2024 James Madison
9–4 (4–4 Sun Belt Conference), coached by Bob Chesney. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Ball State 63–7Sep 28
By 56 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Old Dominion 35–32Nov 16
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31 | at Charlotte | W 30–7 | 77% |
| Sep 7 | vs Gardner-Webb | W 13–6 | 88% |
| Sep 21 | at North Carolina | W 70–50 | 51% |
| Sep 28 | vs Ball State | W 63–7 | 85% |
| Oct 5 | at UL Monroe | L 19–21 | 74% |
| Oct 10 | vs Coastal Carolina | W 39–7 | 71% |
| Oct 19 | at Georgia Southern | L 14–28 | 66% |
| Oct 26 | vs Southern Miss | W 32–15 | 90% |
| Nov 9 | vs Georgia State | W 38–7 | 86% |
| Nov 16 | at Old Dominion | W 35–32 | 65% |
| Nov 23 | at App State | L 20–34 | 67% |
| Nov 30 | vs Marshall | L 33–35 | 63% |
| Dec 18Bowls & playoff | vs Western KentuckyBoca Raton Bowl | W 27–17 | 59% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Western Kentucky 27–17 in the Boca Raton Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 7th in the Sun Belt Conference.
In program history: The 7th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 39 on file).
- Record
- 9–4
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 7th in Sun Belt Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 433–266
- Coach
- Bob Chesney
- Elo
- 1624 +11 this season
- SP+ rating
- 7.5 No. 41 of 134; offense No. 49, defense No. 40, special teams No. 50
- SRS
- 1.3 No. 62 of 134 in FBS
- Returning
- 4% of last season’s EPA, No. 131 of 133
- Recruiting class
- No. 108 roster talent No. 120 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Dean Kennedy
- Defensive coordinator
- Lyle Hemphill
- Offense
- Spread
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.12 | 43% | 1.23 | 59th of 134 |
| Defense | -0.06 | 35% | 1.43 | 4th of 134 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.08 off -0.01 def | 40% off 38% def | — | 82nd off 13th 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 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.9 | own 33 | 14% allowed |
| Defense | 3.6 | own 27 | 20% caused |
CORE rating 5.3, 49th of 134 (offense -5.9, defense -11.2).
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 yards | Alonza Barnett QB | 2,596 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Alonza Barnett QB | 26 TD |
| Rushing yards | George Pettaway RB | 976 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Alonza Barnett QB | 7 TD |
| Receiving yards | Omarion Dollison WR | 633 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Omarion Dollison WR | 6 TD |
| Tackles | Jacob Thomas S | 73 tkl |
| Sacks | Eric O’Neill DL | 13 sacks |
| Interceptions | Terrence Spence CB | 5 INT |
Top recruits in the 2024 class
| Tyjai Hopper S | ★★★ | No. 1081 |
| Dylan Williams WR | ★★★ | No. 1293 |
| Milt Ferguson CB | ★★★ | No. 1332 |
| Trashon Dye RB | ★★★ | No. 1362 |
| K.J. Flowe S | ★★★ | No. 1487 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2024 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.844 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.857 |
| Receivers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.859 |
| Offensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.823 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.846 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 3.0 | 0.801 |
| Defensive backs | 6 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Whole class | 13 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
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 119
The 2024 roster119 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2024 line; 64 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 26
The 2024 portal Ayo Adeyi RB | ★★★ | from  North Texas |
| George Pettaway RB | ★★★ | from  North Carolina |
 Jacob Dobbs LB | ★★★ | from  Holy Cross |
 Nakai Poole WR | ★★★ | from  Mississippi State |
 Dylan Morris QB | ★★★ | from  Washington |
 Lloyd Summerall III DE | ★★★ | from  South Florida |
 Logan Kyle TE | ★★★ | from  Vanderbilt |
 Raymond Scott LB | ★★★ | from  Fresno State |
 Cameron Ross WR | ★★★ | from  UConn |
| Eric O’Neill DL | ★★★ | from LIU Post |
| Jesse Ramil OT | ★★★ | from Saint Francis (PA) |
 Terry Lockett DL | ★★★ | from  Syracuse |
And 14 more, lower-rated or unrated.
Transfers out 23
 Elijah Sarratt WR | ★★★★ | to  Indiana |
 Jordan McCloud QB | ★★★ | to  Texas State |
| James Carpenter DL | ★★★ | to Indiana |
 Kaelon Black RB | ★★★ | to Indiana |
 D’Angelo Ponds CB | ★★★ | to Indiana |
| Jailin Walker LB | ★★★ | to Indiana |
| Nick Kidwell OL | ★★★ | to Indiana |
| Tyler Stephens OL | ★★★ | to Indiana |
 Aiden Fisher LB | ★★★ | to Indiana |
 Tyrique Tucker DL | ★★★ | to Indiana |
 Mikail Kamara DL | ★★★ | to Indiana |
| Ty Son Lawton RB | ★★★ | to Indiana |
And 11 more, lower-rated or unrated.
2024 Sun Belt Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall | 7–1 | 10–3 | |
 Louisiana | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
| Georgia Southern | 6–2 | 8–5 | |
 Arkansas State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
 Texas State | 5–3 | 8–5 | |
 South Alabama | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| James Madison | 4–4 | 9–4 | |
| Old Dominion | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
| Coastal Carolina | 3–5 | 6–7 | |
| App State | 3–5 | 5–6 | |
| UL Monroe | 3–5 | 5–7 | |
 Troy | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Georgia State | 1–7 | 3–9 | |
| Southern Miss | 0–8 | 1–11 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.