James Madison Dukes reach 7-0 under new coach Billy Napier
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
James Madison beat Georgia State 49-22 to reach 7-0, the only unbeaten team in the country.
The run comes in Napier's first year, with 63 new players.
Background
James Madison is a Virginia university whose football team, the Dukes, plays in the Sun Belt Conference. Billy Napier is JMU's head coach, its third since 2023 after Curt Cignetti and Bob Chesney; athletic director Matt Roan led the search that hired him in roughly 10 days. The Dukes are 39-8 since 2023 with two bowl bids, a Sun Belt title and a 2025 College Football Playoff appearance despite coaching and roster turnover, and Napier's first team features 63 new players.
How it unfolded
- Sep 19, 2026JMU won at San Diego State, 26-13.
- Sep 26, 2026JMU won at Old Dominion, 46-20.
- Oct 3, 2026JMU beat Marshall, 45-17.
- Oct 10, 2026JMU won at Georgia Southern, 27-24.
- Oct 16, 2026JMU News reported a pair of F/A-18 fighter jets would fly over Bridgeforth Stadium before the Homecoming game, piloted by Cmdr. Jim Cox ('05) and Lt. Cmdr. Mark Dodson.
- Oct 17, 2026JMU beat Georgia State 49-22 at Bridgeforth Stadium in Harrisonburg, Va., moving to 7-0 and 4-0 in the Sun Belt; Camden Coleman threw two TD passes and George Pettaway ran for 119 yards.
- Oct 20, 2026JMU Athletics previewed the Thursday, Oct. 22 game at App State, 7 p.m. ET at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina, on ESPNU.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Head coach Billy Napier said this is the first time in his career he has inherited a positive culture, citing confidence among players and alignment top to bottom.
- Analysts
- Athletic director Matt Roan said Napier's opening statement in their first conversation covered things he learned and mistakes he felt he made at Florida and how he would improve them, adding that Napier wants to run a program and win.
- Support
- Kevin Warner, a two-decade veteran of JMU athletics who assisted the search, said Florida kept Napier's office vacant after firing him, which he called an indicator of the person Napier is and the respect for him.