern Illinois

2023 Sun Belt Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
James Madison7–⁠111–⁠2
Troy7–⁠111–⁠3
App State6–⁠29–⁠5
Coastal Carolina5–⁠38–⁠5
Old Dominion5–⁠36–⁠7
Texas State4–⁠48–⁠5
South Alabama4–⁠47–⁠6
Arkansas State4–⁠46–⁠7
Georgia State3–⁠57–⁠6
Georgia Southern3–⁠56–⁠7
Marshall3–⁠56–⁠7
Louisiana3–⁠56–⁠7
Southern Miss2–⁠63–⁠9
UL Monroe0–⁠82–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.