Replacing Curt Cignetti’s success looked like a tall order, but head coach Bob Chesney has begun to carve his own path at James Madison with Dukes. The program was cleared out with many players joining the former leader at Indiana. With one season under his belt, how has Chesney’s time looked so far?
Bob Chesney Shines in Year 1 at James Madison
When Chesney took over after Cignetti’s departure, many looked skeptically upon his arrival in Harrisonburg. Despite working his way up the coaching ladder toward an FBS program, people remained unsure about the newcomer.
However, after a 9-4 season and a Boca Raton Bowl victory over Western Kentucky, Year 1 was a success. As the result of a good season for the Dukes, College Football Network awarded Chesney a “B+” grade.
As mentioned, Chesney took a laborious route to where he is today. After spending more than two decades as a coach at several Division III schools, he finally made it to the FBS level.
Under Chesney, the Dukes continued to boast a top-30 scoring offense. JMU‘s quarterback, Alonza Barrett III, even tallied 3,040 scrimmage yards and 34 touchdowns.
During James Madison’s loss to Marshall, though, Barrett severely injured his leg, casting doubt on 2025. In response, Chesney brought in several quarterback transfers, including UNLV’s Matthew Sluka.
Meanwhile, on defense, the Dukes held opponents to just 20.5 points per game, placing them at 21st in the country. Eight of their 2024 opponents scored 21 or fewer points.
The biggest highlight of the season for the Dukes was a barnburner 70-50 road upset over the North Carolina Tarheels. After the game, UNC Head Coach Mack Brown offered to quit on the spot. JMU’s 70 points were the most ever scored on a North Carolina team.
Still, JMU lost four conference games that ultimately came back to bite them.
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All in all, 2024 went better than expected for Chesney and James Madison. The team enjoyed a runaway victory against a Power Four school, the emergence of an exciting quarterback, and even a bowl victory.
While the team seems to be on a consistent path, Chesney needs to not just defeat the occasional Power Four team but clean up late-season losses if he wants the Dukes to make a splash in 2025.
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